An absolute must for so many reasons! The location, off Charles St (Hopkins, Loyola, Towson universities). In the actual Baltimore Art Museum so aesthetically soothing, with a beautiful garden off the restaurant. And Gertrude's crab cakes-whether on a bun or with hollandaise are delicious. Actual Crab! Tracy was our server and she on top of everything, from water refill to separate to go bags. We highly recommend Gertrude's as a nice treat from the norm! read more

The ambience is a pleasant extension of the museum. The paint color ways, evening candles, and artwork set a lovely mood. The fruit salad with pistachio tasted fresh. The lamb was well done and not medium to medium well; the arugula and fingerling potatoes were fresh yet there was not a lot of seasoning. The vegan toasted coconut ice cream and the raspberry rhubarb crumble with strawberry ice cream as a tweak were incredible and very satisfying. Reservations recommend. Was not perfect, but was enjoyable. Grace was a wonderful server as well. read more

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When visiting any exhibits at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). I always secure reservations at Gertrude's. Gertrude's is conveniently located inside the BMA. Gertrude's offers excellent farm-to-table Chesapeake cuisine, as one would expect from fine dining in Maryland. Shannon, our server, helped make our dining experience enjoyable. Why? Attentive and Friendly Excellent check-in timing I delighted myself with Freddie's shrimp and grits and a garden salad. And a seasonal sangria as a cocktail, all made to perfection. I'll be back for another fine-dining experience, whether for al fresco afternoon tea or Sunday brunch in the cozy, relaxed atmosphere. Note: parking on Sundays is free. If during the week, use the ParkMobile App to secure garage parking near The Study at John Hopkins. read more

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** 7 Year Review Update ** This place has certainly risen from a 4 Star to a 5 Star!! The only con is parking. It can be a doozy. Limited nearby street parking, limited parking lot parking. Parking is shared for the restaurant and attached musuem. I was fortunate to catch someone leaving the parking lot, and snatched their space. $8 for members, $12 non members. My gf and I visited this restaurant prior to visiting the BMA. Reservations were easily made in advance on Opentable. The ambiance was appropriately bright, and welcoming. Small LIVE flowers on each table. I love it!! We were seated instantly, and Shannon came over to assist. She was so sweet. Professional, and consistent. We ordered the following. Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes! - Huge! Very good and fluffy !! Smoked Bacon - Crispy! Perfect! Hot Toddy - Made perfectly! Very smooth. I am so glad we were able to meet here for this delectable experience, and I look forward to returning. read more

Dinner reservations were made one weekday evening. We arrived on time and were seated immediately. It helps to make reservations as I overheard the host inform someone that they were full (so walk-ins could only order carryout, I guess - be sure to ask). If they are busy, your server may not come to your table immediately - we ended up waiting a while, but at least we got some water. Still, though, it would have been nice to just get a quick message like "I'll be right with you.", but no. There are a lot of selections on the menu as it is cramped with a lot of items, that it took me a minute to order. I started off with a cup of Cream of Crab soup served with lump crab and sherry (per the menu). The soup was great, and I enjoyed the pieces of crab in it (not sure if lump is the correct word, but you get the gist). It wasn't until I got to the bottom of the cup that I started coming across pieces of shell in the soup that I stopped having it altogether, but it was a little amount of soup left at the time. My entrée was a Fells Point 1/2 lb. Beef Burger served with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and fries. There are 7 choices of cheeses to select from - I went with Provolone, and I liked that you could decide how you want your burger cooked. The side of one bun has the burger topped with your cheese and the other side has all the fixings. It looks like mustard and ketchup is on the side. The fries were just a small amount and not the greatest. At least I enjoyed the burger, and I had a Mango Daiquiri to wash it down - I could taste the mango in it (so good). I passed on dessert as I was full, but my friends enjoyed theirs. Overall, 3.5 stars. read more

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We had a great dinner at Gertrude's! We shared delicious appetizers - lamb meatballs, zucchini courgettes. I had an excellent main course of rockfish topped with crab. For dessert a signature candy bar special. Beautiful setting. Good service. read more

A friend and I stopped in Gertrude's before we were scheduled to visit the Amy Sherald exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art and I really enjoyed my experience. First our server was incredibly nice. She was an older woman and I can't remember her name, but she was very, very thoughtful and checked up on us many times to make sure we were OK during meal service. To start I had the cream of crab, which was absolutely divine then for my entrée I had the hummus plate and everything tasted so fresh and very tasty. I had some sort of spritz drink that was also really yummy. The restaurant is kind of catty corner to the museum and is located inside the museum and it's like an open air concept but very very pretty. if I ever return to the Baltimore Museum of Art, I will definitely make a stop at Gertrude's. read more

Gertrude's - Hummus Plate - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Gertrude's is a great spot for lunch, brunch, or dinner. It is really rare for a museum restaurant to be as standout as Gertrude's is! I have enjoyed dining by myself at the bar, taking parents and family members out to dinner, or celebrating their fun themed events like Krautfest. Seafood is impeccable, but so are the drinks, both alcholic and NA options. Definitely could creep up into "splurge" territory, but portions are very large and the style and service is worth it. read more

Gertrude's was a lovely restaurant located in the Baltimore Museum of Art. My friend and I came here for lunch before we explored the museum. I got their Smoked Blue Catfish Catties and my friend ordered Gertie's Crab Cake. I didn't know what to expect for my dish but it was ok. The catties seemed to mainly be made of potatoes; I couldn't even taste the fish. Home fries were meh. My favorite part of the dish was the apple-fennel slaw side. I did have a bite of my friend's crab cake and it was decent but I found the food here in general ok. Our server wasn't the most attentive either and it took a long time before I got his attention for more coffee. Maybe some of their other dishes are better but otherwise, I wasn't impressed with the food or service here. read more

Gertrude's - Smoked Blue Catfish Catties and Gertie's Crab Cake - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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This place was very underwhelming with both the food and service experience we had. The zucchini fritters had good flavor, but it tasted undercooked/raw in the center. The pork dish had potential but just missed with the dryness and overall mid execution of everything on the plate. Our server felt like she was rushing us the entire time. The ambience isn't necessarily something I would seek out. It's loud and overcrowded with the tables kind of on top of each other. A very okay restaurant. read more

Gertrude's - Jeeze, save some lemon for the rest of us. This is their idea of a "twist" - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

My spirit is conflicted, because I truly believe that this establishment is a solid, three. But, the nostalgia of Christmas time definitely saved this restaurant for me. The decor, the art, the ambience was all magnificent! And to top things off, this restaurant is located inside of a museum! How cool. Would that being said, I truthfully did not have the highest expectations because this spot is definitely a tourist spot because it's attracting the art crowd. My soup was absolutely delicious, but it was warm. Actually, my entire table stated that all of their food was merely warm, which definitely is a problem. Some of the entrées that I sampled, were hit or miss. For instance, the lamb chop by itself did not have a lot of flavor. But, when you consumed it with the raspberry, drizzle that accompanied it, it was absolutely delicious!. I ordered the fish and grits. My catfish fillet was cooked too perfection. The grits, were not necessarily my cup of tea, but because of the presentation, I understood the consistency and the texture so I gave it a pass. But, what stole the chauffeur me, were the greens! On the menu, it stated that the fish and grits would be accompanied with a Black Eyed Peas room a lot and greens. But, the Black Eyed Peas were inside of the greens. Absolutely freaking amazing! This is why I did indeed give this establishment for stars .I've never in my life had greens with Black Eyed Peas mixed in. I will try to give this restaurant another try if I'm in the Baltimore area. I traveled two hours to get there to celebrate my best friend's birthday, so my expectations were a little high, for she is big on quality over quantity. Again, maybe it was the Christmas time/Christmas rush, and or the time that I place my meal compared to theirs. But definitely decent, well above decent, to be located inside of a museum. read more

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We enjoyed a lovely birthday celebration at Gertrude's. We requested our special table when we made our reservation and they had it ready and waiting for us when we arrived. The restaurant was busy, but we could easily enjoy our conversations. Our server, Da'Mon, came over right away to take our drink orders and offer us the Thursday with Gertie menu and their regular menu. We all decided to do the Thursday with Gertie menu. We enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Grigio with our meal that was crisp and refreshing. My husband chose the 3 course menu. He started off with a cup of cream of lump crab soup with a touch of sherry. It was thick and full of flavor. For his main course, he enjoyed the Boardwalk Crab Cake ($5-Upcharge) that came with basil tartar sauce, hand-cut fries, and coleslaw. I had a hankering for their Maryland Pan-Fried Chicken, which had a breast, thigh, leg, and wing perfectly fried (not greasy) with mashed potatoes, gravy, and sautéed broccoli. It was so good. Our friend is a salmon aficionada. She thoroughly enjoyed the Salmon alla Bella that came with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. My husband and friend went all out and had the Gertie's Classic Ice Cream Sundae. Since it was our friend's 80th birthday, her sundae was served with a lighted candle and a chocolate bar with Happy Birthday on it - such a nice touch. We were so pleased to have John Shields stop by to say hello. Our compliments to him and his staff for a lovely dining experience. read more

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My first trip to Gertrude's. Hard to believe and I wonder why I waited so long. We were attending event at Museum and made reservations to dine beforehand. Bar area looks really nice and was already crowded at 5:30. Table was ready and we sat outside in tented area which was great because it was very noisy inside. Service was great from the moment we sat down and our waitress Maya (sp?) was super. They have special menu for Thursday nights that features many meals for $20 with 3 course upgrade available in addition to regular menu and specials. Wife ordered the lamb rack special and I had crab cake from Thursday specials w 3 course upgrade available. Berry salad starter was incredible and enough to split to start. Entrees were very good with only small complaint would be good could have been a little hotter but not bad enough to send back. Split desert as apple crumble w coconut ice cream. Delish!!! With 2 local brews, our dinner bill came in around $100 b4 tip. Great meal, great service, great setting, great value imho. Will return. Strongly recommend you make reservations as they have a popular exhibit currently there. read more

Gertrude's - Berry salad. Very good - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Great food and a lovely setting in the art museum! The biscuits and cornbread are delicious, and the raw oysters were divine as well. The mimosas were lovely. It's a lively place and somehow despite the service initially forgetting we were there, they treated us really well and threw the biscuits in on the house without us asking for it so that was much appreciated. read more

Gertrude's - Raw oysters from two different bays in the Virginia area - the Mignonette and the cocktail sauce were excellent - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I think we may have had a new server, drink, soup...forgotten. Lots of following up. That said everything was amazing! Great ambience. Warm, cozy, and good food. They don't validate parking so find street parking. We will be back. It was good energy! We had the honey buffalo cauliflower, a crab cake, meatballs and lobster bisque. read more

Gertrude's - Bee Hoss Buffalo Cauliflower - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Great, good, service and location. Being in the same area of the Baltimore Museum of Arts is a huge plus . Great outdoor dining when weather is pleasant.. Food is always on point . read more

I really wanted to like this spot but it was very underwhelming. It's very cool that it's in a museum but based on my one visit, that was the best thing they had going for them. I had the crab cake which admittedly was good- but not outstanding. The zucchini bites had good flavor but were very undercooked. Our server was rushing us the entire time and dropped the check off while we were still eating, which never feels great. Overall, I do not feel compelled to return. read more

The service , menu selections and atmosphere made for a relaxing and satisfying lunch.

Lovely space. Attended for a private event. The staff was very good. Unfortunately, the food was just average. It may have been due to the event size. read more

We stopped in Gertrude's for lunch today, and I can't begin to express how unsatisfied and disappointed I was. I ordered the crabcake platter/Gertie's crabcake and it was obvious that the "lump" crabmeat had left the building! It should have been called a "hushpuppy", since it consisted of 90% filler. Such a let down! Our waiter was attentive and kind, however after I brought this to his attention, he was adamant in his response, "we standby our lump crabcakes". He took away the hushpuppy, apologized and did not offer any concessions. Unacceptable! On our way out, I asked to speak to John Shields and the host went to the rear, came back and said, "he left an hour ago". Unacceptable once again! We typically stop in Gertrude's following a BMA visit. We enjoy the inside dining ambiance, as well as the veranda at the sculpture garden. However after today's experience, we will make plans elsewhere. read more

Beautiful setting overlooking the sculpture garden, and the menu highlights local flavors. The crab cakes are solid, very little filler and nicely seared, but I expected a bit more seasoning for the price. Service was pleasant but on the slower side, which made lunch stretch longer than planned. It's a lovely spot if you want a relaxed meal after visiting the museum, but not necessarily one I'd rush back to. i'm read more

Have been going to Gertrude's for decades and have loved it. Tonight we had a long wait even though we had reservations. The person at the podium had a long phone conversation while the in- person line backed out to the gift shop. We waited 30 minutes for a glass of wine and there were not enough waitstaff. Wasn't expecting deep fried crab cakes and deep fried chicken. For dessert had to walk back to the kitchen for a spoon for ice cream that was melting. This was a special event and we had our if town guests who had never been to Gertrude's. It was embarrassing. read more

My wife and I have dined at many different restaurants in Maryland and DC. Gertrude's was the first restaurant in 20 years to ever cancel a reservation that we've made. We were told it was canceled because there was a larger party reservation reserved for the same night. So either the website was not in sync with the reservation book or we got bumped for more profitable party. Either way our reservation was dropped with no concession, which feels very wrong to me. We were looking forward to celebrating our anniversary at Gertrude's but after this experience, we probably will not make another attempt to dine at this establishment. If you have a reservation at Gertrude's good luck, keeping it. read more

Date Night At Gertrude's! Im just going to say it - this review is going to be glowing because I got married here and just walking into the restaurant makes me feel all warm inside. Call it cheating, or me being biased...but at least I gave you a heads up! I took my best friend to Gertrude's and we loved every moment of it...especially this time of the year when they do their "Row House Competition"! We have been coming here for *years* and love going to the BMA, then walking over to Gertrudes for a delicious meal. The staff were super friendly and able to answer any question I had regarding the menu! It had changed from my last visit which was really cool! After my 1000 questions I *DID* still settle on a burger, but thats only because Ive been craving a burger for like a month...and you better believe I kept the sauces from the Crab Cake sampler to use on my French fries. (Let me live my best life, okay?!) PS: The burger, and all of our food was absolutely fantastic...as it has always been for years. After dinner we were encouraged to walk around the venue and vote for their "Row House Competition" which was a nice, festive way to close out the night. I cant recommend this place enough. Come for dinner because its always soo cozy in the evening...oh, and make a reservation! You can always sit at an open bar seat...but the tables get booked up! What we ordered: -Fells Burger -Some Vegan Gumbo Thing That I Forgot The Name Of -Crab Cake Sampler -Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding - "Poe's Last Word" (Cocktail) read more

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I want to love this place with the local charm and fares. But unfortunately it's hard to give it too much credit as everything was just .. ok. The crab cake was pretty good but nothing too exciting. We also had the tenderloin which gave me food poisoning. But the highlight of the meal was actually the bread pudding. read more

Gertrude's - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We went for dinner there last evening. We went with another couple. The ambiance fit the location, the service from the hostess and wait staff was excellent. The food was very good and the portions were more than adequate. I would not hesitate to visit again! read more

Had a great evening here. Meat cooked perfectly, everything well seasoned and flavorful. Families should note that they do, in fact, have a kids menu, though it's not mentioned on their website as far as I could see. Our server was lovely, helpful and very friendly. Small but beautiful space. Will definitely return. read more

Made a reservation online on March 15th for a mid April dinner for 4. Today, March 28th, got a call from Gertrudes that they were cancelling our reservation. No reason given. Food may be great but we will never again be trying to find that out. read more

We were looking for a good place to celebrate and the reviews said Gertrude's was nice and they were right. good ambiance in the art museum and excellent food. we started with the mediterranean platter and then ordered the gertie's crab cake with fries, the powerhouse sandwich with fruit, lamb meatballs and hushpuppies. standouts were the crab cakes, the fruit and the lamb meatballs. each dish was good in terms of flavor, quantity and quality, overall great experience in terms of food and atmosphere read more

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We normally love Gertrude's food and the service is *always* excellent. But we were quite disappointed in the food last night, with a very dry and bland shrimp pasta and gristly, too rare steak (both specials). It is not hard to make a cream sauce for pasta! Instead, this dish resembled a mac and cheese in consistency with the "sauce" attached as crumbs to the pasta. There were only four other tables occupied so it is really mysterious as to why the food was not up to par. We will return only on a weekend night when we will hope the main chef is in attendance. read more

Wife and I had dinner on a Wed for restaurant week which was half price wine day, Bonus! Wife had the Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho, and I had the Greektown Lamb Meatballs as the starter, then the Miss Alice's Tilghman Island Platter for me and wife the Pork Tenderloin. We asked the waitress a recommendation for a bottle of wine (nailed it, it was great) Everything was so good can't wait to eat there again. We sat near the windows and looked out on the sculpture garden and fountain like something you would see in a romantic movie. Next time we are getting there early to walk through the museum before we eat. read more

Incredible atmosphere. Amazing art. And the food was terrific!! Even post COVID this place has the staff to seat you quickly and make sure you are taken care of. When recruiting people to Baltimore this has become my go to place. read more

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Gertrude's is the upscale restaurant in the Baltimore Museum of Art. * * * The Baltimore Museum of Art gets about 38 stars. For a small museum playing catch-up with the big city majors, It is amazing. The contemporary exhibits are incredibly well chosen with fantastic selections of artists and works. The older galleries have to live with what was not picked up first by places like the Met in New York. For some hard to understand reason, Baltimore scored a massive number of Matisses. But, Matisse aside, the average older gallery has about two amazing pieces among a ho hum rest. But those two amazing pieces ... * * * That said, Yelp is not about porcelain boddhisattvas. Yelp is about the food. Gertrude's is good eating. It is a nice room. The menu is small, and heavy on seafood and sandwiches. Make that elegant seafood and upscale sandwiches. They do not inflate the prices because you are in a museum. The pricing is much appreciated by Samuel C. Add the charm of the setting, and this is a great place to be. I was with amazing company discussing deep philosophical issues. So my attention to the food was probably less than I would have liked for a Yelp review. But I loved everything I had ... Double that for dessert. * * * And how can you not like your salmon, When back in the gallery, you have just seen the contemporary mandala of your dreams? read more

I can't believe I haven't already completed a review for this lovely place. I have visited twice- once with reservations and once without. During my first visit without reservations, they were really busy yet the hostess made every attempt to get us seated as soon as possible. We were seated in the bar area, and our server was swift in taking our order. The food came out in a timely manner. I got the crab cake, which was dense and full of crab with a really great flavor. The kombucha was also refreshing. I loved the crab cake so much that I ordered it again on my 2nd visit. The coffee was also strong and smooth, without bitterness. I loved the bread that is served before the meal. Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Pricing: slightly above average After dining, I explored the museum gift shop. Its dope....full of great books, art, jewelry, arts and crafts and various cards. Street and lot parking are available. Unfortunately, I lost my pics so I will update this review with pictures on my next visit. read more

Gertrude's - Great coffee - New American Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This restaurant is always crowded and it is needed to wait a little bit for next dishes. However, they are worth waiting for! In addition, there are always some new dessert which arouse my interest... Today's dessert was coconut panna cotta with coconut ice cream, which was delicious. The cream of crab is flavorful and excellent. There were a lot of chunks of crab meat in the crab quiche, and it was delicious. The size of the oysters in the small plate was a bit smaller than those in the platter I had previously, but they were also very tasty. We use breadcrumbs for fried oysters in Japan, but I also like this crisp cornmeal coating. read more

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I came here during brunch to grab a quick bite to eat before going to the museum. I ordered the tofu scramble and some coffee. While I waited for my food, I received a biscuit and cornbread with butter and jam. Oh and some water. The biscuit was pretty good, the cornbread was meh, and unfortunately the butter was not whipped so it was difficult to spread. The water had an odd and unpleasant smell which caught me off guard. The tofu scramble was delicious, I enjoyed the sautéed veggies and the fresh cilantro. The fried potatoes could've been cooked longer, I had some hard pieces. Zeke's coffee hands down was yummy. Overall the food was about 3.5 stars the remaining half star is for the service. Elena was very sweet and attentive. I will definitely visit again! read more

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When Gertrude's was suggested as a lunch location when we were visiting Baltimore, my first guess was that the restaurant at the BMA would be a nice spot where well-off museum visitors could enjoy a meal with their friends. Yup. It was all that and more. The menu turned out to be the Chesapeake Bay sampler that I was hoping to find - multiple types of crab cakes, zucchini based non-crab cakes, oysters, salmon, classic sandwiches, all kinds of upscale comfort food. The housemade sodas were both refreshing and added to the visual appeal of everything on the table. Service was quick and attentive - undecided diners were offered much more information than the menu provided about the different ways to experience crab cakes, and a dropped fork had a replacement in place before it could be picked up off the floor. Multiple runners made sure everyone at our table received our meals while they were hot. The museum is a must-see for a visit to Baltimore, and general museum admission is free, so you don't really need to be rich to enjoy world class art and the white tablecloth experience at Gertrude's. read more

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This is was first timing visiting the restaurant which is located inside the Baltimore art museum. The ambiance is nice, service was great. Food was good I tried catfish cake Benedict. It's was good but I do this it need more of a catfish taste versus the mash potatoes filling they used. It could be the ratio of the mix. The fired potatoes are and they scrambled eggs are very good. Can on Easter Sunday and they a custom hat design contest which was very cute. I definitely will be back. read more

Love Gertrude's! Located inside the BMA, Gertrude's is just fancy enough to be a splurge but without having to break the bank. Think white tablecloth and great service, but you could get away with wearing jeans and not feel out of place at lunch time. I've come here for lunch, dinner, restaurant week, and even planned my friend's bachelorette dinner here and all were great experiences. I've only ever been seated inside, but they have a beautiful outdoor area with water features and sculptures where I have seen wedding rehearsals take place. This past visit, I ordered the crab quiche and it was delicious. The onions in the quiche were a little too long and stringy and it made the quiche hard to cut, but the flavor made up for it. I also ordered a blueberry fruit soda that was a special for the day, which was quite tasty too. You can pay to park at the private lot for the museum, but street parking is only ¢50 per hour in front of the museum. read more

We are regular customers to this restaurant and always recommend friends there. I provided 5 stars in previous reviews. This trip was a total disappointment with inattentive waiter. Food and ambiance are perfect. We waited for a long time before he showed up to take orders. Then he disappeared and waited for a long time to get refill of ice tea. I ended up requested another waiter attending other nearby tables who provided refill. We had to go to concierge to get check. It is a shame as we were there to celebrate my birthday. I was feeling jealous that the next table even had a dessert with lighted candle while we never have an opportunity to request for anything due to the subpar service. It would be a while before we would return. read more

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