More than 34,000 ballots were cast in 47 categories during this year’s contest — demonstrating that eateries are dishing it out like never before in 2024. There’s something for everyone, from fine to casual dining, food trucks to sit-downs, and familiar favorites to new on the block.
Ambience: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Honorable mentions:Cured | 18th & 21stThe Elkridge Furnace InnWalker’s Tap & Table
Bakery: Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:RoggenartTouche Touchet BakeryNothing Bundt Cakes
Bar food: Cured | 18th & 21st
10980 Grantchester Way #110, Columbia, 667-786-7111, cured1821.com
The concept of a restaurant within a restaurant has found its niche in Columbia. Enter Cured, an upscale bistro, and explore a mecca of cocktails and comfort food. A telltale unmarked door opens to a 1920s-style jazz club. Dim lights, dark corners and art deco surroundings set the stage at 18th & 21st, a speakeasy throwback that takes its name from the constitutional amendments that enacted and repealed Prohibition.
Each venue has its own menu. Fans of Cured favor the Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, while burgers score high at the hideaway out back. Spirit-wise, both places offer their best-selling Smoked Old Fashioned, made of bourbon, brown-sugar syrup and house-smoked bitters.
The notion of two watering holes under one roof appeals to the clientele, said Vince Culotta, managing partner of both places.
“People don’t buy what you’re selling, so much as why you’re selling it,” said Culotta, 48. “They care about the culture and the ethos of [a restaurant]. People dine out for an experience, and our goal is to create, for them, a memorable one.”
Honorable mentions:Walkers Tap & TableGameOn bar+arcadeWhite Oak Tavern
Barbecue: Mission BBQ
Honorable mentions:Kloby’sWalker’s Tap & TableThe Canopy
Bartender: Phil Fassel, Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Rachel King, Xenia Greek KouzinaPete Murphy, Walker’s Tap & TableSydney Newman, GameOn bar+arcade
Beer list: Walker’s Tap & Table
Honorable mentions:Cured | 18th & 21stGameOn bar+arcadeManor Hill Tavern
Black-owned restaurant: Althea’s Almost Famous
Honorable mentions:Apple Core BakeshopIcing on the CakeChick N’ Friends
Breakfast/brunch: JAM Eateries
6010 University Blvd., Ellicott City, 410-740-3115, jameateries.com
JAM Eateries is a neighborhood brunch joint where patrons can enjoy brunch all day. Nestled on University Boulevard in Ellicott City, the restaurant overlooks a small pond along Snowden River Parkway.
Previously Eggspectation, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch as well as craft cocktails, homemade Bloody Marys and inventive mimosas and features favorite menu items, including Bagel and Lox, JAMmin’ Signature Bloody Mary and Mimosa Flight as well as breakfast burritos and tacos, omelets, pancakes, shrimp and grits, waffles and more.
Jon Hickle, 63, of Woodbine, has served as president of Mid-Atlantic Eateries, which owns JAM Eateries, for 22 years.
Hickle, who owned and operated Eggspectation, said the restaurant was remodeled two years ago, making the space airier and lighter.
“The comments we get from our patrons are how good it makes them feel because it’s light and tranquil,” he said.
Hickle said it is special for the restaurant to be selected by readers as one of the best in the county.
“It says a lot for our customers to take the time to vote for us,” he said. “It makes the whole team feel appreciated and very proud of what we’re doing on a daily basis.”
Honorable mentions:Cured | 18th & 21stDecadent, A Coffee and Dessert BarFirst Watch
Burger: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:Walker’s Tap & TableWhite Oak TavernVictoria Gastro Pub
Chef: Chad Wells, Walker’s Tap & Table
2465 Route 97, Glenwood, 410-801-9400, eatatwalkers.com
As a child, Chad Wells enjoyed hanging around food.
“I was the one who liked sitting outside with my grandmom, on her farm in Jessup, picking the tops off of green beans,” he said. The kitchen was his chemistry lab, where he mixed and matched fixins’ to no end.
“Sometimes it worked and sometimes it was disgusting — but that’s how you learn to put ingredients together that makes sense,” said Wells, 43. As executive chef at Walker’s Tap & Table, in Glenwood, he keeps pushing the envelope, putting an offbeat spin on otherwise normal fare.
“We take comfort foods and turn them on their heads by thinking a little outside the box,” he said. Like the fried deviled eggs and Frito pie burgers; sloppy joe egg rolls and Cajun crab pizza; and smoked tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons.
“I want people to be excited about what they are going to eat — and we [strive] to exceed their expectations,” said Wells, former chef at Alewife, in Baltimore, who helped open Walker’s five years ago. “Plus, we’re relentless about making everything from scratch from fresh, local ingredients.”
Honorable mentions:Akis Anagnostou, Xenia Greek KouzinaChico Portillo, Hudson CoastalSammy Diaz, Cured | 18th & 21st
Chinese: Hunan Manor
Honorable mentions:Peter Chang’sP.F. Chang’sSushi King
Cocktail: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:Xenia Greek KouzinaWalker’s Tap & TableGameOn bar+arcade
Coffee: Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:Mad City CoffeeRoggenartRosie’s Delicatessen
Crabcake: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Xenia Greek KouzinaLeelynn’s Dining Room and LoungeBushel & A Peck
Deli: Rosie’s Delicatessen
2465 Route 97, Suite 15, Glenwood. 410-982-6551. Rosiesdelicatessen.com
New York-style delis thrive in, well, New York. But in western Howard County, with its checkered tracts of cows and posh colonials?
Rosie’s is bustling in the boonies. Having opened in January, the upscale deli has impressed patrons with its savory subs, coffee bar and homey feel, a turn-on for a fast-food joint these days.
“We try to get to know our guests and to give them a high level of hospitality in a deli atmosphere,” co-owner Anthony DiGangi said. Popular subs are Rosie’s Italian (named, like the deli, for DiGangi’s late mother) and the Bada Bing, a fresh fried chicken cutlet flanked by all the trimmings. Breakfast sandwiches draw early crowds.
The deli doubles as a market for Italian groceries, including salads and sliced meats. (Think: Dipasquale’s, of Baltimore, with free parking.) Rosie’s and its sister restaurant, Walker’s Tap & Table, bookend the same shopping center and share their kitchen maestro, Chad Wells, named best chef by Howard Magazine readers.
Honorable mentions:Mikey and Mel’sJason’s DeliBon Fresco
Dessert: Decadent, a Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:Xenia Greek KouzinaGameOn bar+arcadeWalker’s Tap & Table
Fine dining: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Honorable mentions:The Elkridge Furnace InnCured | 18th & 21stThe Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Food truck: Greek on the Street
Honorable mentions:Tasty EmpanadasTaqueria La PatronaManor Hill Pizza Trolley
Frozen treats: The Charmery
Honorable mentions:ColdstonePark Ridge CreameryAlex’s Snow Cones & Ice Cream
Greek: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Honorable mentions:Konstantine’s Greek TavernaCavaGreek on the Street
Happy hour: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:Hudson CoastalXenia Greek KouzinaGameOn bar+arcade
Healthful menu: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Great SageElkridge Furnace InnNalley Fresh (tie)Rosie’s Delicatessen (tie)
Indian: Royal Taj
8335 Benson Drive, Columbia, 410-381-1111, royaltajmd.com
The staff swears by its checklist of how to please patrons, a handful of to-dos that have sent diners home happy.
“Some [customers] are really into food,” owner Binda Singh said. “For others, it’s ambience, service and hospitality.
“We nail all four things.”
In an opulent setting (6 rooms, 20 crystal chandeliers and 7 fireplaces), guests dine on dishes of lamb and lobster, crab and chicken, drenched in savory marinades and served by an attentive yet unobtrusive wait crew. Here, one gets hooked on Chilean sea bass with coconut sauce, or on the goat garam masala, curried with spices and yogurt.
Reservations are required and, on busy evenings, patrons who face untimely waits may receive a bottle of spirits, on the house, from the well-stocked bar filled with bourbons and such.
“We feel good when people come happy and leave extra happy,” said Singh, 39, who plans to open a second venue in Middletown by year’s end. “We want them to be our guests for life.”
Honorable mentions:AnandaMint RoomChutney Indian Restaurant
Italian: Tino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:FacciStella NotteEataliano
Japanese: UMI Sushi
Honorable mentions:Sushi KingSakura Japanese Steak, Seafood House & Sushi BarKoto Sake Japanese Steak House
Korean: Honey Pig
Honorable mentions:Shin ChonTous Les JoursChosun Hwaro
Late-night dining: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:E.C. DinerGameOn bar+arcadePub Dog
Latin: La Palapa Grill and Cantina
Honorable mentions:El AztecaErnesto’s Fine Mexican FoodLime & Salt Taco Bar
Live entertainment: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:Reckless ShepherdToby’s Dinner TheatreThe Collective Encore
Lunch menu: Cured | 18th & 21st
Honorable mentions:Rosie’s DelicatessenBon FrescoTino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
New restaurant: The Collective Offshore
10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, 443-545-1030, thecollectiveoffshore.com
The Collective Offshore is a lively restaurant bringing two new concepts to life. Nestled along the lakefront, the restaurant features vast views of Lake Kittamaqundi.
Serving seasonal coastal cuisine from Maine through the Carolinas, the restaurant features a range of lunch and dinner entrees including blackened fish tacos, buffalo fried chicken sandwiches, crab cake sandwiches, crab stuffed lobster risotto, grilled filet mignon, and saffron scampi seafood pasta.
The restaurant also runs the entertainment and live music venue, Encore, bringing local talent to Downtown Columbia.
Staci Samaras, 53, of Ellicott City, has served as co-owner and managing partner of the restaurant for one year.
Opened May 3, 2023, the restaurant stands out among other restaurants in the county, Samaras said, because of its location and sister business.
“We’re right at the Columbia lakefront, so we have incredible views from the main dining [room], the bar and the private dining rooms and we have a patio that’s full-service dining,” she said. “We also have the entertainment venue, Encore, that we operate as well.”
Samaras said she is excited that the restaurant was selected as one the best in the county.
“We’re thrilled because there were a bunch of restaurants that opened in Howard County this year,” she said. “For us to come out on top in a category that we could never win again is awesome and to be well-received as the best new restaurant, that’s just amazing.”
Honorable mentions:The Blackwall Barn & LodgeRosie’s DelicatessenGameOn bar+arcade
Outdoor dining: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:TurnhouseXenia Greek KouzinaElkridge Furnance Inn (tie)The Collective Offshore (tie)
Overall: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Walker’s Tap & TableXenia Greek KouzinaCured | 18th & 21st
Pizza: Coal Fire
Honorable mentions:Walker’s Tap & TableTino’s Italian Bistro & Wine BarLedo’s
Place to take out-of-towners: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Walker’s Tap & TableXenia Greek KouzinaGameOn bar+arcade
Place to take the kids: GameOn bar+arcade
Honorable mentions:Hudson CoastalDecadent, A Coffee and Dessert BarTino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Seafood: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:Xenia Greek KouzinaThe Elkridge Furnace InnThe Collective Offshore
Server: Fozan “Fuzz” Farooqui, Walker’s Tap & Table
Honorable mentions:Jose Torres, Xenia Greek KouzinaLiz Nissley, Hudson CoastalShawn Clark, Hudson Coastal
Sports bar: Ale House Columbia
Honorable mentions:Greene TurtleManor Hill TavernWhite Oak Tavern
Steak: Grillmarx
Honorable mentions:Cured | 18th & 21stThe Iron Bridge Wine Co.Xenia Greek Kouzina
Sushi: UMI Sushi
Honorable mentions:Sushi KingSushi SonoSushi Q
Takeout: Tino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:Rosie’s DelicatessenHunan LegendFive Guys
Thai: Dok Khao
Honorable mentions: East MoonThai Aroma RestaurantManow Thai
Value: Tino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:Walker’s Tap & TableBoro KabobChipotle
Vegetarian options: Great Sage
Honorable mentions:Cured | 18th & 21stBusboys and PoetsThe Elkridge Furnace Inn
View: The Collective Offshore
Honorable mentions:The Turn HouseThe Elkridge Furnace InnLāk at Merriweather Lakehouse
Wine list: The Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Honorable mentions:Xenia Greek KouzinaThe Elkridge Furnace InnTino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from March to April. The results are generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.