Downtown

Alewife

21 N. Eutaw St., (410) 545-5112, alewifebaltimore.com

$$$, L, D, 10 p.m.

Beer, hardwood, tin ceilings, and a very crowded blackboard listing all the beers make this the place to hit after a Hippodrome show. Or before. Nice chicken dishes, black-bean burgers, and truffled mac and cheese pair well with the ales.

Attman’s Authentic New York Delicatessen

1019 E. Lombard St., (410) 563-2666, attmansdeli.com

$$, B, L, D, P

Eat lunch here. There’s usually a long line. It’s for good reason, and they handle it fast. Be ready to order: hot corned beef and Swiss, extra lean. Or maybe the reuben. Smile.

B&O American Brasserie

2 N. Charles St., (443) 692-6172, bandorestaurant.com

$$$, B, L, D, BR

Your old-time railroad-themed joint was never this good, with a Beaux-Arts facade and boutique hotel-cool interior. The seasonal menu is not exotic but it’s tastefully done, with as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. Brunch too.

Brio Tuscan Grill

100 E. Pratt St., (410) 637-3440, brioitalian.com

$$$, L, D, Br, out, R

Italian-style opulence in this chain. They do a nice veal scaloppini and the brunch is a thing. High marks for service and drink specials too.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

301 Light St., (410) 244-0838, bubbagump.com

$$, L, D, Out

Plenty shrimp to eat—fried, broiled, stuffed, coconut-ed, scampi-ed, and drunken. Other items available and a kid’s menu. Tell them all about Forrest as you enjoy the ambiance of this global brand.

THE Capital Grille

500 E. Pratt St., (443) 703-4064, thecapitalgrille.com

$$$, L, D, R, Out

Classy chain with the kind of menu you’ve come to expect of a classy joint. Chef suggests the sliced filet mignon with Cipollini onions and wild mushrooms, but you might be more in the mood for the dry-aged steak au poivre with Courvoisier cream.

Dempsey’s in Camden Yards

333 W. Camden St., (410) 843-7901, dempseysbaltimore.com

$$, L, D

There are times when a full pint glass and a nice burger are a luxury. Game day can be such a time, especially if the Birds are on a good streak. Orioles Hall-of-Famer Rick Dempsey lent his name; food pros do the beer and vittles.

Dick’s Last Resort

621 E. Pratt St., (443) 453-5961, dickslastresort.com

$$, L, D, Out

If you’re ready to have “humor inflicted upon you” while consuming the deep-fried goodness that made America great, drop by Dick’s in the Power Plant building. Beer makes it better!

Edo Sushi

Harborplace, 201 E. Pratt St., (410) 843-9804, edosushimd.com

$$, L, D, Out

If you’re in the pavilion and you’ve just got to have sushi, dive in to this Inner Harbor outlet of a growing local chain. There’s a nice selection of “special makis” and regular sushi, plus the usual beer, sake, and gracious service.

Fogo de Chão Churrascaria

600 E. Pratt St., (410) 528-9292, fogodechao.com

$$$, L, D, R

Fogo builds a dining experience up from a salad-and-veggie bar worthy of a five-star cruise ship (to which you can limit yourself, if bargain shopping). But unless you’re a strict vegetarian (or you overdo the cheese bread—the urge will be there), you’ll want to flip your checker to the green side and savor the pinchana, fraldinha, or the beef ancho, salted or garlicked-up.

Frank & Nic’s West End Grille

511 W. Pratt St., (410) 685-6800, frankandnics.com

$$$, L, D, Br, Out

Come through the front door on Paca and discover pub grub in a sports-bar atmosphere at the luxe Zenith apartments. Then again, sports bars don’t usually offer white-chocolate martinis and stuffed salmon entrees.

Hard Rock Café

601 E. Pratt St., (410) 347-7625, hardrock.com/baltimore

$$$, L, D, Out, 10 p.m.

Remember when the Hard Rock concept was new and exciting? Relive the glory in the Power Plant building. They have a requisite flying Cadillac over the bar and the V-guitars on the walls. After a few signature cocktails, it will seem like 1997 all over again.

J. Paul’s

301 Light St., (410) 659-1889, j-pauls.capitalrestaurants.com/harbor

$$$, L, D, Out, R

Raw bar and the pub feel with the house amber ale and pretzels. There’s also a wine thing on Wednesdays. Dining room has the usual ribs and burgers, plus mahi mahi tacos.

Joe Squared

Power Plant Live, 30 Market Place, (410) 962-5566, Joesquared.com

$$, L, D

The pizza is excellent and there are many activities at Joe Squared, the downtown spinoff from the homegrown Station North hot spot. Hipster meets tourist over rum, beer, risotto, and jazz.

Kona Grill

1 E. Pratt St., (410) 244-8994, konagrill.com

$$$, L, D, Out, 10 p.m.

There are 23 of these out in the world, so they must be doing something right on the steak-and-sushi front—mostly by having a lot more than that. Enjoy your pizza or noodles or meatloaf; watch the Grand Prix from the patio.

La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant and Bar

Harborplace, 201 E. Pratt St., (410) 209-2562, latascausa.com

$$, L, D, Out, R

Traditional small plates, paella, and events like tapas and a movie to keep the place lively. Sangria is served.

Lenny’s Deli

Harborplace, 201 E. Pratt St., (410) 230-0222, lennysdeli.com

$, B, L

A platter of roast beef or turkey for $9.99. A lean brisket sandwich for $8, etc. You can fill your gullet here with nice deli deliciousness for cheap and spend your money at the aquarium instead.

Luckie’s Tavern

Power Plant Live, 10 Market Place, (410) 223-1105, luckiestavern.com

$$, L, D, Out, 10 p.m.

The classic Vegas vibe in Power Plant Live. Sports on the (high-def) TV, wings in the baskets. No table games, yet. . .

M&S Grill

Harborplace, 201 E. Pratt St., (410) 547-9333, mccormickandschmicks.com

$$$, L, D, Out, R

Harborplace’s slightly more casual McCormick and Schmick’s spinoff is full of comfort seafood—like the fish and chips, crab cakes, and fried shrimp—priced for tourists.

McCormick & Schmick’s

711 Eastern Ave., (410) 234-1300, mccormickandschmicks.com

$$$, L, D, P, Out, R

Steaks, seafood, and the patio overlooking the USS Constellation means your attention will be split. Nice wine list here.

Morton’s Steakhouse

300 S. Charles St., (410) 547-8255, mortons.com/baltimore

$$$, L, D, P, R

Morton’s Steakhouse is coast-to-coast for a reason. It offers the steak and the sizzle, plus the private dining room for you and your guests so you can feel like the big shots you are. Also, for lunch: crab cake BLT.

Phillip’s Seafood

601 E. Pratt St., (410) 685-6600, phillipsseafood.com

$$$, L, D, P, Out, R

Phillip’s is the original Baltimore Inner Harbor restaurant. Recently moved from its pavilion on the promenade to a new, jazzed-up space in the Power Plant building, it still brings the crabs and everything.

Pratt Street Ale House

206 W. Pratt St., (410) 244-8900, prattstreetalehouse.com

$$, L, D, Out

Great little brewpub scene with requisite big burgers and various ales on tap. Bonus: You can keep your glass.

Rusty Scupper

402 Key Highway, (410) 727-3678, selectrestaurants.com/rusty

$$$, L, D, BR, R

The Scup still brings it with pro service and excellent, if mostly traditional food. Views can’t be beat either.

Ruth’s Chris Steak house

600 Water St., (410) 783-0033, ruthschris-waterst.com

$$$, D

Dinner only at Ruth’s. (Lounge opens at 4 P.M.) Try the steak, lobster, or the steak and lobster. They’re not the stodgy type at Ruth’s Chris, so when they bring the creamed spinach, it’s OK to laugh out loud.

Sullivan’s SteakHouse

1 E. Pratt St., (410) 962-5503, sullivanssteakhouse.com

$$$, L, D, Out

With 19 locations from Anchorage to Houston, this place has the formula for success. The business lunch takes the guesswork out of ordering so you can get to business. You can’t miss either on your own time either—from the steakhouse salad to Sully’s meatloaf, to the filet or the giant 16-ounce rib-eye.

Tatu

614 Water St.,(410) 244-7385, tatubaltimore.com

$$$, D, R

Swanky club with an Asian-fusion menu and tattoo shtick. The cocktails are interesting. Stay late if you can.

Tír Na nóg

Harborplace, 201 E. Pratt St., (410) 483-8968, tirnanogbaltimore.com

$$, L, D, Out

The usual pub grub served up by friendly pros in an Irish-pub interior with views of the Inner Harbor. The $10 lunch special’s kind of a deal. Happy hours, bands, beer, and decent fish and chips—served with mustard sauce instead of malt vinegar. Locations in Philly and NYC as well.

Trinacria

406 N. Paca St., (410) 685-7285, trinacriabaltimore.com

$, B, L

A treasure on Paca Street for over 100 years, Trinacria boasts some of the best imported meats and cheeses in town, which they will happily prepare in a ridonkulously delicious sandwich like the muffuletta, which includes enough Italian meats to pack lunches for a week and amazing olive spread.