Booking choice: The Fells Point food tour, from $109 per person. Check dates Tour details
More than a third of the country's blue crab comes from the Chesapeake Bay, and Baltimore sits at its top. The city's food grew out of that: crab houses with paper on the tables, a seafood counter in a market that has been trading for over 200 years, and a spice blend that ends up on far more than seafood.
Below: Baltimore's famous dishes, how a crab feast works and when to go, where to get a crab cake, the story of Old Bay, Lexington Market, the sweets, and where to eat around the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and Little Italy. Easiest of all, a guide can walk you through it.
The quick answer
Order steamed blue crabs with Old Bay in summer or early fall, and a jumbo lump crab cake any time of year; Visit Baltimore points to Faidley's Seafood in Lexington Market, serving since 1886. Then try coddies, a Berger cookie and, in summer, a snowball. The Fells Point food tour covers four tasting stops, crab cakes included, from $109.
What is Baltimore's famous food?
The Maryland blue crab, steamed whole with Old Bay or made into crab cakes. Coddies, Berger cookies, snowballs and Old Bay itself come right behind.
Visit Baltimore keeps a list of the city's quintessential bites. The ones a first-time visitor should know:
| Dish | What it is | Where Visit Baltimore points |
|---|---|---|
| Steamed crabs | Blue crabs steamed, not boiled, with Old Bay, butter and beer | Captain James Landing, Phillips Seafood, L.P. Steamers, Nick's Fish House |
| Crab cakes | Lump crab with as little filler as possible | Faidley's Seafood, Koco's Pub, Pappas |
| Crab dip | A creamy crab spread, served hot | Rusty Scupper, Phillips, Camden Yards |
| Coddies | A deep-fried cod fritter with potato, egg, onion and saltines | Faidley's, Attman's Delicatessen, Dylan's Oyster Cellar |
| Oysters | Chesapeake Bay oysters, raw, steamed, fried or char-grilled | Thames Street Oyster House, The Urban Oyster |
| Berger cookies | A soft cake-like cookie under thick fudge frosting | Berger's Bakery, Market Bakery in Lexington Market |
| Snowballs | Shaved ice with syrup; egg custard with marshmallow is the classic | Ice Queens, Walther Gardens, Quality Snowballs |
What is Maryland's signature dish? Our answer: the crab cake, with the steamed crab feast a close second. To drink, Visit Baltimore names the Orange Crush (fresh orange juice, vodka, triple sec, crushed ice) as Maryland's official state cocktail, and Natty Boh as the beer for washing down a crab.
How do you eat Maryland blue crabs, and when is crab season?
Steamed, never boiled, with Old Bay, melted butter, corn on the cob and cold beer, cracked open with a knife and a mallet on a paper-covered table. Crabs are most plentiful in summer and early fall.
Maryland blue crabs are named for their blue claws, and they turn red-orange in the steamer. A crab feast is a slow, messy, sociable meal: you pull the shell, clean out the gills, snap the body in half and work the meat out with your fingers. Wear something you do not mind splashing.
- Where to sit down for crabs: Visit Baltimore names Captain James Landing, Phillips Seafood, L.P. Steamers in Locust Point and Nick's Fish House in Port Covington.
- When: summer and early fall, when the Bay's crabs are most plentiful.
- Out of season: order a crab cake. It is on menus all year.
Where do you get a crab cake in Baltimore?
Visit Baltimore's list starts with Faidley's Seafood in Lexington Market, serving since 1886, then Pappas Seafood Co., Costas Inn, Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Jimmy's Famous Seafood and Koco's Pub.
A Baltimore crab cake is judged on what is not in it. Visit Baltimore's tip: jumbo lump and no filler whenever possible. Faidley's are "softball sized"; Koco's Pub, per Visit Baltimore, is the mayor's favorite; Pappas is known as an Oprah Winfrey favorite.
Want one without leaving Fells Point? Both food tours on this site start with crab. The Fells Point Culinary Food Tour serves Maryland crab cakes with remoulade and crab pretzels topped with crab dip, per the listing, over 3.5 hours and four stops. Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 46 reviews. Deborah, on the listing: "We not only had great food but learned interesting history. [...] One of the best food tours I’ve ever done." (Aug 2026)
Crab cakes, crab pretzels and three more tastings on the cobblestones of Fells Point.
Check dates for the Fells Point food tourWhat is Old Bay, and why is it on everything?
Old Bay is a blend of 18 spices invented by German immigrant Gustav Brunn. It caught on in the 1940s, and Baltimore-based McCormick & Co. bought the recipe in 1990.
The recipe has not changed in nearly 100 years, says Visit Baltimore, and it is still secret. Locals put it on crabs first, then on many foods beyond seafood, as Visit Baltimore puts it. The red dust on your fingers after a crab feast is Old Bay.
The Little Italy food tour tells the story of Old Bay at its Fells Point home, per the listing, between a Maryland crab cake at a waterfront seafood counter and a mini cannoli in Little Italy. It runs 3 hours from 1640 Aliceanna St, costs from $107.97 and is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 4 reviews.
Five local dishes on foot, from a Maryland crab cake and the Old Bay story to a mini cannoli in Little Italy.
Explore the Little Italy food tour Tour detailsIs Lexington Market worth a visit?
Yes, for lunch. The market moved into a brand-new building in October 2022 after more than 200 years of trading, and Faidley's Seafood still serves its crab cakes there.
Lexington Market is downtown, north of the Inner Harbor, with the Faidley's entrance at 203 N. Paca Street. It is the one stop where you can tick off three Baltimore classics: a Faidley's crab cake, a plate of coddies, and a Berger cookie from Market Bakery for later.
It sits north of the Inner Harbor in the downtown core, and the getting around guide has the free Circulator routes and the Light Rail.
Want more market? Fells Point has its own historic market too, where the Little Italy tour stops at a Polish deli for a plate of mixed pierogies.
What sweets is Baltimore known for?
Berger cookies under thick fudge frosting, Otterbein's crispy cookies, summer snowballs and the lemon stick, a peppermint stick pushed into half a lemon.
- Berger cookies: a soft, cake-like cookie with a rich fudge frosting, from Berger's Bakery and sold at Market Bakery in Lexington Market.
- Otterbein's: buttery, crispy, imperfectly shaped cookies in six flavors from a bakery near Fort McHenry. Chocolate chip is the favorite.
- Snowballs: finely shaved ice with flavored syrup. Egg custard with marshmallow on top is the classic order. Visit Baltimore names Ice Queens in Locust Point, Walther Gardens and Quality Snowballs in Hampden.
- Lemon sticks: suck lemon juice up through a peppermint stick. The treat goes back to the Flower Mart in Mount Vernon each May, held since 1911.
For dessert in Little Italy, Visit Baltimore points to Vaccaro's.
What are the best restaurants in the Inner Harbor?
Visit Baltimore names Blackwall Hitch, McCormick & Schmick's at the end of Pier 5, Phillips Seafood with its outdoor crab deck in summer, and the Rusty Scupper on the south shore.
These are the waterfront names Visit Baltimore lists for the Inner Harbor itself. For more choice, walk east:
- Harbor East: fine dining around the Four Seasons, including Charleston, The Bygone and The Atlas Quarter.
- Little Italy: family-run Italian kitchens, among them La Scala with an indoor bocce court and Sabatino's, then Vaccaro's for dessert.
- Fells Point: oyster bars and taverns on the cobblestones, among them Thames Street Oyster House, which Visit Baltimore names for oysters.
Plans to eat inside Harborplace? Check what is open first: many tenants left the pavilions in 2026, as our Inner Harbor guide explains.
Is a food tour in Fells Point worth it?
Yes, if you want the food and the history in one go. You walk the old port with a local guide, taste at four stops and learn Baltimore's part in the War of 1812.
Two food tours on this site, both on foot (no boat):
| Fells Point Culinary Food Tour | Little Italy food tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3.5 hours | 3 hours |
| Meeting point | Thames Street Park, Fells Point | 1640 Aliceanna St, Fells Point |
| What you taste | 4 stops including crab cakes; one alcohol tasting for 21 and over | Pierogies, a crab cake, a knish, an Italian plate, a mini cannoli and a surprise stop |
| Good to know | Not for people with mobility impairments or under 21, per the listing | Be there 15 minutes early; not for people with mobility impairments |
| From | $109 | $107.97 |
The Fells Point streets are narrow and cobbled, so wear comfortable shoes and tell the operator about any dietary needs in advance. Gratuities are extra. Tracey, on the culinary tour: "Tommy was a great, knowledgeable, fun guide. Food, fun & facts were promised & delivered!" (Oct 2026)
After dinner, the Fells Point ghost tour spends an hour on Poe, old sailors and the neighborhood's stories after dark.
Four tasting stops in Fells Point, crab cakes included, with a local guide and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Explore the Fells Point food tour Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
What is Baltimore's most famous food?
The Maryland blue crab: steamed whole with Old Bay, or made into crab cakes. In Maryland, crabs are steamed, not boiled.
When is crab season in Baltimore?
Maryland crabs are most plentiful in summer and early fall. Crab cakes are on menus all year.
Where can you get a crab cake in Baltimore?
Visit Baltimore names Faidley's Seafood in Lexington Market (serving since 1886), Pappas Seafood Co., Costas Inn, Gertrude's, Jimmy's Famous Seafood and Koco's Pub.
What is Old Bay?
A blend of 18 spices invented by German immigrant Gustav Brunn. Baltimore-based McCormick & Co. bought the recipe in 1990, and it is still secret.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Fells Point Culinary Food Tour
- Food tastings at 4 stops
- Water, plus an alcohol tasting at 1 stop (21 and over)
- Local tour guide
Little Italy and Fells Point Food Tour
Crab cake, pierogies and a cannoli in Little Italy
Baltimore Bewitched Ghost Tour
Poe, sailors and old Fells Point after dark
