Baltimore

Ale Mary's

In most respects, this place is just yet another pub in Fells Point, but there is one five star attraction that brings the crowds—the legendary Krispy Kreme bread pudding with vanilla ice cream! The rest of the heart-destroying menu is great as well, as are the Scottish beers.

Mon-Thu 4PM-2AM, Fri-Sat 11:30AM-2AM, Sun 10:30AM-2AM

Alexander's

With plenty of local beers on tap, a good selection of wines by the glass, great bar food, and a somewhat nicer atmosphere than most pubs in the area, Alexander's is a very reliable spot for a few drinks at night. The crab macaroni and cheese with bacon is decadent, and the salmon sliders and crab tater tots are popular as well.

Mon-Fri 11AM-2AM, Sat-Sun 10AM-2AM

Angel's Rock Bar

Don't Stop Believing that the set list will be a little cheesy, but this rock club is regardless one of the better stops within the complex. The clientele is a little skewed towards the male gender, though (because they are sick of the house music at the other clubs). $5-10, free for ladies.

Thu-Sat 9PM-2:30AM

Baltimore Comedy Factory

The Comedy Factory transcends its plastic surroundings—it has a 30 year history (at a former location) and is the city's main, and only, comedy venue. Big names are commonplace.

Shows start anywhere between 7PM and 10:15PM·$17-22, often with a two-drink minimum

Birds of a Feather

Fells Point's scotch whisky bar, with a good 120 single malts on offer, poured in generous drams. The bar atmosphere is very atypical for the neighborhood—no TVs, jazz softly in the background, and older, laid-back clientele.

Tue-Thu 4PM-10PM, Fri-Sat 4PM-11PM

Carma's Cafe

Well-known for their sandwiches and excellent coffee, Carma's offers indoor and outdoor seating just blocks away from Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Cat's Eye Pub

One of the oldest establishments in the neighborhood, this is a great dive bar if you want to get a true Baltimore experience. It's eccentric, has a great sense of place, good prices on Natty Boh and other local craft beers, and live music—mostly blues, rock, or eclectic. Also haunted.

noon-2AM daily

Caton Castle

This is one of Baltimore's best, if not the best, jazz clubs, and you will not find a single other tourist given the out-of-the-way location! Kick it with the locals, hang out in the lounge, and listen to some great local players. You won't go hungry either, with large servings of traditional American/Southern food.

6PM-10PM, music is generally only on Saturdays—call or check the online calendar.·Usually $10 cover

Claddaugh Pub

Another long-time institution in Canton, Claddaugh's is the resident Irish pub during the day, with outdoor seating and decent fare. Once the sun sets though, it turns into another local hot spot, complete with dance floor and two additional bars on the second level. While it still tends to cater to a younger crowd, the general atmosphere is less like a college bar than its neighbors.

Club 1722

Check out those hours! What the heck sort of club is open from 2AM-6AM? And BYOB? This is a wild sort of place.

Fri 1:45AM-5AM, Sat 1:45AM-6AM

Cross Street Public House

The three floors are usually packed (especially intense F-Sa), with a popular sports bar up front and a second floor dance floor full of people dancing the night away to Top 40 under the influence of vodka red bull slushies (really). Half price crab cakes on Wednesday nights!

Mon-Sat 5PM-2AM, Sun 11AM-2AM

Daily Grind

High quality coffee drinks of all stripes along with fresh salads and wraps, in the back of the Broadway Research Building.

Mon-Fri 7AM-5PM

Duda's

One of many very solid, laid-back pubs on this strip, Duda's has a great craft beer selection, but it's a fine place to go downscale with a Natty Boh as well. The bar seafood is an excellent option as well, with cheap fried clam strips to soak up the booze, and tasty soft shell crab sandwiches, crab cakes, crab soup, etc.

Mon-Sat 11AM-1AM

Five Mile House

If you are looking for more of an old school African American lounge, this is the biggest in the city. During slower times just the 1st floor is open, but weekends they open the 2nd floor up where a younger crowd tends to hang out. Food is available in addition to drink options. A can't miss if you want to see men wear leisure suits and women all dressed up.

5PM-2AM daily

Hull Street Blues Cafe

Famous above all for its excellent brunch, this older establishment that treads the line between the gentrification crowd and the neighborhood is a fine place for a reliable lunch or dinner in the middle of the week, or just for the bar (which has free shuffleboard!).

Mon-Thu 11AM-midnight, Fri Sat 11AM-2AM, Sun 10AM-midnight

Idle Hour

This is one of the best dive bars in this part of the city. Quiet, not too crowded, and away from the frat party to the north. The cocktails can actually be pretty good, and worth a slightly higher price than you would find at a more off-the-beaten-path dive bar (which would pretty much be limited to gin & tonics and rye & sodas anyway). The patrons also tend to be a bit older and more mature, and there are rumors of hipsters, although it's a little doubtful you would find any in Federal Hill.

Illusions Magic Bar & Lounge

They're not kidding—this is literally a magic bar, with magicians coming in to perform. Yes, the patter is a little corny, but the tricks are cool, the atmosphere is classy, and the stiff martinis are actually pretty good. All in all, this is a nice change of pace, if you are in the mood for something different.

Wed-Sat 5PM-1AM; shows on Fri Sat nights, 8:30PM (reservations needed)

James Joyce Irish Bar

A fairly typical and large Irish pub, but a particularly nice one, and just off the Inner Harbor. The beer list is standard, but the Irish food menu is surprisingly good. Frequent live music.

Daily 11AM-2AM

Max's Taphouse

The most famous bar in Fells Point, Max stocks the largest beer selection on the East Coast (or so it is believed, anyway). Seriously, they have over 1200 bottled beers to choose from, and over 150 on tap. The clientele is not fantastic (popped collar crowd), but that's hardly enough to prevent this from being a great recommendation.

11AM-2AM daily

Metro Gallery

An art gallery, club/lounge, live performance venue, and bar, this is one of the cooler places in a very cool city for a night out. Not open every night, you will have to settle for waiting for an event night.

Open for gallery events—check website or call

Mount Royal Tavern

MICA students know this "Dirt Church"—that should give you a basic idea of what to expect. Some artist painted a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling if you look up, the bathrooms reek with the stench of death, dirts are mind-bogglingly cheap, you would probably be thrown out the door if you request a martini, etc. There is a good mix of neighborhood folks, heavily tattooed drug abusers, and art school students. This is real Baltimore, and while the masses might hate this sort of place, a true lover of the city will be in a special sort of heaven. Order a shot of rye and a Natty Boh, and you'll find yourself in good company.

10AM-2AM daily

Mum's

Mum's is pure Baltimore. It's dark, dank, local, loud, and free of the occasionally awful wannabe-Jersey Shore Federal Hill crowd. It has been in the neighborhood a long time, and was reasonably well known in the punk/hardcore days of the city (they still occasionally have live music). If you feel like forgetting your evening and waking up in some random part of Baltimore, or potentially another town, try some shots of "Evil." Pool table in the back.

Mon-Fri 2PM-2AM, Sat Sun 1PM-2AM

Power Plant Live

A collection of bars, clubs, music venues, and restaurants (the most notable being the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse), manufactured to keep the Inner Harbor tourist machine rolling! As such, it is not representative of Baltimore culture, is a good deal cheesy (beware the suburban bachelorettes), and has pretty rotten service, but is nonetheless a good time with the right mindset. They have a large self contained outdoor square where you can escape the usual U.S. rules on open containers and drink outside to your heart's content. The outdoor Power Plant stage is host to an unending string of live music performances in the summer.

Pub Dog

A rare breed on Cross St, this is actually a pretty laid back pub with good pizza and even better microbrews—mostly fruit-infused. It's also a hit with dogs. The "Dog Deal" is a very impressive two (smallish) mugs of beer for $4.

5PM-2AM daily

Ram's Head Live

A two-level indoor music venue, which is a nice clean, accessible place to see live music.

Mon-Sat 10AM-10:30PM, Sun 2 hours prior to doors until 10:30PM

Ropewalk Tavern

Surprisingly, there do appear to be Republicans in Baltimore, and the only place you can reliably find them is at this bar/lounge, decorated with statues of conservative icon President Reagan. If Republican, you've found a haven full of like-minded singles. If not Republican, it's still a fun (and even kind of kitschy) party, with pool and good bar food.

Mon-Thu 4:30PM-2AM, Fri-Sun 11:30AM-2AM

Select Lounge

One of Baltimore's classier and sexier clubs (more of a lounge, really), despite the somewhat worrisome neighborhood surrounding. The dress code is fairly strict, so leave sneakers at home, and come looking nice. DJs mostly spin hip-hop.

Thu-Sat 5PM-2AM·Covers up to $20

Shamrock Inn

Given a nod in Esquire Magazine's best 150 bars in America (sharing the distinction with only one other Maryland bar, the Brewer's Art in Midtown), this is a good Bawlmer biker bar to get your teeth knocked down your throat by a big tattooed broad. Or just to generally have a very colorful, entertaining evening (don't misunderstand, the place is absolutely accepting of newcomers of any stripes). It is also a great place for live rock music. John Waters loves the place.

Sliders Bar & Grill

This is likely the best bar by the Ravens and Orioles stadiums, a big sports bar that does most things right, in particular the regional craft beers on tap, the big LCDs, and the proud, friendly Baltimore sports loving crowd.

10:30AM-2AM daily

The 8 x 10

One of Baltimore's best set-up live music venues occupies a Goldilockean not-too-big, not-too-small space, although it does get overcrowded on the weekends with the weekend Federal Hill crowd. Shows tend to be rock, and the dance floor can be a very good time depending on the clientele that night.

Shows usually get started around 8PM