Planning a day trip from West Chester PA to Baltimore harbor destinations (Fort McHenry, Inner Harbor, Lexington Market, Fells Point), I did some research for the best pizza in town. This city is known, of course, for its crabs, not its pizzas. And most experts agree that the Pizza Belt extends no further south than the northern edges of Delaware. Still, we found some useful advice that pointed us to two choices in the Fells Point area: Italian Graffiti and B.O.P. Brick Oven Pizza.
First, some travel advice for Baltimore day trippers: Fells Point, on the same waterfront, is 3,563% more interesting than the well-known Inner Harbor tourist destination. It's an old, charming neighborhoods whose streets, often cobblestone, are lined with cool shops and restaurants and blessedly few chains. The Inner Harbor really is just another suburban mall anchored by places like Cheesecake Factory and tchotchke stores.
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Parking is difficult at either the Inner Harbor or Fells Point, but on weekdays there is ample street parking for about $2 per hour in Fells Point, and conveniently at the foot of the water taxi stand. The best advice I got before this trip was to park and then use the water taxi to get around. For $12 all day, you can ride to and from many spots on the harbor, including Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, and the wonderful Fort McHenry. In fact, next time I will begin at Fort McHenry, where you can park for free (although the last boat to take you there leaves Fells Point at 3pm).
Anyhow, we chose B.O.P as our pizza stop. We arrived hungry at lunch time and ordered the 14" Meat lover's pie (not my choice, but you compromise for teen travelers). The place had a nice vibe and the staff were especially friendly. We ordered some Italian Sodas in cool flavors like peach and passionfruit, and our pizza arrived promptly.
The pie was well-assembled and sported a nice assortment of meat toppings. The four of us devoured it easily. The crust was crispy on the bottom, wet nowhere, and was sturdy enough to support the generous toppings (BOP also has a "thin crust" pie, but the staff advised the regular crust for this meat-heavy pie).
Everything about this pie was good, but nothing about it was great. The crust was light and airy, but thicker than ideal and lacking character. The sauce and cheese and meat toppings were nice -- there were no off flavors, but no outstanding flavors either.
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What would a DiGiorno frozen pizza taste like if you cooked it in a wood-fired brick oven? Pretty much like this pizza. We liked the staff, the ambiance, the neighborhood, and the Italian soda, but we were disappointed by this pizza; it was just too damn generic. Perhaps the thin-crust pie offers more character.
The crust is a 5 elevated to a 6 by the nice crisping it got in the brick oven. The sauce is a 5, the cheese is a five, the meats a 5. Overall, a 5.5 experience that was a decent belly-filler and fairly priced, but it's a better place to take kids than discriminating pizza eaters.
![B.O.P. Brick Oven Pizza on Urbanspoon]()
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| Click on any picture to enlarge |
First, some travel advice for Baltimore day trippers: Fells Point, on the same waterfront, is 3,563% more interesting than the well-known Inner Harbor tourist destination. It's an old, charming neighborhoods whose streets, often cobblestone, are lined with cool shops and restaurants and blessedly few chains. The Inner Harbor really is just another suburban mall anchored by places like Cheesecake Factory and tchotchke stores.
Parking is difficult at either the Inner Harbor or Fells Point, but on weekdays there is ample street parking for about $2 per hour in Fells Point, and conveniently at the foot of the water taxi stand. The best advice I got before this trip was to park and then use the water taxi to get around. For $12 all day, you can ride to and from many spots on the harbor, including Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, and the wonderful Fort McHenry. In fact, next time I will begin at Fort McHenry, where you can park for free (although the last boat to take you there leaves Fells Point at 3pm).
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| Lexintgon Market, walking distance from Inner Harbor |
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| Meat Lover's Pie at B.O.P. |
Anyhow, we chose B.O.P as our pizza stop. We arrived hungry at lunch time and ordered the 14" Meat lover's pie (not my choice, but you compromise for teen travelers). The place had a nice vibe and the staff were especially friendly. We ordered some Italian Sodas in cool flavors like peach and passionfruit, and our pizza arrived promptly.
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| The wood-fired brick oven |
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| In the kitchen |
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| Cozy interior |
The pie was well-assembled and sported a nice assortment of meat toppings. The four of us devoured it easily. The crust was crispy on the bottom, wet nowhere, and was sturdy enough to support the generous toppings (BOP also has a "thin crust" pie, but the staff advised the regular crust for this meat-heavy pie).
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| A peek under the hood. Nice crisping |
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| Kawah digs in |
Everything about this pie was good, but nothing about it was great. The crust was light and airy, but thicker than ideal and lacking character. The sauce and cheese and meat toppings were nice -- there were no off flavors, but no outstanding flavors either.
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| Laugen samples a slice |
What would a DiGiorno frozen pizza taste like if you cooked it in a wood-fired brick oven? Pretty much like this pizza. We liked the staff, the ambiance, the neighborhood, and the Italian soda, but we were disappointed by this pizza; it was just too damn generic. Perhaps the thin-crust pie offers more character.
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| Crust looked better than it tasted |
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| Meat lover likes the meat lover pie |
The crust is a 5 elevated to a 6 by the nice crisping it got in the brick oven. The sauce is a 5, the cheese is a five, the meats a 5. Overall, a 5.5 experience that was a decent belly-filler and fairly priced, but it's a better place to take kids than discriminating pizza eaters.
