If you’re visiting Baltimore for business, chances are free time is precious. But it would be a shame to miss Charm City’s homegrown culinary scene — in recent years this has become one of America’s great food cities.
From the Delta Hotels Baltimore Inner Harbor, you can tempt your taste buds with everything from brewed-in-B’more craft beer to a business lunch in an art museum in less than 90 minutes.
Here’s how to sample uniquely local treats at any time of day.
Pre-Meeting Breakfast
Drive time from Delta Hotels Baltimore Inner Harbor: 10 minutes
Duration: 45 minutes
The Papermoon Diner is one of Baltimore’s most beloved oddities, a classic diner decked out from floor to ceiling in a quirky collection toys, dolls and thousands of Pez dispensers.
Grab a quick sausage, mushroom and smoked gouda omelet or fresh blueberry pancakes, snap a few photos of the retro mannequins and mini race cars, and you’ll be wrapped up in time for a 9 a.m. start.
Pro tip: The diner is open 24 hours, so if your only free time is at odd hours, still stop by for deep-fried ravioli and some sweet potato fries.
Coffee Break
Walk time from hotel: 15 minutes
Duration: 30 minutes
3 Bean Coffee is one of Baltimore’s handful of fantastic third-wave coffeeshops, and it’s just a mile from the hotel. Come to this sunny, industrial-chic café for a midday caffeine injection brewed using Counter Culture beans.
The creamy nitro iced coffee is a popular order, but non-coffee drinkers rave about the Matcha Latte. And the snacks — quiches from Dangerously Delicious Pies; Prigel Family Creamery ice cream, made with dairy from grass-fed cows; and pastries from Bonaparte Breads — are sourced from local companies.
Business Lunch in a Museum
Drive time from hotel: 10 minutes
Duration: 90 minutes
Meeting colleagues at a steakhouse is passé — instead, take them to sample farm-to-table cuisine at the elegant Gertrude’s, where chef John Shields sends out plates that celebrate the bounty of the Chesapeake region.
Maryland red crab soup, cornmeal-dusted fried oysters and salads made with local field greens are just a few of the highlights.
Bonus: The restaurant is located in the Baltimore Museum of Art, so if you have a few minutes to spare, you can stroll through a sculpture garden or the world-class Cone Collection, which includes works by Matisse, Degas and Picasso. Entrance is free.
Craft Beer Happy Hour
Walk time from hotel: 20 minutes
Duration: 60 minutes
If your meetings finish early, Baltimore’s thriving craft beer scene awaits. An easy mile’s walk north of the hotel, The Brewer’s Art pub makes some of the city’s best brews, discounted every weekday at happy hour, which starts at 4 p.m.
The bar, housed in a converted residence, has great street views from upstairs, plus a fireplace in the lounge, and there’s always a half-dozen of the house-brewed beers on tap, including an abbey brown ale called Resurrection and the Birdhouse pale ale.
Plus you’ll find a rotating menu of seasonal beers that run the gamut from smooth to spicy to tart to fruity. Insider tip: There’s an additional late-night happy hour Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 p.m. to close.
After-Work Dinner
Drive time from hotel: 15 minutes
Duration: 90 minutes
Woodberry Kitchen is a Baltimore destination in its own right. The enormous menu at this farm-to-table spot is designed using Chesapeake ingredients — and everything from the pickled peaches to the buttermilk-fried soft-shell crabs and the celery leaf dumplings are brimming with produce and products from nearby farms.
The stunning redbrick building, a former factory, fills up fast, so reserve in advance for your post-work dinner. If you find yourself with extra time, pull up a seat at the outdoor fire-pit and have a “Farmer’s Daughter” cocktail, made with vodka, watermelon, cucumber, basil, mint and honey.
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