Faidley's Seafood is a
seafood
Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...
restaurant in
Lexington Market
Lexington Market (originally, Western Precincts Market) is a historic market in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1782, the market is now housed in a 60,000-square-foot market shed building completed in 2022 that is home to 50 merch ...
in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. It is one of the oldest restaurants of its kind in the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
area. The restaurant is known for its lump
crab cake
A crab cake is a variety of fishcake popular in the United States. It is composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard (condiment), mustard (typically prepared mustard, but sometimes mustard powde ...
s.
History
Faidley's Seafood was founded in 1886 by John W. Faidley Sr. and a partner in two wooden sheds in Lexington Market.
Faidley then bought his partner out and shortened the name of his business.
Faidley's son, John Faidley, Jr.'s daughter, Nancy Devine, and her husband Bill are the current owners of the shop, as of 2024.
Menu
Items on Faidley's menu include:
she-crab soup,
clam chowder
Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ...
,
gumbo
Gumbo () is a stew that is popular among the U.S. Gulf Coast community, the New Orleans stew variation being the official state cuisine of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfis ...
, lobster
bisque,
oyster stew
Oyster stew is a stew made with oysters. It is popular in the United States and in The Gambia.
In New England cuisine, oyster stew is often associated with Thanksgiving. In Southern United States cuisine, oyster stew is often prepared on Christ ...
,
crab cake
A crab cake is a variety of fishcake popular in the United States. It is composed of crab meat and various other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard (condiment), mustard (typically prepared mustard, but sometimes mustard powde ...
, crab sandwich,
fried shrimp
Fried shrimp is a seafood dish consisting of shrimp that is battered or breaded and then deep-fried or pan-fried. It is served in various cuisines around the world. The dish can be prepared using different coatings, such as seasoned flour, cornme ...
, shrimp stuffed with crab, steamed shrimp,
hake
Hake is the common name for fish in the Merlucciidae family of the northern and southern oceans and the Phycidae family of the northern oceans. Hake is a commercially important fish in the same taxonomic order, Gadiformes, as cod and haddo ...
,
lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...
,
haddock
The haddock (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus'') is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the Family (biology), family Gadidae, the true cods. It is the only species in the Monotypy, monotypic genus ''Melanogrammus''. It is found in the North Atlantic Oce ...
,
flounder
Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries.
Taxonomy
The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...
, catfish,
cod
Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
,
fried clams
Fried clams are clams dipped in milk, floured, and deep-fried.
Fried clams are an iconic food, "to New England, what barbecue is to the South". They tend to be served at seaside clam shacks (roadside restaurants). Clam rolls are fried clams serv ...
,
calamari
Squid is eaten in many cuisines; in English, the culinary name calamari is often used for squid dishes.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd edition, 2002''s.v.''/ref> There are many ways to prepare and cook squid. Fried squid is common in the ...
,
french fries
French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...
,
coleslaw
Coleslaw or cole slaw (from the Dutch term , meaning 'cabbage salad'), also widely known within North America simply as slaw, is a side dish consisting primarily of finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing or condiment, commonly eithe ...
,
macaroni salad
Macaroni salad is a type of pasta salad also referred to as "mac salad", served cold, made with cooked elbow macaroni and usually prepared with mayonnaise. Much like potato salad or coleslaw in its use, it is often served as a side dish to barbec ...
,
macaroni and cheese
Macaroni and cheese (colloquially known as mac and cheese and known as macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom) is a pasta dish of macaroni covered in cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar sauce. Its origins trace back to cheese and pasta casserol ...
,
potato salad
Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables. It is usually served as a side dish.
History and varieties
Potato salad is foun ...
, pickled beets,
collard,
corn on the cob
Corn on the cob is a culinary term for a cooked ear of sweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob. The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or gr ...
, and
onion rings
Onion rings (also called French-fried onion rings) generally consist of a cross-sectional "ring" of onion dipped in batter and/or bread crumbs and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste. While typically served as a side dish, oni ...
.
The restaurant sells over 1,000 of its signature crab cakes weekly.
They were first served in 1987.
Faidley's also ships them nationwide.
The crab cakes are made from of crab meat,
saltine cracker
A saltine or soda cracker is a thin, usually square, Cracker (biscuit), cracker, made from white flour, sometimes Baker's yeast, yeast (although many are yeast-free), fat, and baking soda, with most varieties lightly sprinkled with coarse Salt#Ed ...
s,
Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning is a spice mix, blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company and originally created in Baltimore, Maryland.
The seasoning is a mix of celery salt (salt, celery seed), spices (including ...
, and
dry mustard.
In popular culture
The restaurant has appeared in scenes from ''
Sleepless in Seattle
''Sleepless in Seattle'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay she wrote with David S. Ward and Jeff Arch. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who becomes enamored ...
'' and ''
Homicide: Life on the Street''.
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, and author. He is the weather anchor on NBC's ''Today'', and occasionally co-hosts '' 3rd Hour Today''. He has a lapsed Ameri ...
visited the restaurant in 2021 as part of his "Family Style" series.
It was also featured on the
Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic or Mid Atlantic can refer to:
*The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
*Mid-Atlantic English, any mix between British and American English
*Mid-Atlantic Region (Little League World Series), one of the United States geographic divisions of the ...
episode of the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...
show ''
Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America
''Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America'' is an American food reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2012 on the Travel Channel. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman samples what ...
'' in 2012.
Faidley's sponsors the Crab Derby, a charity race between
blue crabs.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
1886 establishments in Maryland
Restaurants established in 1886
Restaurants in Baltimore
Seafood restaurants in Maryland