This past summer, we shared that two Maryland restaurants—Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore and another local spot—were included in Food & Wine magazine’s list of the “Best Crab Cakes in the U.S.” After trying both, along with several reader-recommended spots, our staff has made its decision on The MoCoShow’s favorite crab cake (photos below).
As with any “best of” or favorite lists, opinions will vary, but we align with Food & Wine in awarding the top spot to Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. Although it was the last restaurant we visited, our experience with “The Boss”—a one-pound crab cake molded into a festive Christmas tree shape—quickly solidified our consensus.
When the rankings were first released in the summer, we set out to explore the featured restaurants and expanded our list based on feedback. Nearly all the venues we visited offered impressive crab cakes, but Jimmy’s truly stood out. The flavor was exceptional on its own, and the accompanying sauce received table-wide praise. As shown in the featured photo, the crab cake had minimal filler, allowing the quality of the crab to shine.
Since 1974, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood has been a cornerstone of Baltimore’s culinary scene. Founded by the late Dimitrios “Jimmy” Minadakis, the restaurant quickly became a go-to spot for crab cakes and Maryland seafood. Today, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is still family-owned, with his sons continuing his legacy and expanding the brand nationally, shipping their beloved dishes across the country.
Food & Wine writes, “This family recipe, which has drawn customers from all over the world, starts with high-quality crab meat (which chef/owner Tony Minadakis sources as locally as possible) and includes finely chopped white bread (no crust), eggs, mayo, wet and dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Jimmy’s own seasoning. Can’t make it to the restaurant in Maryland? That’s OK. Jimmy’s ships its crab cakes nationwide.”
Coming in at #2 from Food & Wine was Faidley’s, also in Baltimore. “Damye Hahn runs this family restaurant, founded by her great-grandfather way back in 1886, with her mom, Nancy Faidley. Nancy started making Faidley’s now-famous crab cakes in 1987, and she’s still making them by hand today. The recipe is as consistent (and as secret) as it was back then, and it starts with jumbo lump crabmeat. The cakes are served naked with lettuce, tomato, balsamic, and crackers. And, like Jimmy’s, Faidley’s is also happy to ship you its crab cakes, so long as you reside in the continental United States.”
Below are a few others we tried based on the following comments and a few photos from our trip to #1 ranked Jimmy’s Famous Seafood:
• Did they try Box Hill, G&M or By the Docks?
• PAPPAS is the best by far….. The diner on Ebeneser has great ones too!!!
• Koco’s is definitely my favorite but when I wanna penny pinch Mo’s have a double crabcake platter for $33.
• Locally, the Grilled Oyster Co. in Kentlands (formerly Potomac) has my favorite crabcake
• Jerry’s crab bomb in Bowie is the best!!!
• Nothing tops O’Donnell’s Market
• What about TimBukTu near BWI ??
THAT’S some amazing crabcakes!!!
• A lot of people are sleeping on Valentino’s on Harford Rd and Northern Parkway. Definitely top top three jumbo lump.
• King Street in Potomac!!
• Not many people know, but when Thaitalian in Cambridge makes crab cakes or a seafood platter for a weekend special, no one makes them better.
• Ever have Lee Lin’s? They are my fav crab cakes. Expensive though!
• I have tried crab crab cakes at well over 100 places in the mid-Atlantic region in the past 20 years. I vote for The Island Green in Westminster. Kocos is my second choice.
• By the Docks Chase, Maryland Eastern Avenue, or Middle River, MD Eastern Baltimore County is the place to be for crab cakes, dip, imperial, chicken chesapeake, Eastern shore doesn’t know squat, and nothing bad bout Luke McFad
• Criswell has been there for darn near a hundred years and has darn good crabcakes
