06/21/09

What is everyone raving about?

by colorful11

I came in with a HS team from out of town. The party of 40 included high school girls, coaches and family members. The staff was very helpful to make a reservation with a $200 deposite. We were sat at 4 long tables and were told at the beginining of the evening that the check could not be split in any way shape or form. Not even by table! Some tables were finished eating before other tables even got to order. I understand that hosting a party of 40 is difficult but if they couldn't handle it they should not have taken the reservation. Plus the food was not very good. I would say that this experience was not a good one and I will not return to Baldwins.

• Cons: awful food

08/08/08

I live here

by MargoMcP

This is my neighborhood place; I go here weekly. The crab imperial is to die for and they have lobsters about a 1000 times better than Red Lobster (and I'm not exaggerating much :-) The people are friendly and a lot of fun and provide great service. The shrimp salad rates up there too.

• Pros: Great, well-lit, open, airy lounge
• Cons: Seafood not prepared on site not great; sometimes inconsistent

12/24/07

Great New Place

by tj7931

Every year I bring a crowd of people to B'mo from NJ for the Preakness Stakes. Up until 2006, we were devotees of Angelina's. For reasons well known to those who view these reviews, we had to absolutely find a new place in 2007. I am so thrilled with Baldwins. The grub was great. The service terrific. The menu was reasonably priced. The people were wonderful to us, even after a day at Pimlico.

Our new adventure started with worse traffic than normal getting out of the track which made us late for our reservations. Considering we were a crowd of 12, I was very impressed that they held our reservations on a simple phone call with no problem whatsoever.

Upon arrival, we found a great, clean and warm restaurant where folks can actually have some fun. The crab cakes were every bit as great as any I have had and those of our group who tried other items were just as impressed. I understand this was a seasonal restaurant at one time. Thank goodness that has changed.

To our new friends at Baldwin's expect us to be back again in 2008. I think we will only be 8 for dinner this year, but I know you will keep the light on for us!

11/25/07

Great food - Great value - Great service

by snuffman

My wife and I travel to this area once a year. Baldwin's was recommended to us and we are so glad we stopped. I have eaten crab cakes up and down the east coast and no one makes better crab cakes than the folks at Baldwins. The portions are more than ample, the value is excellent and the staff is attentive. They have a wide choice of side items and desserts. My wife had fried shimp and it was well prepared and tasty. We have eaten there 3 times over the past 2 years and each time the food quality was superb. We are planning our next trip to the Baltimore area and Baldwin's will certainly be one of our stops.

• Pros: family atmosphere
• Cons: limited parking

06/16/07

BEST CRAB DISHES IN MD

by poorcousin

BALDWINS HAS THE BEST CRAB DISHES IN MD. ALL OF THEIR FOOD IS DELICIOUS, HOWEVER, THE CRAB DISHES ARE EXCEPTIONAL. ALL ARE MADE WITH LUMP CRAB MEAT AND VERY LITTLE FILLER. THE CRAB MEAT IS VERY TENDER. THE WAITSTAFF ARE VERY WELCOMING & ACCOMMODATING. I WOULDN'T GO ANYWHERE ELSE FOR SEAFOOD.

11/15/06

I don't do crabcakes, but....

by goldmine1357

Baldwin's has THE BEST Barbeque Shrimp I have EVER had. It's nothing but perfectly grilled butterflied shrimp swimming in an excellent barbeque sauce. Side of cheese fries (waaaaaay too many fries, but who's complaining?), a nice cold beer, and you're be hard pressed to beat this place.

The sports bar/lounge is really nice, great flatscreens for Raven's games...(and the Raven's fans are definitely in the house!) add to that the extremely friendly bar staff - and you have the perfect place.

• Pros: Ton's of parking, fantastic staff!!!

09/02/06

Excellent crab cakes, family-friendly dining, friendly staff

by mosaleah

We found this restaurant on Citysearch while visiting Baltimore. It was a typical family-owned restaurant, on the side of the Pulaski Highway in Joppa, decked in a dizzying hodge-podge of themes including nautical, english country (complete with wooden mallards and duck wall-border), and even an Italian chef statue. Tables and chairs were country pine with white plastic tablecloths to catch the mess. We started with a cup of cream of crab soup. The soup was a tad on the lukewarm side, but good-sized chunks of crab and a sprinkle of salty bay seasoning perked up what could have been a bland, cool version of clam chowder. Hot corn muffins with butter were an interesting and welcome accompaniment to these starters. The first thing I will say about our entrees is that, apparently in Joppa, size matters. We both had crab cakes, which were the size of baseballs. There was minimal binding material, so it was almost all delicious, sweet and tender crab meat. My dining companion had his done broiled with sides of cucumber salad and a baked potato. Mine was fried complimented with a mammoth side of homecut fries and dish of coleslaw. We could not finish all of our sides due to being overbloated with the crab cakes. This then is probably my only big negative...too much food, which seems to unfortunately be a growing trend in America. Perhaps maintaining the size of the cakes and dropping down to only one small side would help (and help sell more desserts). And also, instead of hearing our neighbors' conversations, some light music would have been nice to enhance the atmosphere. Perhaps the B-52s' "Rock Lobster"?

• Pros: Excellent crab cakes, friendly staff
• Cons: Wet sand in the parking lot got in our car, portions too large

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Quaint eatery off the beaten path specializes in hearty seafood dishes, especially crab-filled menu items.

06/07/06

We love Baldwin's

by sharilev

My husband and I found Baldwin's by accident, while we were searching for Rita's Water Ice on Rte 40. We were so thrilled with the crab cakes and french fries that we went back two years later. We highly recommend it! The crab cakes are incredible-- all meat and very little filler.

• Pros: great food
• Cons: location

06/14/05

terrific restaurant where one is needed

by writehere

You would have to drive quite a distance in any direction to find a better restaurant than this one. Terrific seafood, especially anything with crab of course, side orders were great, and the service very good.

• Pros: GREAT SEAFOOD, fantastic side orders
• Cons: not open year round