Alexis B.
Yelp
I think it's fair to say that Lexington Market isn't in a part of Baltimore City that I'm dying to take friends or family to when they visit the city for the first time. It's just not the nicest part of the city, although I think it's safe to visit and the market worth exploring. But I think that the neighborhood the maket is in probably puts some would be visitors off and that may have taken a toll on the market's success, even after a $45 million redevelopment.
The Baltimore Public Market System is thought to be the oldest public market system in the country, and exploring Baltimore's market has been a surprise joy since I moved to the city almost four years ago. Lexington Market has roots going back to 1782 when there was an informal space for the exchange of goods at the spot where the market stands now. When the market proper opened in 1805, it was outside city limits - wild to think of now!
The new building is beautiful - two levels, a staircase that is an architectural feature, high ceilings, etc. And there are some great merchants with stands inside the market, including some with other locations in the city or with loyal followings and long histories. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Black Acres Roastery, Faidley's Seafood, Mount Royal Soaps, Taharka Brothers, and Trinacia are also businesses I was familiar with already that have stands inside the market. And then there are lots more!
So why is this a three star review? My friend and I visited Lexington Market on Friday, because we had tickets to a play at Everyman Theatre later than evening. If you've been to productions at the Hippodrome or Everyman, you might know that there just aren't many nice places to eat or have a drink before a show around those theaters. Not really a pre-theater dinner culture in the neighborhood around these theaters. So I typically eat elsewhere in the city rather than eating near the theaters, which is a shame. However, with a play with a 7pm start time, we would be pressed to make it a restaurant after work, enjoy a dinner, and then drive or Lyft to the theater by 7pm. And Lexington Market is one of the few places to eat in this area that isn't a very fast casual option (although, I guess, technically, each stand is kind of a fast casual situation, but at least a food hall is a fun experience!), so we decided to get dinner there.
A day or two before our planned dinner at the market, we learned about the market's hours: 6am-5pm Monday-Wednesday, 6am-6pm Thursday-Friday, and 7am-6pm on Saturday (they are closed on Sundays altogether). There is a little asterisks on the website that says "Individual merchant hours may differ. Check merchant pages for more details." We were hopeful we'd be able to grab dinner the market.
But after leaving home around 5pm, we arrived at the market around 5:30-40. And, yeah, the market really fully shuts down at 6pm. Not only do most vendors start closing up shop around 5:30, a guard for the market actually walks around and tells people at 6pm that the market is closed and everyone has to leave. We were lucky to find a vendor willing to sell us food at 5:45pm, but when we were still waiting for the meal we had paid for, the guard told us we needed to leave as the market was closed. He let us stay when we explained the situation, but they are really strict about the closing time.
I'm not sure if closing up this early is because the market historically was open during those hours or if they are concerned about staying open later since the neighborhood can be a little dodgy at night, but it's a shame that it's not really possible to have dinner at the market, especially since the neighborhood does lack dinner options for before performances at two of the city's best theaters.
I'm extremely unlikely to be at Lexington Market before 5/6pm on weekdays since I work and don't have a very flexible schedule, so that leaves Saturday as the only day I'd really ever have occasion to visit the market again. So I can't say I'm likely to frequent the market unless I ever attend a Saturday matinee at one of the theaters and want to check out the market again.
Sadly, despite the incredible renovation, the market just isn't that accessible for the hours that I work and since I'm definitely not regularly in the neighborhood on a Saturday. I probably won't be spending as much time at Lexington Market despite the number and quality of vendors at the market.