Disclaimer: I'm a(n adopted) Baltimore local, and know Fell's Point well, so I can't review Bite of Baltimore looking through the eyes of a visitor like the majority of their clientele. On the flipside, perhaps knowing a little of the history of the area and a lot of the food makes me a harsher critic?
My parents were in town visiting, so we signed up for the Fell's Point tour. As a walking tour, it's obviously worth being conscious of the weather and general outside conditions. There isn't a lot of actual walking (Fell's Point is pretty small), but you will be outside for a reasonable chunk of time, and the streets of Fell's are picturesque and ever-so-slightly treacherous for their cobblestones.
As with any typical food tour, there are two main components to the tour. The history component was delivered to us by Zack, who also runs the company. Zack has been a tour guide in Baltimore for over a decade, and his love for the job shows. He is funny and engaging as he covers everything from the founding of the neighborhood (and Baltimore) to the building that stood in as Meg Ryan's home in Sleepless in Seattle. Even knowing the area, I came away with new knowledge.
Secondly, the food. Come hungry! We stopped in at five places - be aware that these intend to sample what is on offer in the neighborhood, rather than deliver a specifically 'Baltimore' food experience. After a brief introduction, we stopped off at Pitango, a recently expanded cafe right on the water. This was my personal food highlight, where we ate an antipasto buffet, including a taste of their specialty Parma ham. The second stop was The Point for the most local of our dishes - a Maryland crabcake. I'm generally a little ambivalent about The Point outside of their excellent brunch, and my feeling was the same today: the crabcake was tasty, but an accompanying dark chocolate and raspberry infused Jameson (their speciality; purchased separately) was only ok. Up next was a stop in the newly renovated Broadway Market, where small local vendors offer stalls. We were served an excellent (and spicy) red chicken curry alongside a really delicious Thai iced tea from Thai Street. Drinks at Rye cocktail bar were next - a glass of their Pimm's Cup, which is always served on draft there. We finished at Bond Street Social for dessert and a second cocktail (this time, a ginger lemon mule). I got lucky with my dessert - the chocolate lava cake was actually lava-y in the middle, but not everyone at the table had the same fortune. The accompanying strawberry creme brulee was a bigger hit. A final note on the food: other than Pitango, our group of eleven was served family-style at each location, so be prepared to make new friends with your tour group!
In addition to the disclaimer up front, this was my first food tour, so I can't rank it in comparison. However, based on this experience I will now intend to book on other food tours in new cities - it's an excellent way to learn about a new place while getting a decent meal - and will definitely be inviting my future guests along to Bite of Baltimore tours in future. Highly recommended! read more