Maynard's is somewhat of a local center for the Brooklyn neighborhood—popular for lunch and dinner in the day, and for DJs and live music after hours. The menu is assertively Baltimorean, with "hon fries," "Greektown gyros," "Bawlmer crab dip skins," "Francis Hot Key sandwiches," etc. Crab manages to show up in over half of the dishes. What the deal is with the Nixon posters is not exactly clear.
Mon-Fri 11AM-2AM, Sat Sun noon-2AM·$10-22
As Natty Boh is to Baltimore beer, Berger Cookies are to Baltimore sweets. Incredibly rich, you should only ever eat one, and probably get two glasses of milk handy. The cookie is of the soft sugar variety (German vanilla wafer, to be precise), with a fudgy chocolate top so thick that it's better to think of it as an extra brownie. Berger's has been turning out these cookies for 175 years, and it's a true Baltimore tradition. You can buy them online, you can find them at Lexington Market (at De Bauffre Bakery), but adventure seekers can head straight here, to the factory itself, for the fix.
Hersh's has garnered a lot of positive attention around town for cool ambiance, high class cocktails, craft beers on tap, and some really good gourmet pizza (and pastas).
Sun Mon Wed Thu 5PM-10PM, Fri Sat 5PM-midnight·$12-25
Really a must-visit for any tourist in Baltimore, this is the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem. The fort's military history is best known for its central role in the defense of the country in the War of 1812, simply named the Battle of Fort McHenry. At the time, Baltimore was the industrial powerhouse of the United States, and was a critical producer of ships and armaments. Fort McHenry remained relevant in future wars: a prison for captured Confederate soldiers in the Civil War, a military hospital during WWI, and again an active Coast Guard base during WWII. Since 1925 it has been designated as a National Park (and since 1939 doubly listed as a National Monument), and is today a museum, with plenty of cannons and nooks and crannies to explore. Back to the National Anthem, it was Francis Scott Key, who escaped here from British captivity in the War of 1812, and joins Edgar Allen Poe, Thurgood Marshall, and H L Mencken as a preeminent icon of the city and the eponym for dishes at restaurants, bridges, and one impressive golden statue in Bolton Hill. He might be a little sad to see that the flag is not still there. It was getting extra raggedy after all these years, and was moved to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. for preservation.
9AM-4:45PM daily·$15, children under 15 are free