Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is a Baltimore institution. They are well known for their seafood, and I had seen their food trucks, but what brought them to my attention was their charity work during the pandemic. I decided I had to eat at their restaurant. A recent flight into Baltimore offered me the opportunity. Jimmy’s Famous Seafood certainly lives up to its reputation, as the seafood ranks among the best I have had.

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood was started by Dimitrios “Jimmy” Minadakis. Jimmy was a native of Greece, but he emigrated to Baltimore as a young man and entered the restaurant business. He opened Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in 1974 in the Dundalk area of South East Baltimore. It is still there. Jimmy’s quickly gained a reputation for their seasfood, especially their crabs. But they are known for more than the quality of their food. Jimmy’s has been active in the community, donating food platters to charities, hospitals, schools, churches, and first responders. Jimmy passed away in 2003 and the business passed to his sons, Tony and Jimmy. Tony is the executive chef. Besides the Dundalk location, Jimmy’s also has a fleet of food trucks. (My friends recommend the food truck’s Crabby Chicken sandwich.)

Menu

Jimmy’s menu has a heavy emphasis on seafood. But that is not all there is. The menu is extensive, with offerings in Appetizers, Soup & Salad, Sea, Land, Pasta, and specialty seafood sections Crabs & Steamers, Raw Bar, and Sushi.

The appetizers section contains many seafood items. The most notable is their crab dip, which shows up in other parts of the menu as well. Other items include Stuffed Crab Pretzels, Crab Cake Egg Roll, and Mini Soft Crabs. They also have standard appetizers such as Nachos or Wings. The soup section is dominated by crab soups. There are six kinds of salads. A Greek salad reflects their heritage. The land section has an array of steaks, ranging from Filet Mignon to T-Bone.

The For The Table section has platters for sharing. The choices are: Tower of Cold Seafood, Tower of Hot Seafood, and Jimmy’s Famous Five. The Towers contain an assortment of appetizers, while the Famous Five is a selection of five kinds of seafood. I saw a couple order one of the towers. It was so substantial that they were not able to finish it.

Dinner

I was in interested in seafood, but I was not in the mood for crab cakes or crabs. The other seafood choices are: Scallops, Salmon, Flounder, Rockfish, Grouper, Tuna Steak. There is also a choice of preparation: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Parmesan Crusted, Asian, or Stuffed. The stuffing is a crab imperial and it has an up charge. Seafood entrees come with a side. There are ten to choose from: 3 options for vegetables, Slaw, 4 kinds of potatoes, Mac N’ Cheese, or a Crab Mac.

I decided on getting the Grouper, Caribbean style. For my side, I chose the Charred Broccolini. The fish was cooked to perfection: moist and flaky. The mango salsa on top complemented it well, providing a hint of fruitiness to the mild fish. The Broccolini was also expertly prepared. Crisp but tender, and covered with a garlicky butter sauce. Both were great.

Drinks

Jimmy’s has a full bar with a good selection of cocktails, beers, and wine. The cocktails include Seasonal Cocktails with names like Toast to Summer, Heat Wave, and Sunkissed. There is a section called Famous Cocktails, which include Charm City Crushes, Margarita, Sangrias, and Lemonade Cocktails.

As I was there on a hot summer day, I decided to get a crush. There are nine flavors to choose from. I had the strawberry-lemon. It was cool and refreshing. It also packed a wallop.

Desserts

Jimmy’s has a decent sized dessert menu that includes cakes, milk shakes, and specialty items such as Creme Brulee, Waffles, Ice Cream, and Praline Brookie. There is also a dessert sampler that has Tiramisu, Banana Pudding, and a seasonal dessert. I focused on the cakes. 5 kinds are available, including Maryland’s State dessert the Smith Island Cake. However, I chose the Chocolate Blackout Cake. This is a dense chocolate cake layered with chocolate mouse and topped with chocolate ganache and bits of brownies. It was moist and flavorful, and was so fresh it tasted like it was just made. Delicious!

I was worried the cake would be too rich and ordered a scoop of ice cream to counterbalance it. This turned out to not be necessary as the cake had a lot of chocolate mousse and was served with a dollop of whipped cream (real whipped cream!) that was more than enough to counter balance the cake. Still, the ice cream went with the cake quite well. I loved this dessert so much, I want to try the rest of them.

Ambience

I was seated in the upstairs bar section. As such, it had much of the ambience of a sports bar. I saw another bar section downstairs. Looking at pictures online, there also appears to be a restaurant area that I missed. It was a little crowded when I got there and it took a little bit for one of the bartenders to take my order. But once taken, my food came out quickly. The bar area also had live music, which I very much appreciated. It gave the space a relaxing, lounge like feel.

With high quality food, good service, and a terrific atmosphere, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is a great place to go for a night out.