The Brewer's Art won the reader's poll in Baltimore Magazine and the City Paper for best bar in the city, and Esquire's pick for best bar in the United States. No one is too sure what to make of that wild superlative, but it is clearly a good bar. Their house brews are almost always great and offered at ridiculously low prices, and they have an excellent selection of liquors (especially scotch and brandies) and wines by the glass. The old Mt Vernon townhouse it is housed in is beautiful, with a swanky upscale seating area upstairs and a perfect dark brick dive ambiance downstairs. And even the food, upscale American, is outstanding, making the place a worthy dinner choice, or just an extra good place to get some bar food. Mains run in the $20s, light fare: $8-14.
Mon-Sat 4PM-2AM, Sun 5PM-2AM; dinner: Sun-Wed 5:30PM-9PM, Thu-Sat 5:30PM-10:30PM
Nepalese finds its home on the eclectic jumble of Charles St, with a tasty lunch buffet, and a nice but casual dinner.
Lunch: Mon 11:30AM-2:30PM, Tue-Fri 11AM-2:30PM, Sat Sun 11:30AM-3PM; dinner: Sun-Thu 5PM-10PM, Fri Sat 5PM-10:30PM·$15-28
A somewhat upscale French bistro with typical bistro fare plus a few Maryland/American favorites. But the standout is the sybaritic dessert menu, making this a great nighttime spot for a fancy drink and slice of chocolate cake or a tart.
Mon-Thu 7AM-10PM, Fri 7AM-11PM, Sat 8AM-11PM, Sun 8AM-10PM·$15-35
D.C.'s U Street mainstay for Ethiopian food has opened a location in Baltimore, and it easily surpasses the original: prices are a bit lower, the atmosphere is more relaxed and friendly, and some would even say the food is a notch higher! As in D.C., Dukem excels in the meat category, with wonderful beef tibs especially, as well as great raw dishes. If you haven't had Ethiopian food before, this is a great place to start—just remember that you'll be eating with your hands, and that you can wind up with some spicy dishes! They roast their own coffee beans daily in an elaborate, traditional, and very elaborate Ethiopian coffee ceremony, down to the white dresses, scented grasses, frankincense, etc. It's incredible.
11AM-11PM daily·$10-20