If it feels like Baltimore’s food scene hasn’t taken a breath lately, you’re not imagining it. In just the past few months, a new crop of restaurants has opened across the city — even as the latest favorites like Animal Boy and Subplicity continue to ride high following my recent sandwich shop roundup. From Hungarian chimney cakes to sizzling iron-plate American Chinese comfort food, here are the freshest spots making Baltimore a little tastier, one neighborhood at a time.

Riverside Cantina

• 1741 Light St. (Riverside)

This South Baltimore hangout from the team behind Riverside Taphouse already packs the house nightly. Riverside Cantina offers a lively, margarita-fueled energy and a menu that swings from barbacoa, al pastor, chorizo, steak and seasonal fish tacos to hefty quesadillas like the Baltimore-style SoBo Loco loaded with crab dip, shrimp, jalapeños, tomatoes and corn. This is the kind of spot where you claim a bar seat early, dive into street corn dip, work your way through festive cocktails and finish strong with churros or chocolate caramel tres leches — all while catching up with half the people you know in the neighborhood.

Jollof Bowl

• 1065 S. Charles St. #153 (Cross Street Market)

The constant line curling from Jollof Bowl through Cross Street Market is proof that Baltimore has fully embraced West African comfort food. Their jollof rice — aromatic, tomato-rich and gently spiced — anchors bowls topped with chicken, spiced beef or plant-based proteins, all brightened by house-made pepper sauce that brings both heat and personality. Fresh greens and rotating seasonal specials highlight regional flavors across West Africa, creating plates that feel layered, vibrant and surprisingly complex for such a fast-moving stall. Bring patience because the line is always there, but so is the payoff.

Little Hungarian Bake Shoppe

• 2110 Fleet St. (Canton)

Canton’s new Little Hungarian Bake Shoppe offers a charming European escape centered on Hungary’s beloved kürtőskalács, or chimney cakes, which are baked on a rotating spit until golden so they’re crisp on the outside and soft inside, then finished in toppings like cinnamon sugar, coconut or chocolate. The cozy bakery also serves sweet and savory crêpes, made-from-scratch comfort food, and coffee, and even turns chimney cakes into whimsical sandwiches using their signature dough. It’s warm, nostalgic and quietly transportive, so you might find yourself lingering longer than planned because your pastry insists on it.

Bao Di

• 3215 Eastern Ave. (Highlandtown)

Bao Di brings American Chinese takeout classics into a modern Highlandtown dining room without losing any of the comforting nostalgia, offering orange chicken, fried rice, lo mein, wontons, egg rolls and even a Baltimore-leaning crab egg foo yong. Their Sizzling Iron Plate entrée arrives fajita-style with dramatic steam and Chinese spices — because sometimes dinner deserves theatrics — and pairs perfectly with cocktails designed for easy sipping. Bao Di, or 宝地, means “treasured land,” and the restaurant doubles as a love letter to “Baodimore,” celebrating the city as a place of potential, creativity and community, a place as lively as the plates coming out of the kitchen.

La Maison

• 2600 N. Howard St. (Remington)

La Maison, the newest project from the Café Dear Leon team, brings their signature timed pastry-release schedule to Remington. Dishes like the viral crab bagel and the beloved tamago sando emerge throughout the morning with almost ceremonial timing. The bright, minimalist café buzzes with regulars strategizing their orders, visitors photographing their croissants, and early birds staking out the best pastries as they hit the counter. It’s both refined and playful — a bakery that knows exactly what it is and exactly how many alarms customers are willing to set for a perfect morning bite.

La Jetée

• 1215 Wills St. (Harbor Point)

La Jetée, a coastal French concept from James Beard Award winner Spike Gjerde, sits inside the waterfront Canopy by Hilton and serves an all-day menu inspired by Provence but rooted firmly in the Chesapeake, with local fish, shellfish and produce sourced from regenerative farms across the region. The space feels sun-soaked and breezy, shifting effortlessly from pastry and coffee mornings to elegantly coastal dinners, all framed by panoramic harbor views whether you’re on the terrace, in the dining room or at the bar. Unwind over rosé or oysters as you take in the team’s signature regional warmth and unfussy French charm.

Highball (in Bank St. Deli)

• 1421 Bank St. (Little Italy)

Highball, hidden behind a vending machine inside Bank St. Deli, is Baltimore’s newest speakeasy. The dark, moody cocktail den is where classic drinks meet deli comfort in the most delightfully unexpected pairing. Guests can order sandwiches like the club or the chopped beef and cheese from the deli up front and have them delivered to the back bar to turn cocktail hour into a full-on meal. Through one-way glass, you can watch people enter the speakeasy through the deli for a little food-and-beverage theater that makes the whole experience feel mischievous, playful and very Baltimore.