Baltimore cuisine isn’t all just crab cakes and pit beef. While this port city will never lose its blue-collar identity, its collective palate is becoming more diverse and refined each and every the year. 

Here are 10 restaurants that you won’t want to miss when you come to Charm City:

Charleston Restaurant

One of Baltimore’s most sought after fine dining destinations, the Charleston features a prix-fixe menu that is different, yet just as bold and mouth-watering every time you come. The menu is reimagined each day by James Beard Award-nominated chef Cindy Wolf. 1000 Lancaster St., 410-332-7373

The Prime Rib

Baltimore’s other fine-dining must, The Prime Rib has been one of the area’s swankiest steakhouses for more than 50 years. Famous names from Muhammed Ali to Liberace to Arnold Schwartzenegger have all enjoyed The Prime Rib’s aged steaks and old-school, sophisticated ambience. Who can argue with that?
1101 N Calvert St #102 410-539-1804

Thames Street Oyster House

Named Best Seafood Restaurant in Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore 2015, Thames Street Oyster House manages to capture all the distinct seafood flavors spanning the Eastern seaboard. You won’t want to visit without having the award-winning lobster roll.  1728 Thames St., 443-449-7726

Pen & Quill

What separates Pen & Quill is its seasonally alternating menu. Pairing foods that complement each other and the season in which they are grown is the philosophy behind this New American menu. Don’t get too attached to a favorite dish because it probably won’t last long, but we are positive you’ll find a new favorite with each changing season. 1701 N. Charles St., 410-601-3588

Miss Shirley’s Café

Miss Shirley’s Café was voted Best Overall Restaurant in Baltimore Magazine’s 2015 reader’s poll. How does a place serving breakfast and brunch pull off this feat? With a menu featuring items such as Funky Monkey Bread, Chicken ‘n Waffles, and a Breakfast Banana Split! 750 E Pratt St 410-528-5373

Puerto 511

Puerto 511 highlights Baltimore’s growing diversity. Voted Best Hidden Gem in Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore 2015, this Peruvian joint will not disappoint those adventurous enough to find it. One taste of the traditional Peruvian ceviche, and we’re sure you’ll make the trek over and over again. 102 Clay St., 410-244-8837

Ananda

Ananda made GQ Magazine’s 25 best new restaurants in the U.S. list. Sister restaurant to The Ambassador Dining Room, a favorite amongst Royal Indian cuisine lovers, Ananda has all of the atmosphere of its companion but a focus on cleaner, farm-to-table flavors for its dishes, giving it an identity all its own.  7421 Maple Lawn Blvd., Fulton, 301-725-4800

Aggio

Old World pasta goes modern at Aggio. When you think of Italian pasta dishes, you may not think of noodles tossed in English peas, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, or rabbit, but at Aggio they have – and it works perfectly. When you want an upscale, modern Italian experience, Aggio is the top destination in Baltimore. 614 Water St., 410-528-0200

Azumi

Located in theFour Seasons, Azumi might as well be located in the heart of Tokyo. Boasting fish from Tokyo's bustling Tsukiji Market and buttery slabs of A5 Wagyu beef, this is an experience second only to being there.  Don’t forget to pair your meal with one of the unbelievable sake selections or extensive list of Japanese whiskies. 725 Aliceanna St 443-220-0477

1157 Bar

Wait. A bar? Named Best Bar Food by Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore 2015, this more than your standard chicken wings and burgers. This bar menu is bursting with unique flavor, featuring items like Korean chicken wings in chili sauce, crispy buffalo sweet breads, and steamed mussels in savory Pabst Blue Ribbon broth. It’s no wonder this micro-restaurant in Locust Point with a few bar stools, even fewer two-top tables, and a communal bench fills up. 1157 Haubert St., 443-449-5525