Brunchin' in Baltimore

Sunday brunch is one of my favorite meals.

Some weekends, it’s the only time that my friends and I can all set aside to get together. With busy jobs, school, kids, and life in general, it can be a little hectic.

Brunch is the perfect way to start off the week and catch up with friends, while still giving everyone the opportunity to grab something to eat after church or sleep in and refuel after a Saturday night out.

While I was at home in Baltimore last month, I wanted to do something fun and out of the ordinary. Sameera and I decided that we could go downtown, have brunch, and walk around the Inner Harbor.

I had heard good things about Miss Shirley’s Café, but never had the chance to go. Johnathan and I arrived around 11:30 am and by then there was a two-hour-long wait. I know, that seems ridiculous… But we didn’t really have anything else to do, Sameera wasn’t there yet, and we were there to sight see any way.

Sameera and I have been to the harbor a million times and I even used to work at the aquarium, but it was Johnathan’s first time in Maryland so we walked around the harbor and saw Phillip’s and the National Aquarium, took pictures of the boats, and walked around the pavilions. 

After about an hour and a half, we were starving so we walked back to Miss Shirley’s to see if our table was ready yet. It was an unusually warm June summer day and about 90º outside. We were sweltering. 

And of course it was my bright idea to tell the hostess that we would take the first available table… Inside or outside. (Note the sarcasm) I have no problem with warm weather and I love sitting outside and enjoying the scenery. Sameera and Johnathan, on the other hand, looked like they were going to melt. Whoopsie.

We sat at a table on the back patio, right outside the door so we got a nice breeze of air conditioning every time someone opened the door. While we waited for our table, we analyzed the menu so we knew exactly what we wanted once we sat down.

I ordered pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries, Johnathan had a Maryland omelet with jumbo lump crabmeat, buckwheat pancakes, and fruit, and Sameera had cinnamon Danish pancakes with cream cheese icing.  

I didn’t order anything too fancy because I figured you couldn’t mess up pancakes. Ya know? 

I tasted Johnathan’s omelet and even though I’m not a huge fan of eggs, the crabmeat was an interesting addition.

I think we all agreed that the food was pretty sub-par. I wouldn’t go bragging about it. I’ve had better food at little mom and pop restaurants. But this was just my first visit. Maybe I’ll go back another time and try something different.  

Overall, I'd say #SundayFunday was definitely a success!

What are some of your favorite brunch spots in your cities? Leave me a comment!

-A.