Best of Baltimore Readers’ Poll Results 2017

Thanks to everyone who voted in our 2017 Best of Baltimore Readers’ Poll! Subscribe now or pick up a copy of our annual “Best of Baltimore” issue to see who we picked as this year’s winners.

Arts & Culture

Band

Winner: What’s Next
Runners-up: Squaring the Circle; Starcrush

Bookstore

Winner: Red Emma’s
Runners-up: The Ivy Bookshop; Normal’s Book & Records

Dance Party

Winner: Save Your Soul
Runners-up: 4 Hours of Funk; The 8×10

Exhibit

Winner: Guerrilla Girls
Runners-up: Matisse Diebenkorn; YUMMM! The History, Fantasy, and Future of Food

Festival

Winner: Artscape
Runners-up: Charm City Bluegrass Festival; Light City Baltimore

Gallery

Winner: Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower
Runners-up: Crystal Moll Gallery; The Metro Gallery

Museum

Winner: The Baltimore Museum of Art
Runners-up: The American Visionary Art Museum; The Walters Art Museum

Music Venue

Winner: The 8×10
Runners-up: The Ottobar; Ram’s Head Live

Musician

Winner: Cris Jacobs
Runners-up: Kristin Young; Rachel Elise

Play or Performance

Winner: Promenade: Baltimore
Runners-up: Twisted Melodies; Stranger Kindness

Poet

Winner: Leslie Peace Jubilee
Runners-up: Janea Kelly; Stephen Zerance

Street

Winner: City in a Bottle (Kerry Cesen)
Runners-up: Baltimore LOVE Project; Graffiti Alley

Theater (Movie)

Winner: Charles Theatre
Runners-up: Senator Theatre; The Parkway Theater

Theater (Live)

Winner: Center Stage
Runners-up: Everyman Theater; Hippodrome

Writer

Winner: Laura Lippman
Runners-up: David Simon (a very, very close second); D. Watkins

Food & Drink

Bagel

Winner: Towson Hot Bagels
Runners-up: Greg’s Bagels; Goldberg’s Bagels

Bakery

Winner: Patisserie Poupon
Runners-up: Batch Bakeshop; Pitango Bakery & Cafe

Bar (Casual)

Winner: Wet City
Runners-up: Forno; Owl Bar

Bar (Fancy)

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Bookmakers Cocktail Club; Loch Bar

Bartender

Winner: Scott Jones (Wet City)
Runners-up: Joe Aldridge (Owl Bar); Sam White (Gnocco)

Breakfast

Winner: Miss Shirley’s Café
Runners-up: Blue Moon Café; Iron Rooster

Brunch

Winner: By The Docks
Runners-up: Miss Shirley’s Café; Forno

Brewery

Winners: Goonda Beersmiths + Union Craft Brewing
Runners-up: Heavy Seas Beer; The Brewer’s Art

Burger

Winner: Abbey Burger Bistro
Runners-up: Clark Burger; Hamilton Tavern

Cheap Eats

Winner: &pizza
Runners-up: Ekiben; Never On Sunday; Chicken Rico

Chef

Winner: Zuri Coles (Miss Shirley’s Café)
Runners-up: Cindy Wolf (Foreman Wolf); Jerome Dorsch (Citron)

Cocktails

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Forno; W.C. Harlan

Coffee

Winner: Zeke’s Coffee
Runners-up: Baby’s On Fire; Order & Chaos Coffee

Crabs

Winner: Conrad’s Crabs & Seafood
Runners-up: L.P. Steamers, Captain James Crabhouse & Restaurant

Farmers’ Market

Winner: Baltimore Farmers’ Market & Bazaar
Runners-up: Waverly Farmers’ Market; Fells Point Farmers’ Market

Fine Dining

Winner: Citron
Runners-up: Charleston; Woodberry Kitchen; The Elephant

Food Truck

Winner: Gypsy Queen Café
Runners-up: Mexican on the Run; Smoking Swine

Ice Cream

Winner: The Charmery
Runners-up: Taharka Bros.; Cream Cruiser

Indian

Winner: Ambassador Dining Room
Runners-up: Nepal House; Kumari Restaurant & Bar

Italian

Winner: Forno
Runners-up: La Scala Ristorante; Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano; Grano Pasta Bar

Lunch

Winner: Beef Brother’s Deli
Runners-up: Forno; Citron

Mexican

Winner: Clavel
Runners-up: Papi’s Tacos; La Tolteca

Outdoor Dining

Winner: Boathouse Canton
Runners-up: Citron; Forno

Pizza

Winner: Coal Fire Pizza
Runners-up: Beef Brother’s Deli; Forno

Server

Winner: Randy Lock (Miss Shirley’s)
Runners-up: Shaun Shemdley (Citron), Ryan Artes (Wet City)

Soup

Winner: Atwater’s
Runners-up: Panera Bread Co.; Soup’s On

Steak

Winner: The Prime Rib
Runners-up: Citron; Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Sports Bar

Winner: Max’s Taphouse
Runners-up: Mother’s Grill; Turp’s Sports Bar & Restaurant

Sushi

Winner: Shoyou Sushi
Runners-up: Minato Sushi Bar; Azumi

Thai

Winner: Khun Nine Thai
Runners-up: Thai Arroy; Stang of Siam

Vegetarian

Winner: Stall 11
Runners-up: One World Café; Land of Kush

Lifestyle & Home

Auto Repair

Winner: Orchard Automotive
Runners-up: Brentwood Automotive; Challenger Auto & Truck Repair

Dry Cleaning

Winner: J&J Alteration & Cleaning
Runners-up: Sanitate Dry Cleaners, Inc.; Zips Dry Cleaning

Contractor (Home)

Winner: Allstar Appliance Repair
Runners-up: FC Batton and Son, Inc.; Brothers Services Company

Electrician

Winner: Walter Electric
Runners-up: Clinton Electric; Winn Electric

Fitness Instructor

Winner: Sonja Burns (WERQ Fitness)
Runners-up: Guy Cragwell (MV Fitness); Esther Collinetti (REV Cycle Studio)

Furniture Store

Winner: Gardiner Wolf Furniture
Runners-up: Cedar & Cotton; Su Casa

Grocery Store

Winner: Wegmans
Runners-up: Mom’s Organic Market; Harris Teeter

Gym

Winner: REV Cycle Studio
Runners-up: MV Fitness; Brick Bodies

Handyman

Winner: The Baltimore Handyman Company
Runners-up: Mr. Handyman; Home Finishers

HVAC

Winner: At Your Service Heating and Cooling LLC
Runners-up: Clean Air HVAC; Minnick’s HVAC

Kids’ Clothing

Winner: Wire & Honey
Runners-up: Wee Chic Boutique; The Pied Piper

Landscaping

Winner: Maryland Landscape Supply
Runners-up: AMG Landscaping; Lerch Brothers Landscape

Men’s Clothing

Winner: JS Edwards
Runners-up: Christopher Schafer Clothier Sixteen Tons

Personal Trainer

Winner: Guy Cragwell (MV Fitness)
Runners-up: Maddison Rowles; Suzanne Miranda (City Fit)

Pet Care

Winner: Prancing Pooches
Runners-up: BEK Petsitting, LLC; Hereford Bed & Biscuit

Plumber

Winner: Len The Plumber
Runners-up: Saffer Plumbing; MPot Inc.

Salon (Hair)

Winner: Form Salon
Runners-up: Ash + Oak Salon and Spa; Studio & Co.

Salon (Spa)

Winner: Crop Salon
Runners-up: Fringe Baltimore; Ojas Wellness Center

Shoe Store

Winner: Ma Petite Shoe
Runners-up: DSW; Poppy and Stella

Sporting Goods

Winner: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Runners-up: Charm City Run; REI; Under Armour

Toy Store

Winner: Shenanigans
Runners-up: Amuse Toys; Toys R Us

Veterinarian

Winner: Dr. Michelle Danna (Boston St Animal Hospital)
Runners-up: Dr. Ed Molesworth (Main Street Animal Hospital); Dr. Kim Hammond (Falls Road Animal Hospital)

Women’s Clothing

Winner: Sass Upscale Resale Boutique
Runners-up: Brightside Boutique; Punch! Boutique

Yoga Studio

Winner: M. Power Yoga
Runners-up: YogaWorks; Studio B Yoga & Barre

News & Media

Website (News)

Winner: WYPR.org
Runners-up: WBAL.com; Baltimore Sun

Website (Sports)

Winner: The Big Leagues Daily
Runners-up: ESPN; MASNsports.com

Columnist

Winner: Dan Rodricks
Runners-up: Dan Clark; Doug Mace

Instagram Account

Winner: @boxwoodandlaurel
Runners-up: @invisiblecrowne_blog; @wypr881fm

Publication (Print)*

Winner: The Baltimore Sun
Runners-up: City Paper; The New York Times

Publication (Online)*

Winner: Baltimore Brew
Runners-up: City Paper; The Baltimore Sun; The New York Times

Radio Show Host

Winner: Tom Hall (WYPR)
Runners-up: Nathan Sterner (WYPR); Sheilah Kast (WYPR)

Radio Station

Winner: WYPR
Runners-up: WTMD; WBJC

TV Broadcaster (News)

Winner: Megan Gilliland
Runners-up: Joy Lepola; Denise Koch

TV Broadcaster (Sports)

Winner: Mark Viviano
Runners-up: Gerry Sandusky; Keith Mills

Twitter Account

Winner: @DanClarkSports
Runners-up: @WYPR881FM; @BaltMediaBlog

*Baltimore magazine has recused itself from these results.

Outdoors & Sports

Biking Trail

Winner: NCR Trail
Runners-up: Jones Falls Trail; Gwynns Falls Trail

Campground

Winner: Patapsco Valley State Park
Runners-up: Assateague State Park; Cunningham Valley State Park

Dog Park

Winner: Patterson Park Dog Park
Runners-up: Paw Point; Latrobe Park

Hiking Trail

Winner: Patapsco Valley State Park
Runners-up: Gunpowder Falls; Lake Roland

Oriole

Winner: Adam Jones
Runners-up: Manny Machado; Jonathan Schoop

Park

Winner: Patterson Park
Runners-up: Wyman Park Dell; Druid Hill Park

Raven

Winner: Justin Tucker
Runners-up: Joe Flacco; Steve Smith, Sr.

Rec League

Winner: Charm City Roller Girls
Runners-up: Baltimore Sports & Social Club; Volo City (formerly Baltimore Social)

Road Race

Winner: Baltimore Running Festival
Runners-up: Kinetic Sculpture Race; Charm City Run

Sports Team

Winner: Baltimore Blast
Runners-up: Orioles; Ravens

Swim Spot

Winner: YMCA
Runners-up: Beaver Dam Swimming Club; Druid Hill Park Pool

Urban Garden

Winner: KMC Maryland World Peace Gardens
Runners-up: Sherwood Gardens; Rawlings Conservatory