Koco's Pub is one of those establishments that mainly only Baltimoreans will know about.  And even then, the locals may not know that Koco's is known for their crab cakes.  Even if a tourist happens to hear about Koco's and has an interest, chances are they may get a bit scared making the trek out there (especially if you're coming from downtown).  Located in Lauraville (NE Baltimore) since 1985, Koco's has a bit of a following, and is often interjected into discussions regarding where to go for crab cakes in Baltimore.  Do all of the accolades and awards reflect the true nature of these mystical crab cakes?  Follow along and find out!

One of Baltimore Magazine's Top 25 Crab Cakes of 2013! Michael's Cafe dates back to 1984, when the Dellis family opened a restaurant where they focused on quality, service, and atmosphere. Fast forward 30 years, and that winning combination, in addition to a world-famous crab cake recipe, has Michael's Cafe going strong, recently completing their third major renovation that adds an inside lounge and an outdoor patio. Considered one of Baltimore's top crab cakes year after year, we just had to stop by and pay our respects. Was the hype worth the trip? Read on and find out!

On the edge of Little Italy sits Mo's Seafood.  If you have ever driven from the Inner Harbor to Fells Point, you most likely have past by this icon under the name Mo's Fishermans Wharf.  This, however, is not that Mo's.  Believe it or not, there is another Mo's in Little Italy, owned by the same restaurant group, right around the corner (there are 5 in all, scattered around the area) under the name Mo's Crab and Pasta Factory.  Tucked away behind Della Notte, if you weren't directed there, you would have probably missed it.  But the question on all of your minds is:  How were the crab cakes?

One thing that our friends keep asking us is if we've been to Pappas yet. It's always been on the list, we just hadn't gotten around to it. When you talk about crab cakes, Pappas' name is sure to always come up. Since 1972, they've been a Baltimore institution, offering quality food at a fair price, with a focus on customer service. Their crab cakes are huge, and have been featured Baltimore Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, and in 2009, the Baltimore City Paper crowned them Best Crab Cake.  Located up in the Parkville area, they're well outside of downtown, but still in the heart of suburban Baltimore. So with the rave reviews coming in from all ends, we set out to see what the talk was about. Follow along as we take a journey to crab cake town!

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!