Well 2008 is finally here which means 2007 can be looked back on and judged accordingly! Here is a short list of the best Annapolis has to offer. Please feel free to comment and let us know if we have missed categories, or gotten something entirely wrong. Happy 2008!
Best Hair Salon: Hudson & Fouquet
Ladies, remember your hair is your best asset, and Gents, its time to step up to a $39 haircut and say goodbye to your neighborhood barber.
Phone: 410-263-9790
Address: 181 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Pizza: Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizzeria
Despite being a franchise, these guys know how to do traditional thin-crust pizzas right.
Phone: 410-266-5704
Address: 2207 Forest Dr. Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Calamari: Osteria 177
Grilled, fresh calamari with arugula? Delicious!
Phone: 410-267-7700
Address: 177 Main St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Ice Cream: Maggie Moos
Its tempting to patron Coldstone (cool kid on the block), but this place has better quality ice cream hands down. While their Festival Shopping Center location’s looks cannot compare with Coldstone’s in Edgewater, the staff is always super friendly and eager to help out newcomers.
Phone: 410-224-7344
Address: 2311 Forest Dr, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Late Night Dining: Double T Diner
Craving a chicken fried steak at 2AM? This is definitely the place to go. Also, their cocktails are ridiculously cheap.
Phone: 410-571-9073
Address: 12 Defense St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Specialty Market: The Italian Market
If you are in the mood for a taste of “la dolce vita”, stop by this cozy market. Whether its picking up ingredients for a homemade lasagna, purchasing prepared antipasti for a dinner party, or dining inside their market/restaurant, you are in for a treat.
Phone: 410-224-1330
Address: 126 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Pretzel: PA Dutch Market- The Amish Market of Annapolis
There is something about an insane amount of butter crammed into and on top of a pretzel that makes your taste buds go gaga for these Amish treats. Beware…having more than one could become addictive! We recommend ordering the pretzel/milkshake combo as the shake flavors are usually made with premium ice cream.
Phone: 410-573-0770
Address: 2472 Solomons Island Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Sushi: Joss Café and Sushi Bar
Years have passed, and there still hasn’t been a sushi restaurants to rival Joss. They have traditional sushi/sashimi far, as well as fusion inspired plates. Do try the Escolar sashimi (like eating butter) and the Mediterranean sashimi (Italian/Japanese fusion).
Phone: 410-263-4688
Address: 195 Main Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Wine Selection: Wine Cellars of Annapolis
With weekly wine tastings and a selection ranging from super affordable to downright ritzy, the staff here is always happy to help you pick out a great bottle…or case if that’s how you roll.
Phone: 410-216-9080
Address: 1410 Forest Dr, Annapolis, MD 21403
Best Beer Selection: Edgewater Liquors
Phone: 410-956-3117
With a name as plain as what it sells, you wouldn’t expect much…however once you walk in this enormous store and head to the back beer coolers, you too will be convinced. They have beer from all over the world, with a particularly great German/Belgian selection. If you have been drinking Bud Light since college, its time to up your game. Do try any of the Chimay bottles. Beware, the alcohol content is quite high in Belgian/German beers, so leave your twelve-pack ego at the door.
Address: 54 Central Ave West, Edgewater, MD 21037
Best Cheese Selection: Whole Foods Market
While Whole Foods might have the appropriate nickname of “overpriced”, you definitely get what you pay for. If you aren’t into organic products, just head to the back of the produce section and drool over their cheeses. Talk to the staff in charge of the cheese to find out what is new and what you should probably try. Hint: be adventurous! Eating moldy milk never tasted so good.
Phone: 410-573-1800
Address: 2504 Solomons Island Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Yoga Studio: Prana Studio
Looking for a “different” kind of workout? Yoga will put you on your arse, regardless of what kind of shape you are in, guaranteed. Doubt it? Try a hot yoga class and see how long you can make it through before crying for your mommy. Ladies, this is a great place to get in shape and become more in tune spiritually, Gents, this is the place to get lean and mean AND meet women who are definitely in terrific shape.
Phone: 410-266-3401
Address: 2901 Riva Trace Pkwy
Best Carwash: Maritime Autowash
The owners of this carwash put together a beautiful gift shop and a full service car wash to make this weekend-chore fun! Avoid coming here on the weekends as the lines are ridiculously long. Its only a matter of time before the Annapolis police department cracks down on the cars lined up in the street.
Phone: 410-897-9274
Address: 2473 Solomons Island Rd, Annapolis, MD 21037
Best Gelato: Aromi D’Italia
We really haven’t found any other place to get gelato that is somewhat quality in Annapolis. Aromi has been around for years and always has a gorgeous display case.
Phone: 410-263-1300
Address: 8 Dock St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Printer /Commercial Printer: Frank Gumpert Printing
Moveover Kinkos, there are better, cheaper competitors in the market! On multiple occasions we have tried using other printers in town, but keep going back to Frank cause they have the best prices. If you need stuff in a pinch, Kinkos is usually the best bet.
Phone: 410-280-6633
Address: 1789 Mcguckian St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best New Asian Restaurant: Saigon Palace
A Vietnamese restaurant in Annapolis? HA! How great is it that this town is becoming multicultural? Stop by here if you have a craving for, or have never tried Pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup. Most selections on the menu are great, stay tuned for a full blown review.
Phone: 410-956-0505
Address: 10 Mayo Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037
Best Place For a Business Breakfast: Pusser’s
This place is dead-quiet in the morning, AND features a very cheap buffet with great comfort food.
Phone: 410-626-0004
Address: 80 Compromise St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best Place to Catch a Cougar: Yellowfin Steak & Fishhouse
Rumor has it Thursday night happy hour is the place to catch the local cougars of Annapolis/Edgewater…beware!
Phone: 410-573-1333
Address: 2840 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037
Best Live Music: The Rams Head Tavern
This is the bar/pub/venue on West Street that always has a crazy rock-star tour bus out front on the weekends. For being in such a small town, they manage to attract widely known bands and singers any day of the week.
Phone: 410-268-4545
Address: 33 West St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Best French Fries: American Grill at Market House
When you breathe a sigh of pleasure and want to smoke a cigarette after eating French fries, you know you have found something special. These are better than Five Guys’, which should be the Annapolis area benchmark.
Address: 25 Market Place, Annapolis, MD 21401
Yin Yankee has the best calamari in Annapolis by a longshot.
Common you can’t just leave us hanging on a superlative without a description…what makes Yin Yankee’s calamari so good? On a side not, I passed by there the other afternoon and overheard a waitress describing a $37 freaking special entree….I am sorry, earth to Annapolis, we are not in NYC!
What?
You missed the Annapolis Ice Cream Company, on upper Main Street. They make the ice cream on the premises — most with natural ingredients — it is GREAT!
For some reason I remember that ice cream shop with lots of penguins. Any flavors that stand out? I can’t say Maggie Moos uses all natural ingredients, but what does that mean anyways? Are they using naturally derived artificial flavors? High Fructose Corn Syrup? Organic coloring?
I have to agree with Mr. Richards on the Annapolis Ice Cream Company as well. Delicious. With regards to the calamari, Yin Yankee’s is a great combination of rings and tentacles, fried to just the right consistency, with a tasty dipping sauce and a side of cucumber chutney. The reputation is known so widely, when I asked a waiter at Lemongrass about the calamari there, he said “Ours is the second best in the city.” Even he knew who had the best.
Anon-thanks for the further detail! (see note below) Seems Yin Yankee and Annapolis Ice Cream are quickly building an army, or has that army always been around? Looks like I have a couple trips to make in the next couple of weeks. I hope Yin Yankee’s calamari is better than you make it sound and that Annapolis Ice Cream has some flavors which would help them stand out from typical ice cream parlor fare (yes, flavors and originality do count).
So Lemongrass is in the running now too? I never had a chance to try it, but I went there when it opened and was disappointed with their cuisine…they misrepresented everything I had on the menu in terms of this being a “Thai” “Viet” “Chinese” dish. Has it changed a lot since then, or has Annapolis not been trained properly in the ways of Asian cuisine?
On another note (and this will be added to all of your comments), I notice you signed in as Anon. We want you to know that no real names are required on this site…adopt an online pseudonyn so we can identify you every time you comment. Its much better so then we and anyone else on the site can call you out, or compliment you on your commentary. There could be a thousands “Anons” on this site, but only one “XXXXXX” (whatever you want). Please be assured your info is kept confidential. Did I mention it makes it more fun?
If anyone else out there insists on using your real name, feel free but not obligated to.
Lemongrass relies a bit too heavily on fried fare for my tastes, though I admit to weakness for the string beans. In just the past 3 years or so, there has been an explosion of Asian restaurants in the area: Lemongrass 1 & 2, Pad Thai, Saigon Palace (Edgewater), and Mayo Thai Kitchen, among others. For a “true” Thai experience, I recommend Mayo Thai. By day, it’s a donut shop, by night, it’s a delightful little restaurant with very friendly service.
(Formerly Anon)
Ah, I hate the cheap cop-out to go with fried foods. Any idiot can burn something in oil. What is really great is when a chef actually knows how to fry and takes into consideration the food type, type of oil, temperature, frying time, and residual cooking time once the food is out of the oil.
I think some friends visited Mayo Thai when it opened and I heard negative reviews, but I was always hoping the best for them as its a tiny family owned operation and I know how hard people work in situations like that. I will definitely add them to my to-do list. If you haven’t checked out Saigon Palace, you should. Not AMAZING food, but consistently good Vietnamese food with friendly and cheery staff. It beats having to drive all the way to Viet town in Virginia. They also offer Chinese/Thai fare which I haven’t indulged in. Their version of pad thai is a little different than a traditional Thai version, but will definitely please most palates in the area.
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The service at Mayo Thai was spotty initially as there were some management changes in the past couple of years. It’s definitely worth your time though. I’ve been to Saigon Palace a couple of times, and it is decent. Certainly better than the horrible Chinese restaurant it replaced.
I think I heard the same thing. I remember the “look” of the Chinese take-out place, not something that was very inviting. On another note, how are the donuts at Mayo Donuts? Whenever I drive by the place it looks closed, even though its open…and when I went inside no one was there, kinda eerie.
Umm… this the “Best of ANNAPOLIS” right??
So why the HELL is mayo and Edgewater on this list?? Come on now… they are so territorial about “their side of town” and “not being Annapolis” so why do we include them?!?!?! I’m sorry, but at least give Bay Wine and Spirits and Festival at Riva Liquor some credit too… For Cougar hunting, try McGarveys on Thurday night…and as far as Veit-Thai food, try the place on Riva Rd. At least all these palces are on this side of the Severn.
Sorry, I’m a little protective about Annapolis since I always hear that Riva, Edgewater, Davidsonville, and Mayo ARE NOT ANNAPOLIS! so let’s keep this in our town will ya?
ooooooohhhhhhhhh someone is very possessive about the town boundaries! Yes this site is called Annapolis Now, but I don’t think we should limit ourselves to physical boundaries. When someone asks a person from Edgewater where they live, the usual response is Annapolis.
“Where in Annapolis?”
“Edgewater”
One’s sense of home isn’t defined by zip codes, and I don’t think we should either. I haven’t met any proud “Edgewatertons” yet, so I don’t know exactly the attitude you are speaking of. I totally understand the protectionism because Annapolis does rock, but can we move just a tad on that? I would be very surprised if people who live in an Annapolis zip code consider something half a mile further away definitely most certainly NOT Annapolis. Alienating things from the towns you mention above leaves us without a lot of what Annapolitans consider part of Annapolis life. I might have to agree with you on Davidsonville though, I don’t know why you would drive from Annapolis way out there and I don’t plan on finding out anytime soon.
I do however want to take you up on the recommendations above. Anything else we should look into? How about things that are just awful in the area? Rants will surely begin to come upon this site, muahahahhaha!
i JUST ATE AT CARLS CAFE AND CATERING ON FOREST DRIVE IN THE GARDNER CENTER AND HAD THE BEST CORNED BEED AND PASTRMI SANDWITCH I CAN REMEMBER. THE COLE SLAW IS HOMEADE ADN SO ARE ALL THE OTHER LUNCH MEATS AND SIDE SALADS .. I SUGGUST CHECKING IT OUT
CARLS CAFE
1908 FOREST DRIVE
ANNAPOLIS MD 21401
443. 482. 2828
Ok guys, I would normally delete a comment like the above, but I will leave it to show a lesson. This is definitely NOT what you want to do. You don’t come onto a site like this and create a comment about how great a place is while you are the owner/employee of the place. Furthermore, you have to know how to spell to have any credibility online. So DEADBEARS, unless you don’t get it, I am talking to you. This couldn’t be a more blatant self-promotion comment…but nice try!
I have been to both locations of Maritime Autowash and have to say the service and quality of their work is stupendous. The employees are well dressed, and really seem to love their jobs. The owners have the consumer in mind and offer absolutely the best service. It’s unlike any car wash I have ever used. The gift shops are very tastefully done, and browsing through the cards and items is a real pleasure. Obviously someone has a very good sense of humor and the gift shops are awesome.