Obrycki's Restaurant & Bar

"The first time I stepped off a plane at what was then a fairly recently renovated and expanded Baltimore Washington International Airport, I was surprised—and pleased—to see an Obrycki’s restaurant right across from our gate. From the time I lived in Baltimore in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, I remembered Obrycki’s—known for its steamed crabs and the best and freshest crab cakes in town—as an institution in the city’s historic Fells Point neighborhood. Admittedly, I was skeptical that any airport version would live up to that reputation. But I gave it a go and was not disappointed, by either the blue crab cakes or the Bloody Marys. On the menu are plenty of other tasty options, from crab dip to Maryland crab soup, crab Benedict, burgers, and a variety of fresh seafood and non-seafood salads. With the original Obrycki’s in the city now gone, the restaurant acknowledges on its website the impossibility of duplicating its authentic crab house feel, but promises to maintain its authentic standards. So far so good. Fifteen years after our first visit, my husband and I always make sure to stop in anytime we fly through BWI. —Jeri Clausing, Afar contributor" - Michelle Baran