Metropolitan Coffee House and Wine Bar: www.metrobalto.com
902 South Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 576-8692

The Metropolitan has a good feel to it. Opened in 2004, this coffee house, wine bar, and full restaurant has enough food and drink choices to keep you coming back at all hours of the day or night. Great breakfasts, good espresso and coffee, and one of the best Bloody Maries in town, make the Metropolitan a great place for a Sunday brunch. As a wine bar, the Metropolitan is good, but not great. The wine list would benefit from more diversity and on two recent visits, wines ordered from the menu were not in stock. You can expect to meet many interesting people at the small (12 person) bar downstairs, or the very spacious bar upstairs which is well laid out and a great place to unwind after a long day.

As a restaurant, the Metropolitan offers an extensive menu with a lot of typical dishes (crab cakes, steaks, etc.) and some great homemade classics. You can’t go wrong with the meatloaf, but on two occasions steaks that were ordered medium-rare came out more than well. A great option for a bite to eat with your wine may be one of the many sandwiches on the menu which have always been very good. Service has always been friendly but don’t expect expert food and wine pairing advice. Check their website for details on food and drink specials, as well as events (such as Thursday night beer tastings or info on their New Years Celebration).