Baltimore & Philadelphia Bars or Food

[mrsb53]

My husband and I will be traveling to Baltimore and Philadelphia (technically Upper Darby) in November. Are there any must-stop restaurants or bars in the area? Bars in Upper Darby are a plus because we will be going out that evening.

Any other fun things we have just got to see or do while we're up there?

Thanks for the tips! I imagine it will be a bit cold, so we are going jacket shopping this weekend.

[librarygirl]

While there are lots of great ethnic hole in the wall spots in Upper Darby (it's always been a popular place with immigrant communities), it's not the place I would bring visitors to (i.e. not so great area). I grew up not too far from it and even as a kid, it was more of a tough/changing place and this was decades ago.

If you don't want to go into Philly proper, I would recommend any number of places right at the start of the Main Line (Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr). There are tons of restaurants and bars galore right along the Lancaster Avenue stretch. From U.D. to the Main Line, it would only be about a 15 minute drive.

[doobeedoo]

I am from a town adjacent to Upper Darby.  Are you staying there with family or friends, I assume? Other than Pica's Restaurant, I can't think of any worthwhile recommendations in that area. Pica's has recently had 15 minutes of fame due to Tina Fey's appearance on Jimmy Fallon--he had Pica's delivered to the set because it is her favorite. I personally don't love their pizza style, but you should try it. It is on West Chester Pike. Depending on what you like and where you are staying, I can probably make a lot of other recommendations for Philly/Suburbs.

[steph196]

I just got back from Baltimore while visiting DH on his 3 week work trip. We went to a micro-restaurant called Puerto 511 and it was AMAZING! It is tiny and in a random area, but the food was so delicious. It is BYOB and reservation only. If you look it up on Yelp, it has excellent reviews. The ceviche is to die for (and I'm not even a big ceviche fan!) and the entrees we tried were amazing.
Another place we went to was Thames Street Oyster House, which was also really delicious. The Horse You Came In On is a pub in Fells Point, which is a fun spot. It was Edgar Allen Poe's favorite pub. He was walking home from being at the pub, when he died.

[tacokick]

Baltimore:
Woodberry Kitchen
puerto 511
Thames St Oyster House
Lebanese Taverna
Maggie's Farm
Hamilton Tavern

[mcfelix]

Where in Baltimore are you staying?

[mrsb53]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! We are seeing a concert in Upper Darby and staying around there that night. Our friends live in Baltimore, so we are going there the next day and spending the day there.

[doobeedoo]

Assuming you are going to the Tower, I would definitely go to Pica's before the concert and get their pizza (sauce on the top, cheese on the bottom and it's square). They have lots of other food, too, in case pizza isn't your thing.

[erbear]

Upper Darby is a bit of a hole. It's pretty easy to get to Center City though. I'd hit up any Jose Garces restaurant (Tinto, Amada, Distrito) or Tria.

[mbcdefg]

If you want to go into Philadelphia, I highly recommend Zahav.

[mrsb53]

Nov 2, 2014 15:39:09 GMT -5 doobeedoo said:

Assuming you are going to the Tower, I would definitely go to Pica's before the concert and get their pizza (sauce on the top, cheese on the bottom and it's square). They have lots of other food, too, in case pizza isn't your thing.

Pizza is most definitely absolutely my thing! I'd die happy if the only thing I ate for the rest of my life was pizza. Thanks for the suggestion!

[mrsb53]

Thank you all again for all your suggestions! We ended up going to Max's Taphouse in Baltimore for some burgers, and then we went to Pica's for pizza after the show. Both spots were fantastic!