Maryland foods to try: Smith Island cake, crab cakes and more

Maryland's food is the food of a bay. The Chesapeake supplies crabs, oysters and fish, farms on the Eastern Shore supply corn and tomatoes, and the cooking that grew up around them is distinct from both the South and the Northeast. Here are the dishes most often named as Maryland's own, what each is and where to look, with what to order and how to ask.

What is Smith Island cake?

Smith Island cake is the official State Dessert of Maryland, designated effective October 1, 2008, according to the Maryland State Archives. In its traditional form it has eight to ten thin layers of yellow cake with chocolate frosting between each layer. It comes from Smith Island, a community in the Chesapeake Bay, and the story of why the layers are so thin is uncertain: some say it kept the cake moist for watermen working on the water, and others describe a friendly baking competition among island cooks. Bakeries across the state sell it, and some make flavors beyond chocolate. A slice is large and rich, and it is made for sharing.

What is a Maryland crab cake?

A crab cake is mostly crab meat held together with a little binder, seasoned and then broiled or fried. A good one tastes of crab, not filler. Menus describe crab cakes as lump or jumbo lump, which refers to the size of the pieces of meat, and a more generous cake uses larger pieces. Crab cakes are served as a main dish with sides or as a sandwich on a roll. They are among the most commonly ordered foods in Maryland restaurants. Ask how the cake is made, and whether it is broiled or fried. Broiled cakes keep the crab flavor in front, while fried cakes add a crisp crust. A crab cake sandwich is a lunch staple, often served with coleslaw or fries, and the prices range widely with the amount of crab. Be wary of a very cheap crab cake, which is likely to contain more filler than meat.

What is Old Bay?

Old Bay is a seasoning blend used on steamed crabs, shrimp, fries and many other foods in Maryland. It is a mix of spices, including celery salt and paprika, and it has a recognizable flavor. Shakers sit on the tables of many Maryland restaurants, and locals add it to popcorn, eggs and corn on the cob. Visitors often bring a tin home. If you cook at home, try it on fries, popcorn and boiled shrimp. It is salty, so taste before adding more salt to a dish. Grocery stores across the state stock it, and gift shops sell it in souvenir tins. Some cooks prefer other crab seasonings, so you may see more than one on the table.

What about oysters?

Oysters from the Chesapeake have been a staple for centuries. They are served raw on the half shell, fried, in stew and in a fried oyster sandwich. The traditional advice about months with an R in them is a rule of thumb about season and quality, and many restaurants serve oysters year-round, so ask where they are from and how fresh they are. If you are not sure about raw oysters, start with fried or stewed ones. Raw oysters carry a health risk for people with certain conditions, including liver disease and weakened immune systems, and health agencies advise caution. Ask your doctor if you are unsure, and always buy from a restaurant you trust.

What is crab soup?

Maryland has two main crab soups. Vegetable crab soup is a tomato-based soup with vegetables and crab meat, often seasoned with Old Bay. Cream of crab is a rich, creamy soup with crab meat. Ask which one a restaurant makes, and try a cup before you commit to a bowl. Both are common on lunch menus. A cup with half a sandwich makes a classic lunch. Many cooks guard their recipes, and locals have strong opinions about which style is better, so ask the server and enjoy the debate.

What are other Maryland dishes?

Maryland also has regional classics that surprise visitors.

• Rockfish, the local name for striped bass, served grilled, fried or broiled.
• Fried chicken and ham, from the Eastern Shore and southern Maryland tradition.
• Sweet corn and tomatoes in summer, sold at roadside stands and farmers markets.
• Pit beef, a Baltimore specialty of grilled beef sliced thin and served on a roll.

Each deserves a tasting if you pass through the right region at the right time. Pit beef is best at a roadside stand or a counter in Baltimore, with horseradish sauce and raw onion. Rockfish season and summer corn depend on weather, so ask local sellers what is good this week.

How do you find these foods?

Start with local markets and bakeries, then ask staff what they would recommend for a visitor. In Baltimore, public markets have stalls for several of these foods in one place. On the Eastern Shore and in southern Maryland, small towns have diners and crab houses. Always check opening days, since small places often close early in the week.

How do prices and tipping work?

Menu prices do not include Maryland sales tax, which is added at the register. Seafood prices can vary with the season. A tip of about 18 to 20 percent of the pre-tax total is customary at a table-service restaurant.

How do you keep track of your Maryland tasting?

Make a list of the dishes you want to try across the state, and rate each one after you taste it. Mosey is a food app for finding, rating and sharing places to eat, and it rates by the dish, so a crab cake in Baltimore, another on the Eastern Shore and a third in Annapolis can be compared side by side.

Tag the Smith Island cake slices you share and the pit beef you ate standing up, share your list with an invite link and follow friends who know the Eastern Shore. Your own ratings tell you more than anyone's ranking.

Rate your first Maryland crab cake in the Mosey app.

More guides to read next:

• How to eat Maryland blue crabs: a first-timer's guide (2026)
• Baltimore public markets: Lexington, Broadway, Cross Street and Hollins
• Where to eat in Annapolis: City Dock, Eastport and the waterfront

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.