Weekly reviews of crab cakes around the MD and DC area

Faidley's All Lump Crab Cake

A family-owned and operated business, Faidley's has been serving up award winning all lump crab cakes in Baltimore's historic Lexington Market since 1866.  Faidley's is almost always included in any crab cake debate as a top contender with G&M.  Read any review, and people will either love or hate Faidley's all lump crab cakes, going out of their way to sample this world-renowned establishment.  What does the Crab Cake Review think?  Read on to find out!

Faidley's offers crab cakes in three varieties:  All Lump, Backfin and Regular.  This review is for the All Lump, although we do have a review of the Backfin crab cake.

By default, all Faidley's crab cakes are cooked fried.  For an extra $.50, you can get yours broiled.  Crab cakes are pre-fried, and then microwaved for a few seconds before being served.  Lemon wedge provided upon request, possibly along with cocktail and tartar.  I took my crab cake to go, which was accompanied by lettuce, tomato slices, and crackers.

Because it was pre-cooked than microwaved, the cake was warm at first, but quickly cooled off (I should point out that from the time I paid to the time I sat down, about 3 minutes had passed, so perhaps yours will best be enjoyed inside Faidley's).  

Lots of jumbo lumps of crab, and a bit more filler than I would expect.  Somewhere between minimal and average, towards the average end.  Filler is noticeable amongst the large lumps of crab.  Despite the amount of filler, the flavor is nice, but not over the top.  A nice mix of mayo, Old Bay and mustard that goes well with the sweetness of the crab.  But despite the amount of crab meat lumps, the filler and crab meat are on a shared flavor stage, where you don't really notice one or the other unless you single them out.

From the microwave preparation to the bread aftertaste, I can't say I was overly impressed.  The amount of crab lumps was a good representation of what an all-lump crab cake should be.  But I expect to taste more crab in my crab cake than anything else, which gets points taken off in my book.  Still, with all of the options you have at your disposal, it is still a pretty solid crab cake worthy of your own comparison. 

Faidley Seafood Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Additional Info

  • Restaurant Name: Faidley's
  • Address: 203 N Paca St Baltimore, MD 21201
  • Neighborhood: Lexington Market
  • Restaurant Type: Local
  • Review Date: 04/20/2011 2:11pm
  • Atmosphere: Moderate
  • Item(s) Ordered: All Lump Crab Cake
  • Cooking Style: Fried
  • Other Styles Available: Yes
  • Available by mail order?: Yes
  • Price: 12.95
  • Order Type: Other
  • Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
  • Filler: Average
  • Spice: Average
  • Overall Impression: Very Good
  • Rating (out of 5 crabs):

    4-crab