One of the big to-do items when visiting Baltimore is to try the crab cake.  The city is famous for them, after all.  More than likely, you'll be in the Inner Harbor area at some point, either for your daytime activities, and/or for your lodging.  And that area is definitely not without its crab cake options.  But do you venture down to the harbor, where names like the Rusty Scupper, Phillips and McCormick & Schmick's entices you?  Or do you eat at the hotel restaurant where you are staying?

17 Light is located at the Residence Inn, which is one of the more family-friendly locations around the Inner Harbor.  Suites are typically more spacious, allow for more privacy, and have kitchens where you can make traveling a bit more affordable.  And upon looking upon the menu, you may notice that they have a crab cake.  Brilliant!  The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront over in Harbor East had some delicious crab cakes.  Will these follow suit?  Or should you venture somewhere else (say, around the corner)?  Read on to find out!

Joe Squared is better known for their pizzas than their crab cakes. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, voted Maryland's best pizza, and named one of the best pizza places in the nation by both Food Network Magazine and Food Nation, it is certainly one place you can't miss when you visit Baltimore. Now with two locations (Power Plant Live! and North Avenue), Joe Squared is the place to go for a family friendly atmosphere, live music, and an extensive food and drink list. But pizzas are pizzas, and crab cakes are crab cakes. So how did Joe do? Read along and see for yourself!

For over 10 years, Luna Del Sea has been entertaining tourists and locals alike with fresh seafood and sizzling steaks. And the location is prime: right on Pratt St near Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, the Convention Center, a good number of the major hotels in the downtown area, and so forth. If you're like us, you've noticed the place many times, but haven't been able to stop in, either because of traffic, time constraints, or the line out the door on a busy night (they do have a pretty nice outdoor seating area). But despite how fancy the establishment appears, the dress code is casual, so feel free to wear your Oriole's orange or Ravens camo. We happened to stop by after a phenomenal Orioles win one night, and checked out one of the specialties of the house -- crab cakes! Check out the review to see what we thought!

McCormick and Schmick's runs a variety of seafood restaurants across the United States under differing names.  The M&S Grill is their take on providing fresh seafood and aged steaks in a more relaxed setting.  Located in the Inner Harbor next to the Harborplace amphitheater, you can enjoy views of the USS Constellation, National Aquarium, and watch the hustle and bustle around Harborplace.  With the main McCormick and Schmick's around the corner, the CCR decided to sit outside on a nice day, enjoy the sun and a cold beverage, and see how the crab cake at the more causal location fares.  Continue on to see how it all went down.

Looking past Faidley's and G&M, the one name that has been synonymous with Maryland crabs/seafood is Phillips.  Since 1956, Phillips has been churning out seafood for Maryland tourists, starting out in Ocean City, MD and branching out to not only multiple locations in Maryland (Baltimore, Rockville, and Ocean City), but along the Mid Atlantic seaboard as well (Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington DC, Myrtle Beach).  In addition to sit-down restaurants, they also operate seafood buffets, express stands and airport locations as well as grocery/retail and foodservice divisions.  Certainly anyone with this kind of success, especially in an area known for its seafood, specifically crabs, must certainly know what they are doing.  The sign outside of their Baltimore location boasts "Maryland's Favorite Crab Cake".  But is it?  Continue on to find out!