Top Ten Late Night Places
Once I got into this, I found that there were a lot more places serving food into the wee hours than I thought.
I actually had to eliminate most of the diners -- there were just too many of them. That will have to be another Top Ten.
There were also plenty of places where you could get pizza after midnight. That's a pretty specialized Top Ten, but I bet I could come up with ten of them. And maybe Top Ten places to eat after midnight not downtown.
Anyway, here's my list: ...
(Doug Kapustin/Sun Photographer)
*Blue Moon Cafe (1621 Aliceanna St.) in Fells Point opens at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for what it calls its "famous graveyard shift." It stays open until 3 p.m. the next day. This quirky New Age cafe and espresso bar whips up trucker-style breakfasts, each involving enough food to feed a family of four.
Captain James Landing in Canton (it's that ocean liner-shaped restaurant) offers its full menu until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week. You can get breakfast anytime, seafood, Greek and Italian specialties, pizza, submarines and sandwiches. It used to be open 24 hours a day.
*Jack's Bistro a casual Canton bar, takes imaginative to a new level (see mac 'n' cheese 'n' chocolate). There is skate wing on the menu but also burgers and crab cakes. It serves appetizers, soups, salads, burgers and sides until 1 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
*Nam Kang (2126 Maryland Ave.) is a Korean restaurant (it also serves Chinese and Japanese dishes) known for being open very, very late on the weekends. I called to make sure it still was, and the woman who answered told me they serve food till 4 a.m. every day.
* Papermoon Diner on the edge of Hampden is open 24/7. The decor is whimsical and funky, to say the least, but the food isn't. You can get breakfast, sandwiches and burgers and entrees like meatloaf and fried chicken.
* Pazo in Fells Point, whose kitchen closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays, serves a limited menu until 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays, and the full menu until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The cuisine is, hmmm, upscale peasant Mediterranean.
*Sabatino's in Little Italy dishes up hearty central and southern Italian favorites, the famous Bookmaker salad and lots of homemade pastas until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
*Sip and Bite (2200 Boston St.) in Canton is the granddaddy of late night -- and early morning --places for breakfast or downhome fare like meatloaf. It's open 24 hours a day, and regularly gets awards for best diner in Baltimore.
* XS in Mount Vernon specializes in lavish breakfasts and sushi, served in a four-story townhouse with a cutting-edge decor. It's a college hangout, but it's also a place to go for dessert and coffee after the symphony. Open till 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. (The kitchen closes half an hour before then.)
*Zorba's (4710 Eastern Ave.) in Highlandtown is known for its grilled-over-charcoal lamb chops and whole fish Greek-style. Hours vary, but the kitchen basically serves food until midnight during the week and 1:30 a.m. or so on the weekends.
Thanks to Liz K, Marty, Sam and others who made suggestions -- more places than I could fit on this list.
Comments
Could you post the other places (not diners) that serve late, even if they weren't your top ones?
Posted by: mdlrvrmuncher | August 7, 2007 6:44 AM
Sip and Bite? Seriously? Come on now Elizabeth, I expect a little more from you.
If you cook fish, potatoes, and eggs in close proximity to each other on a griddle, what will all the food taste like?
Hint: It won't taste like a quality meal.
That's Sip and Bite.
You don't buy the iconic status argument, I gather? So where do you go instead? (That's not on the list.)
Posted by: Bill | August 7, 2007 9:23 AM
There's also Valentino's at Northern Parkway and Harford Road. Open 24/7 with a full menu, heavy on Greek dishes.
Posted by: David Herstein | August 7, 2007 9:36 AM
I can't believe the Dog Pub (formerly Thirsty Dog Pub) isn't on the list.
They serve some of the best pizza in town 7 nights a week every night 1:30 a.m. They also serve a great selection of their house microbrews @ 2 for 3.50 all the time.
The place is great and its a nice change of pace from the other bars that surround it in Federal Hill.
The Dog Pub is located at 20 E Cross St. in Federal Hill, and they are opening a second location in Columbia, at the site of the former Hard Times Cafe. They will be serving the same pizza and beer till 1:30 every night there too, as well as be open for lunch 7 days a week.
Posted by: Terry | August 7, 2007 11:45 AM
How about some places outside of Baltimore City?
Posted by: Theresa | August 7, 2007 12:07 PM
Come on people, did you read the first couple of paragraphs of the article. Give her break!! She said she would probably cover late night pizza spots, and places outside of downtown. That being said, don't most of us already know about the places mentioned. Keep plugging away EL.
Posted by: JP | August 8, 2007 12:26 AM
I've been boycotting Dog Pub ever since they stopped letting dogs in.
Posted by: carey hughes | February 28, 2008 1:34 PM
yes, captain james is one of the best late night places to get dinner on the weekend. try there crab imperial its the best!
Posted by: maria | July 15, 2008 8:06 PM
I like nam king I guess, but joung kak is so much better -- nothing like a greezy delicious seafood pancake at 2:30am.. or some bbq short ribs
Posted by: joung kak | September 3, 2009 12:09 PM
papermoon changed their hours 2-3 years ago. no longer 24x7. 7-12 sun-thursday, 7-2 fri and sat.
Posted by: papermoon | September 4, 2009 8:11 AM