There are only so many places to eat on or near campus before you get tired of the food, so I will be reviewing great restaurants in Baltimore that you’ll be excited to try out. And if you’ve already been there, you’ll probably want to go again!
One of the many great things about Baltimore is that there are several delicious and unique eateries all around. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to get out of our “Hopkins Bubble” and satisfy a craving while exploring the city and taking a break from school.
If you have a sweet tooth, the restaurant I went to is definitely for you! It’s called Vaccaro’s and it’s a little Italian pastry shop located in Little Italy, just a short ways from the Inner Harbor. They are famous for their classic Italian pastries such as gelato, Italian ice, cannoli’s, and various Italian cakes, as well as their specialty coffees, such as espressos and cappuccinos. Even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, there’s still actual food for you. Vaccaro’s also serves sandwiches, soups, and salads, and if you are 21 and over, they have a variety of liqueurs as well.
When my friends and I went to Vaccaro’s, we ordered some of the largest and most delicious desserts we have ever tasted. We got the Franciscan, Baci Ball, Mango Italian ice, and Apple Strudel, most of which are part of their winter special. The Franciscan is a chocolate cake surrounded by coffee gelato, topped whipped cream, and covered in Franciscan liqueur with a cherry on top. My friends raved about the richness of the cake and ice cream together and by the looks on their faces, it must have been heavenly. They also said Franciscan liqueur had a nice kick, but was pretty strong.
Now on to the Baci Ball (yeah, I had no idea what that was either until my friend explained it to me). Baci are balls of chocolate with a hazelnut inside (YUM!) and the Baci Ball consisted of three warm, baci filled cream puffs with a mountain of baci flavored gelato on top along with whipped cream and a cherry. The mango gelato was great too, although it tasted more like an orange/ tangerine flavor. Last but not least, I got the Apple Strudel. It was warm and fluffy, with bits of apple filling everywhere! It also came with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, and was topped off with delicious caramel and a cherry.
All of these desserts were amazing and heavenly! They’re also enormous so each dessert can easily be shared between two or three people. Sharing also makes these specialty desserts a lot cheaper since they range from $6 to $10. Two of my friends, avid coffee lovers that hate the inauthenticity of commercialized coffee, like Starbucks (which I still like anyways), raved about Vaccaro’s espresso and cafe Dominic that they each ordered.
Vaccaro’s is a great place to go with your friends, a date, and even your family if they come visit you. The variety they have easily makes them a crowd pleaser, so it’s a good idea to go in the afternoon or early evening if you go on the weekend because there’s usually a wait to get seated. Even if you do have to wait, it is definitely, hands down, well worth it!