Faidley Seafood

I would give the crab cakes here 4.5 stars if I could and only because it’s standing only, no seating. This restaurant was featured in The Wire so you know it was a must try! These were THE BEST crab cakes I’ve ever had! The crab stuffing on the stuffed shrimp was very fishy tasting and not the same quality as the jumbo lump crab cake. My husband had the cream of crab soup, crab cake, and fried oysters, and loved it all! Our son had the coddie sandwich and really liked it! This is a MUST stop if you’re in Baltimore and the Lexington Market is fun to explore. Enjoy!

The restaurant is inside the market. There is like 3 different parts of the restaurant. In the center, there’s a raw bar. If you like raw oyster, this is amazing! The price isn’t too bad. 6 oysters for 12.20 or you can choose to have less oysters. They crack it open right in front of you and it tastes soooo fresh. They also give you a pack of lemon wedges and a cup of horseradish. On the bar table, there’s a bottle of cocktail/​hot sauce that tastes bomb with the oysters.
On the left side, there’s a food service where you order a plate of some cooked dish but I wouldn’t recommend this part. The most famous one is the jumbo crab cake. The crab cake is pretty good but the price is so high. One crab cake with a little side of lettuce and tomatoes cost 14 $ and the crab cake platter comes with your choice of 2 small sides and 1 crab cake for 20 $. The price is terrible and isn’t really worth the money.
On the right side, they steam fresh seafood. The seafood is fresh and steam it for you right when you order so it is hot! And the prices vary depending on seafood and is always fresh!

Bumped into this gem while exploring the Lexington Market, and boy are we glad we found it! If you want excellent crab cakes… this is the place to go! Another surprise for us was the fried clam strips… just wow!
Not much to say about the flavor, but that it is really good and I’m a fan now. As busy as they are, the environment could be a little better. I’d prefer the employees to have at least a t-​shirt on and not just a tank around the food serving areas. I’d also prefer the environment to be a bit cleaner, but when the food tastes that good… I guess that doesn’t matter anymore?
Service was super friendly, and enjoyable as we moved through the line.
If I were back in the area, like the traveler behind me, I will just have to make this a «tradition» to stop by each time I visit Charm City. Any visitor and local in the area should definitely try this place!

The sketchy neighborhood, homeless people begging money, less than yummy smells of the Lexington Market — all pale in comparison to the crab cakes and fried clam strips. I ate crab cakes at four places in the week I spent in «Bohtimore» and nothing else came close — just enough breading to call it cake (any less and it might have been just a pile of lump crabmeat). And the sweetest clam strips ever. First stop if I ever get back to the area.

Great old school crab shack and raw bar located in the Historic Lexington Market in a sketchy part of Downtown B’more. Still not the best crab cake I’ve ever had in MD (Crisfield in Silver Spring), but pretty damn good. These in-​town places are too shy with the Old Bay, so I got some from the raw bar and liberally sprinkled it over my fries and crab to get the authentic Taste of Chesapeake Bay.

I’m seriously torn on how to rate Faidley’s. On one hand, their crabcake is the best I’ve ever had, but on the other, the location is… shall we say, suboptimal. If you’re considering visiting, please read on for a briefing of what to expect so that you can set your expectations accordingly.
I arrived at Faidley’s around 4:30pm last Wed. Having taken light rail, I entered Lexington Market on foot via Lexington St. on the Eutaw St. side. If you approach the market in this manner, be forewarned that you’ll be walking through a very seedy part of town. The street approaching the market was littered, and there were several homeless people milling about in front of the market. While I wasn’t explicitly panhandled, this is probably because I kept my eyes averted and entered the market fairly quickly. When you enter the market from this side, you end up in the gallery, an open part of the market with few tables. The stalls are on the right, but it wasn’t immediately apparent where Faidley’s was. A security guard directed me to the very back of the market, and I finally found Faidley’s set apart in its own area.
Faidley’s is divided into three sections: a fish counter (right), a raw bar (center), and a prepared seafood counter (left). The latter is where the crab cakes can be found. Due to the time of my visit, I was the sole customer at this counter, so I was waited on promptly. I ordered the jumbo lump crabcake a la carte ($ 14). I opted for take out because I was staying nearby, the market itself is kind of sketchy (see forthcoming review), and Faidley’s doesn’t have seating. As I paid for the crab cake, an older gentleman, who I believe is the owner, saw my suitcase and asked me if I was from out of town and, if so, where I was from. I told him and mentioned that this was my first time trying the crabcake, and he told me he thought I’d like it. It’s always nice to meet owners who have pride in their product, and this was no exception.
Upon closer inspection, the crabcake was quite large – it was at least the size of a baseball and quite possibly the size of a softball. It was of the broiled variety and was composed entirely of lump crabmeat and very little filler. Given that I attended HS and college on MD’s Eastern Shore and that my mom is a seafood fanatic, I consider myself a strict judge of crabcakes. Faidley’s crabcake was, bar none, the best crabcake I’ve ever eaten. The crab meat was tender, moist, and sweet and wasn’t overly seasoned, and the exterior of the crabcake had the slight crispness characteristic of a good broiled crabcake. Further research revealed that Faidley’s uses MD crab in their cakes, which is probably what makes the difference, as many (most?) restaurants use crabmeat from Southeast Asia. The crabcake was further enhanced through the use of a mixture of tartar sauce and mustard as a dipping sauce, so I highly recommend obtaining both of these condiments and using them in this manner.
In my opinion, Faidley’s is worth a trip into Lexington Market if you’re adventurous and/​or a committed crabcake fan. Although it may seem pricey, it’s well worth it to try Baltimore’s best crabcake. Having said that, I can’t in good conscience bring myself to award 5 stars given the dicey nature of the surroundings – just be prepared for this and plan accordingly.

I’m usually not one to s#!t on a city staple because they made it to the top and they deserve the title — But I was extreamly disappointed with this one.
The food was actually delicious, and the crab cake lived up to it’s name of one of the best! But unfortunately what really did me was the sanitation of this place…
I think out of the 10 people working the place only 2 of them where wearing gloves. No hairnets at all, and to prove this point I found a hair in my shrimp basket –_​_​-​;
NOW I’M NOT SAYING THAT THEIR HANDS WEREN’T CLEAN. For all I know, they had just washed them. But as far as first impressions go– I would have liked to see some gloves!
Watching a woman smush around crab meat and mayonnaise with her bare hands can be kind of disturbing for a patron. Especially when she’s wearing a couple of tarnished rings on her fingers!

A unique dining experience to say the least.
To celebrate my 34^th birthday, my wife took me to Baltimore this year. This was our second time in Baltimore. We went last year for her birthday and spent a great deal of time in the Inner Harbor, exploring by foot. This year we had a car and wanted to explore the non touristy parts of town as well as eat at spots where the locals eat.
Its difficult to visit Baltimore and not end up eating seafood. But then again, with some of the best crab in the nation, would you really want to?
After spending close to four hours on the road, we were hungry. She asked me what i wanted for lunch and the first pace to come to mind was Faidley. I had googled «best crab cakes in baltimore» and numerous sites listed Faidley in the top three. A quick 10 minute drive from the hotel and we pulled up in front of Lexington Market. I didnt know Faidley was located inside the market prior to arrival and this discovery made me doubly excited because i had lexington market on my list of places to check out. Two birds with one stone!
However my excitement turned to nervousness because of the surrounding neighborhood. Make no mistake; Faidley/​Lexington Market is in the ghetto. We did not feel safe in this part of town. There were plenty of street parking available but i chose to pay to park in the lot because i felt the Mustang convertible would have been ripped off. However, even the parking lot felt dangerous. I took my wife by the hand and told her to stay close to me and let me lead the way.
I’ll do a seperate review of the Lexington Market but lets just say «depressing» is the key word to describe this place. We located Faidley quickly and stepped inside.
Faidley is divided into three sections: immediately upon entering is the Oyster and Clam Bar. To the right is a live crab and seafood market and in the back left corner was the crab cake section. That was our destination!
The menu is straight forward: lump crab cakes, backfin crab cakes and crabcake platter. Backfin cakes were $ 12.95, lump crab cakes were a little more and the platter was $ 20. Platters include two sides of your choice. At $ 20 per person for lunch in a location as «questionable» as this, I must admit I was expecting lower prices. However, we had taken the trip and the reviews were all positive so we proceeded. We both got the lump crab cake platter. With mine, I only wanted a single side of cole slaw. My wife got hers with mac n cheese and collards. I like that they sold beer and wine. I got a can of Budweiser, to get in touch with my blue collar roots. My wife got the unsweetened iced tea. The total came to $ 50. Pricey.
However, one mouthful of the delicate and juicy lump crab cake made us both agree, it was worth it. Delicious and authentic are the best words to describe our meal. We’ve eaten plenty of crab cakes before but the issue with most are you get more cake than crab. At Faidley it’s the opposite; 90% is top quality, fresh lump crab. And its surprisingly filling. I washed it all down with an iced cold can of Budweiser. Despite the lousy weather outside, I was happy to finally be back in Baltimore.
Why not five stars? First, this place is in a sketchy part of town in a sketchy Market place. If i hadn’t read all the positive reviews I would never have brought myself to walk in here and spend $ 50 on lunch. Sorry, but I did not feel safe. Secondly, when I spend $ 50 for lunch Id like a table and chair to sit and dine. Instead we had to stand up at a counter to eat our food on a styrofoam plate. The price does not match the quality of service. If Faidley was in a better part of town and offered an area to sit down and eat, i would have gladly given five stars.
Enjoy your crab cakes but watch your back.

Ok so it is located in LEXINGTON MARKET which isn’t for everyone. Me personally it doesn’t phase me. These crab cakes were so damn BIG! Tasty as all hell. Easily one of my favorites in Maryland.
I think they use mustard in their recipe which is different than other recipes. This is a fast paced location so don’t expect to sit while eating. More of a Stand and munch joint. Take your chances here for the crab cakes. Worth it!

True, the crab cakes have no fillers. It’s ALL delicious, plump Maryland blue crab in each patty. I just wish they were not so bland– definitely needed more seasoning to up the flavors. $ 14 for just the crab cake and $ 20 for crab cake platter with 2 sides.
It’s cafeteria-​style where you get in line with your tray, order as you move along to the front, get your food, and pay. There are no seats and it’s all standing-​tables only. Faidley is located inside Lexington Market in the east end.

Just delicious! All lump crabmeat, no filler crabcakes. Tried both fried and broiled, and they’re both amazing.
Also, the first time introducing my 10year old to crabcakes and he loved them. Definitely have to come back again.

The jumbo crab cakes are awesome! Lump crab meat with minimal, creamy filler and perfectly broiled with the quintessential hint of old bay. This is my go-​to Baltimore crab cake spot for guests. You can get the platter with 2 sides or the crab a la carte. I always go with the a la carte option since 1 crab cake can be very filling. If you like oysters, Faidley has premium fresh oysters. Shucked on the spot for a very reasonable price. If you like the subtle flavors of varying oysters from different regions, Faidley’s oysters may not be your best bet. But if you just love oysters — large and fresh… this is your place! The staff are always friendly and willing to help. Hope you like Faidley’s as much as me!

Faidley’s has a well-​earned reputation that extends far beyond Baltimore. I came to the Lexington Market on a day when I had a tight schedule, so I was waiting when they opened at 10 a.m.
Their crab cakes take a little extra time to prepare, so it was another 15 minutes or so before they could be ordered.
I’m no expert on crab cakes, but the ones I’ve ordered on the West Coast tend to be flat patties. This one was a huge ball of lump meat crab.
The clerk supplied a cup of tartar sauce but implored me to try it without the sauce to start. She didn’t say so, but I got the idea that it’s like people who take a steak and the first thing they do is douse it with a gallon of sauce. They never taste the steak itself because the sauce drowns it out. The Faidley’s crab cake didn’t need anything to draw away from the flavor.
The potato salad and coleslaw that came with the $ 20 platter were also fresh and tasty. There were several other side choices, including greens.
The staff was friendly and it’s too bad I live so far away from Baltimore. I’d love to be able to visit here regularly.

Visited Faidley’s at Lexington Market, Baltimore, this past weekend. We had a dozen oysters on a half shell that were $ 24! Thought they were a bit pricey. Also had a cup of Cream of Crab soup that was out of this world! Creamy, full of lump crab for $ 8. A (1) crab cake is $ 13!!! I wanted one but just couldn’t pay that amount. I can only imagine what individuals pay who have them shipped! Geez!!!
After walking around the market for a while, we decided to get fried fish, so back to Faidley’s we go. Apparently, they hold the market (pun intended) on fried fish! With all the stalls and variety of food, both fresh and cooked, NO ONE else has fried fish! We originally wanted Trout but they didn’t have any. We ended up with 2 Flounder dinners, 1 Flounder sandwich, and a catfish sandwich. Disappointed! There was zero flavor. No seasoning!
IF I return, I will stick with oysters and Cream of Crab soup!

Great crab cakes and fresh seafood! If you don’t mind making the trip to Lexington Market, you can enjoy a great lunch. I would opt for the premium of the crab cakes. A crab cake platter comes with 2 sides, is $ 20, and well worth it.
There isn’t anywhere to sit down. You will want to stand and eat this fresh!

Didn’t want to spend too much money during my trip here. Crab cakes at the Thames Restaurant were $ 27 compare to this place for crab cakes at $ 13.95. With sides, it would still only be 19.95.
Got myself an order of lump (one lump of crabcake) and a side order of fries since it came out cheaper this way with a coke. Total was about less than 20?
The crabcake was the size of my fist, its a big piece with a small side salad and saltine crackers. I thought it looked a bit dried but it was very well mixed with mayo and other binding ingredients. It was delicious! I was only a bit bummed because I found a lot of broken shells but o wells! Tasted fresh and separated easily. Not much to say other than to try it yourself and I recommend sharing!
It is not a sitdown joint so be prepared to stand!

Dude, I was blown away by everything here. The oysters, crabcakes, pickled beets, lobster bisque, and fried haddock. The raw Chesapeake oysters were something else.
We had to swing by the Lexington market on the way to Philadelphia and I’m so glad I did. I learned how to properly eat a Maryland style crab cake.
The service was awesome, but to me I guess. There was a serviceman in front of me asking for baked crabcakes and I had to back POS employee. She gave him a super nasty look and I had to notify the gentlemen that all good Maryland crabcakes are fried, not necessarily making them greasy.
Step 1: Break away whole pieces of the jumbo lump cake
Step 2: Butter up the base of a saltine cracker
Step 3: Add the whole pieces of lump meat on top with a touch of Dijon mustard and devour like an Hors d’œuvre
It was terrific. I started topping the crabcakes with bisque and that was pretty amazing as well. I had 6 raw oysters, bisque, 2 lump crabcakes, 1 Backfin crabcake, Mac/​cheese, and the pickled beets. Didn’t feel stuffed at all and was ready for an early dinner.

I’m not from Maryland but I’ve heard soo much about Faidley’s lump crab cakes. I had to make sure to stay away from the touristy spots around Inner Harbor and make my way here for some real «crab cakes.» This is not like a restaurant, but more a fish market where you order, pay and find an area to stand and eat. (sort of like Grand Central Market for all my LA-​ers).
I had the pleasure to try their lump crab cake with a side of their white cream of crab soup! Oh boy, I was literally in heaven. I’ve never had such amazing crab cakes in my life! One lump of crab cake was enough to fill me up and I cannot stress enough that this place sells the BEST CRAB CAKES!!! It had a ton of real crab meat, it was chunky with no fillers of any type of breading to hold it together. Truly mouth-​watering!
However, the staff who served wasn’t all too friendly but oh well, I’m here for the crab cakes!
Make sure to bookmark this place if you’re ever around Baltimore! It is located inside Lexington Market (which isn’t quite clean) but the food is worth the adventure.

The shining star of the quite interesting Lexington Market.
I’m not going to lie, I stopped here for the coddie. It’s a fried mashed potato ball with cod in it between two saltines with mustard. Easy way to get full for $ 2. The Faidley crab cake is the real deal — you may scoff at the price, but you are legitimately getting a ton of high quality crab meat.
You can always belly up to the oyster bar for some oysters and wine in the afternoon.

Being a Marylander at heart, I am always in search of crabcakes as they are ill-​prepared everywhere else. Preparation is typically simple, but for some reason it’s just not as good outside of Maryland.
Well, this famous establishment lives up to the hype. The crabcake is lump crabmeat throughout and fried to crisp and tender perfection. You taste the crab which is the secret to MD crabcakes. No fillers, no sauce needed. The staff also recommends to eat the crabcake as is, because yes, it is perfect just the way they serve it. I got the fries which were wedge fries and just ok. The Mac and cheese was warm and cheesy.
Staff is amazingly warm and helpful. I know I looked like a deer in headlights not knowing where to order what. First you place your food order, they place a tray down and you move right along to get your drink… Sweet tea please! Then slide your tray a few paces more to pay.
This is definitely worth the trip to Lexington market. Hands down damn good crabcake!

Ils né faillissent pas a leur reputation: leur crabe cake est vraiment super bon ! C’est vraiment à tester. Par contre, les accompagnements sont (très) mauvais…