Food & Drink
Review: Locals Only Oozes Attitude in Federal Hill
Playfulness permeates every facet of the place—which, as its name signifies, caters to residents in South Baltimore.
Locals Only oozes attitude. And the Federal Hill bar is unapologetic about it.
Start with the décor inside the space that previously housed Pretty Awesome Live Music (P.A.L.M.) and Social Pub & Pie. “Pizza is my Porno” screams one sign. On another wall hangs a portrait of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with several free-floating hands flipping the bird in the background. On another is a neon sign with a slice of pizza and the declaration “I licked it so it’s mine.” Message received.
“We weren’t trying to overthink it,” Andrew Wheeler told Baltimore when he opened the pizza-focused bar in 2023. “I’ve been in the neighborhood for 15 years now, and I understand the clientele. They don’t want something that’s stuck-up or too fancy. They want cost-effective offerings that are fun, and a playful vibe to go with that.”
That playfulness permeates every facet of the place. The cocktail menu trends toward the sweet and offers several drinks not seen elsewhere.
Frosty’s Kinky Coco is made with Deep Eddy vodka, hot chocolate, and heavy cream and garnished with whipped cream, marshmallows, and chocolate sauce. It’s liquid dessert for grown-ups. Mint & Mischief is a peppermint espresso martini, and the one we drank was perfectly prepared. You don’t see many cocktails with Fireball in them these days, but the Fire N Cider uses the cinnamon whiskey to create a warming drink that especially satisfies on a chilly night.
A few wines and seltzers are available, as is a selection of canned beers. Orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit crushes are made with freshly squeezed fruit and they’re just $5 during happy hour.
Pizza is the focus of the food menu and Locals Only does it right. Creative combinations, fresh toppings, and a slightly pillowy crust make for solid pies. The Chimi Neutron was the pizza of the week when we visited in December. Topped with shaved rib-eye, red onions, peppers, and a garlic-bread crust, it was the secret ingredient—chimichurri sauce that made it great.
The Cheesus Christ features truffle ricotta, mozzarella, Parm, hot honey, hazelnuts, and herbs. The Golden Arches is a pie with ground beef, mac sauce, shredded lettuce, American cheese, pickles, red onion, and sesame seeds. Ronald McDonald would surely approve.
On the “Not Pizza” section of the menu, a plate of fries topped with Parmesan, truffle oil, garlic, and herbs stood out. Wings, burgers, and the Naughty Nugget, a chicken sandwich with honey mustard, also are available.
The clientele at Locals Only skews younger. On weekend nights the place can get packed. There’s a deejay spinning tunes, the tables downstairs are moved aside to make room for dancing, and the upstairs often opens for those who want to eat.
Despite a sign on the back wall proclaiming, “Locals Only—F*ck Off,” the bartenders we encountered couldn’t have been more friendly. They, like us, know that we’re all in on the joke.