Readers' Poll Results

Best of Baltimore Readers’ Poll Results 2017

The results are in! Your picks for the Best of Baltimore are...

Thanks to everyone who voted in our 2017 Best of Baltimore Readers’ Poll! Subscribe now or pick up a copy of our annual “Best of Baltimore” issue to see who we picked as this year’s winners.


Arts & Culture

Band

Winner: What’s Next
Runners-up: Squaring the Circle; Starcrush

Bookstore

Winner: Red Emma’s
Runners-up: The Ivy Bookshop; Normal’s Book & Records

Dance Party

Winner: Save Your Soul
Runners-up: 4 Hours of Funk; The 8×10

Exhibit

Winner: Guerrilla Girls
Runners-up: Matisse Diebenkorn; YUMMM! The History, Fantasy, and Future of Food

Festival

Winner: Artscape
Runners-up: Charm City Bluegrass Festival; Light City Baltimore

Gallery

Winner: Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower
Runners-up: Crystal Moll Gallery; The Metro Gallery

Museum

Winner: The Baltimore Museum of Art
Runners-up: The American Visionary Art Museum; The Walters Art Museum

Music Venue

Winner: The 8×10
Runners-up: The Ottobar; Ram’s Head Live

Musician

Winner: Cris Jacobs
Runners-up: Kristin Young; Rachel Elise

Play or Performance

Winner: Promenade: Baltimore
Runners-up: Twisted Melodies; Stranger Kindness

Poet

Winner: Leslie Peace Jubilee
Runners-up: Janea Kelly; Stephen Zerance

Street

Winner: City in a Bottle (Kerry Cesen)
Runners-up: Baltimore LOVE Project; Graffiti Alley

Theater (Movie)

Winner: Charles Theatre
Runners-up: Senator Theatre; The Parkway Theater

Theater (Live)

Winner: Center Stage
Runners-up: Everyman Theater; Hippodrome

Writer

Winner: Laura Lippman
Runners-up: David Simon (a very, very close second); D. Watkins


Food & Drink

Bagel

Winner: Towson Hot Bagels
Runners-up: Greg’s Bagels; Goldberg’s Bagels

Bakery

Winner: Patisserie Poupon
Runners-up: Batch Bakeshop; Pitango Bakery & Cafe

Bar (Casual)

Winner: Wet City
Runners-up: Forno; Owl Bar

Bar (Fancy)

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Bookmakers Cocktail Club; Loch Bar

Bartender

Winner: Scott Jones (Wet City)
Runners-up: Joe Aldridge (Owl Bar); Sam White (Gnocco)

Breakfast

Winner: Miss Shirley’s Café
Runners-up: Blue Moon Café; Iron Rooster

Brunch

Winner: By The Docks
Runners-up: Miss Shirley’s Café; Forno

Brewery

Winners: Goonda Beersmiths + Union Craft Brewing
Runners-up: Heavy Seas Beer; The Brewer’s Art

Burger

Winner: Abbey Burger Bistro
Runners-up: Clark Burger; Hamilton Tavern

Cheap Eats

Winner: &pizza
Runners-up: Ekiben; Never On Sunday; Chicken Rico

Chef

Winner: Zuri Coles (Miss Shirley’s Café)
Runners-up: Cindy Wolf (Foreman Wolf); Jerome Dorsch (Citron)

Cocktails

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Forno; W.C. Harlan

Coffee

Winner: Zeke’s Coffee
Runners-up: Baby’s On Fire; Order & Chaos Coffee

Crabs

Winner: Conrad’s Crabs & Seafood
Runners-up: L.P. Steamers, Captain James Crabhouse & Restaurant

Farmers’ Market

Winner: Baltimore Farmers’ Market & Bazaar
Runners-up: Waverly Farmers’ Market; Fells Point Farmers’ Market

Fine Dining

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Charleston; Woodberry Kitchen; The Elephant

Food Truck

Winner: Gypsy Queen Café
Runners-up: Mexican on the Run; Smoking Swine

Ice Cream

Winner: The Charmery
Runners-up: Taharka Bros.; Cream Cruiser

Indian

Winner: Ambassador Dining Room
Runners-up: Nepal House; Kumari Restaurant & Bar

Italian

Winner: Forno
Runners-up: La Scala Ristorante; Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano; Grano Pasta Bar

Lunch

Winner: Beef Brother’s Deli
Runners-up: Forno; Citron

Mexican

Winner: Clavel
Runners-up: Papi’s Tacos; La Tolteca

Outdoor Dining

Winner: Boathouse Canton
Runners-up: Citron; Forno

Pizza

Winner: Coal Fire Pizza
Runners-up: Beef Brother’s Deli; Forno

Server

Winner: Randy Lock (Miss Shirley’s)
Runners-up: Shaun Shemdley (Citron), Ryan Artes (Wet City)

Soup

Winner: Atwater’s
Runners-up: Panera Bread Co.; Soup’s On

Steak

Winner: The Prime Rib
Runners-up: Citron; Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Sports Bar

Winner: Max’s Taphouse
Runners-up: Mother’s Grill; Turp’s Sports Bar & Restaurant

Sushi

Winner: Shoyou Sushi
Runners-up: Minato Sushi Bar; Azumi

Thai

Winner: Khun Nine Thai
Runners-up: Thai Arroy; Stang of Siam

Vegetarian

Winner: Stall 11
Runners-up: One World Café; Land of Kush


Lifestyle & Home

Auto Repair

Winner: Orchard Automotive
Runners-up: Brentwood Automotive; Challenger Auto & Truck Repair

Dry Cleaning

Winner: J&J Alteration & Cleaning
Runners-up: Sanitate Dry Cleaners, Inc.; Zips Dry Cleaning

Contractor (Home)

Winner: Allstar Appliance Repair
Runners-up: FC Batton and Son, Inc.; Brothers Services Company

Electrician

Winner: Walter Electric
Runners-up: Clinton Electric; Winn Electric

Fitness Instructor

Winner: Sonja Burns (WERQ Fitness)
Runners-up: Guy Cragwell (MV Fitness); Esther Collinetti (REV Cycle Studio)

Furniture Store

Winner: Gardiner Wolf Furniture
Runners-up: Cedar & Cotton; Su Casa

Grocery Store

Winner: Wegmans
Runners-up: Mom’s Organic Market; Harris Teeter

Gym

Winner: REV Cycle Studio
Runners-up: MV Fitness; Brick Bodies

Handyman

Winner: The Baltimore Handyman Company
Runners-up: Mr. Handyman; Home Finishers

HVAC

Winner: At Your Service Heating and Cooling LLC
Runners-up: Clean Air HVAC; Minnick’s HVAC

Kids’ Clothing

Winner: Wire & Honey
Runners-up: Wee Chic Boutique; The Pied Piper

Landscaping

Winner: Maryland Landscape Supply
Runners-up: AMG Landscaping; Lerch Brothers Landscape

Men’s Clothing

Winner: JS Edwards
Runners-up: Christopher Schafer Clothier Sixteen Tons

Personal Trainer

Winner: Guy Cragwell (MV Fitness)
Runners-up: Maddison Rowles; Suzanne Miranda (City Fit)

Pet Care

Winner: Prancing Pooches
Runners-up: BEK Petsitting, LLC; Hereford Bed & Biscuit

Plumber

Winner: Len The Plumber
Runners-up: Saffer Plumbing; MPot Inc.

Salon (Hair)

Winner: Form Salon
Runners-up: Ash + Oak Salon and Spa; Studio & Co.

Salon (Spa)

Winner: Crop Salon
Runners-up: Fringe Baltimore; Ojas Wellness Center

Shoe Store

Winner: Ma Petite Shoe
Runners-up: DSW; Poppy and Stella

Sporting Goods

Winner: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Runners-up: Charm City Run; REI; Under Armour

Toy Store

Winner: Shenanigans
Runners-up: Amuse Toys; Toys R Us

Veterinarian

Winner: Dr. Michelle Danna (Boston St Animal Hospital)
Runners-up: Dr. Ed Molesworth (Main Street Animal Hospital); Dr. Kim Hammond (Falls Road Animal Hospital)

Women’s Clothing

Winner: Sass Upscale Resale Boutique
Runners-up: Brightside Boutique; Punch! Boutique

Yoga Studio

Winner: M. Power Yoga
Runners-up: YogaWorks; Studio B Yoga & Barre


News & Media

Website (News)

Winner: WYPR.org
Runners-up: WBAL.com; Baltimore Sun

Website (Sports)

Winner: The Big Leagues Daily
Runners-up: ESPN; MASNsports.com

Columnist

Winner: Dan Rodricks
Runners-up: Dan Clark; Doug Mace

Instagram Account

Winner: @boxwoodandlaurel
Runners-up: @invisiblecrowne_blog; @wypr881fm

Publication (Print)*

Winner: The Baltimore Sun
Runners-up: City Paper; The New York Times

Publication (Online)*

Winner: Baltimore Brew
Runners-up: City Paper; The Baltimore Sun; The New York Times

Radio Show Host

Winner: Tom Hall (WYPR)
Runners-up: Nathan Sterner (WYPR); Sheilah Kast (WYPR)

Radio Station

Winner: WYPR
Runners-up: WTMD; WBJC

TV Broadcaster (News)

Winner: Megan Gilliland
Runners-up: Joy Lepola; Denise Koch

TV Broadcaster (Sports)

Winner: Mark Viviano
Runners-up: Gerry Sandusky; Keith Mills

Twitter Account

Winner: @DanClarkSports
Runners-up: @WYPR881FM; @BaltMediaBlog

*Baltimore magazine has recused itself from these results.


Outdoors & Sports

Biking Trail

Winner: NCR Trail
Runners-up: Jones Falls Trail; Gwynns Falls Trail

Campground

Winner: Patapsco Valley State Park
Runners-up: Assateague State Park; Cunningham Valley State Park

Dog Park

Winner: Patterson Park Dog Park
Runners-up: Paw Point; Latrobe Park

Hiking Trail

Winner: Patapsco Valley State Park
Runners-up: Gunpowder Falls; Lake Roland

Oriole

Winner: Adam Jones
Runners-up: Manny Machado; Jonathan Schoop

Park

Winner: Patterson Park
Runners-up: Wyman Park Dell; Druid Hill Park

Raven

Winner: Justin Tucker
Runners-up: Joe Flacco; Steve Smith, Sr.

Rec League

Winner: Charm City Roller Girls
Runners-up: Baltimore Sports & Social Club; Volo City (formerly Baltimore Social)

Road Race

Winner: Baltimore Running Festival
Runners-up: Kinetic Sculpture Race; Charm City Run

Sports Team

Winner: Baltimore Blast
Runners-up: Orioles; Ravens

Swim Spot

Winner: YMCA
Runners-up: Beaver Dam Swimming Club; Druid Hill Park Pool

Urban Garden

Winner: KMC Maryland World Peace Gardens
Runners-up: Sherwood Gardens; Rawlings Conservatory