Yelp’s annual Top 100 Places to Eat “celebrates local restaurants across the U.S. that reflect the unique tastes of the Yelp community.” Yelp’s annual Top 100 Places to Eat list covers a wide range of places to eat — from white tablecloth to food trucks and taquerias. Three Maryland restaurants made the 2024 list, coming in ranked 20th, 82nd, and 87th. Nominations for 2025 begin October 1st.
#87: Pho Bac (Baltimore): Bringing authentic Vietnamese cuisine to Baltimore, Pho Bac uses local ingredients to delight diners. Specialties include pho (soup with rice noodles, meat, herbs, and vegetables; also available with seafood or vegetarian), banh mi (crispy baguette filled with savory meats or tofu, herbs, and sliced vegetables), and braised tilapia slathered in a savory garlic sauce with caramelized onions and black pepper.
#82: M&N’s Pizza (Bethesda): This pizzeria with an Indian twist is known for its “Whacky Pizza” menu. Prime examples include the Aushak Pizza—inspired by a popular dumpling dish from Afghanistan—with spiced ground beef, mozzarella cheese, and yogurt drizzle; and the vegetarian Dal Makhani Pizza, with an Indian-style creamy black lentil curry, red onions, and extra cheese. Traditional Indian curries are also available (no pizza required), like Chicken Vindaloo (a fiery curry from Goa, India) and Achari Lamb (prepared with Indian pickling spices).
#20: Ekiben (Baltimore): Two words: fried chicken. Okay, 3 more: on a bao bun. This singular dish has piled up nearly 1,500 5-star Yelp reviews for the award-winning Asian-fusion restaurant. Yes, there are other items on the creative menu, but it’s the “super well-seasoned and perfectly fried” bird that catapulted Ekiben from a hot dog cart in 2014 to 3 locations in the Baltimore area, and a 2nd-year-in-a-row ranking on the Top 100 US Restaurants list.
Nominations for the 2025 list will open to the entire Yelp community on Monday, October 1st at Top100.Yelp.com. The nominations period will close on Sunday, October 14th. All restaurant nominations must have a Yelp business page to be considered. Featured photo shows “Richie Rings” at M&N’s Pizza