Best Beer Gardens In Baltimore
4 Market Pl.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(443) 208-3316
www.leiniebeergarden.com
While not quite a "garden," Leinenkugel's is a glass pavilion-style bar on a prime piece of Baltimore real-estate, parked right at the entrance to Power Plant Live. This gives patrons not just good beer, an excellent variety of bar food, and the open air they crave, but also immediate access to all of the diversions that the Inner Harbor provides. The roof is retractable for the good days, but can be closed if the weather turns so that you don't have to exit the bar the moment you feel rain-drops, nor do you need to leave if the air gets a bit chilly - they'll just strike up their outdoor fire and keep the party going! And that's good, because they have over 30 specialty draft beers on tap.
1143 Central Ave. E.
Edgewater, MD 21037
(410) 798-1544
www.oldstein-inn.com
As a county, Baltimore is relatively urban, so sometimes you have to drive a little out of the way to find a lush and lavish beer garden, but when you arrive at the Old Stein Inn, you'll be glad that you did. Old Stein Inn goes for a very German feel, and that's no gimmick. It was founded by a couple of German immigrants who brought over their beer and food recipes, and it still holds to those traditions. Holds to them pretty well, too, as it has been featured on "The Best Of Show" on The Food Network. Come enjoy traditionally brewed German beers and a traditionally cooked German meal in a traditional German garden setting, all served up by traditional Germans. Lots of people come from far away to check this place out. You should be one of them.
7401 Woodmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(202) 841-9114
www.piazzabeergarden.com
If you want to take a trip to experience the various cultural traditions that beer gardens inspire, your next stop should be Piazza. A thoroughly Italian experience, they operate by a laid back, community-focused philosophy. As one might expect, the food is Italian, but the beer is a parade of flavors from local breweries that change weekly. If you want to relax in an outdoor Italian garden, enjoy a community feeling, and try a different local beer flavor every time you fill your glass, Piazza is the place to go.
316 Sunburst Hwy.
Cambridge, MD 21613
(410) 228-8633
www.toddseafood.com
If you're looking for a beer garden which places heavy focus on the restaurant portion, Ocean Odyssey is the place to go. Located in Cambridge, across the Bay from Baltimore, Ocean Odyssey is a well-liked seafood restaurant in a city full of seafood restaurants, so that's saying something. The beer garden portion of the restaurant is seasonal, which only makes sense for something held outdoors. It makes even more sense when you understand that this is a crab and beer garden. The idea being that you're shelling steamed crabs and drinking beer in a decorative outdoor area. See how it all comes together? Of course, you're not restricted to steamed crabs. You can really order any kind of seafood you like at the convenient window adjoining the garden. Definitely a place a Baltimorean might want to head during the summer months.
2780 Lighthouse Pt. E.
Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 558-0202
www.bobrooks.com
A crab house right on the marina, Bo Brooks' Beer Garden sits on a deck where patrons may crack their steamed crabs, throw back their brews, and watch the boats come in and out of the dock. For lovers of all things nautical, it couldn't be a better fit. The beer garden is an expansive deck on the water covered with a canopy. You can sit under the canopy or relax out in the sunshine near the railing, but the crab pots and ice buckets full of beer are never far out of reach. Come hang out for a lazy summer afternoon and get the true Baltimore experience.