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Gertrude's - Baltimore
Chef & owner John Shields, a Baltimore native who is a cookbook author and television cooking show host, named the restaurant after his grandmother, Gertrude Cleary, who taught him to cook as a child. Gertrude's dishes up a sophisticated regional menu of Chesapeake foods and traditions for lunch, dinner, and brunch using local, organic ingredients whenever possible.
The restaurant's interior, inspired by life on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, is beautiful & elegant yet comfortable. The wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the museum’s Sculpture Garden floods the open & airy dining room with natural light. During the warmer months, additional seats are available on the terrace surrounding a fountain and reflecting pool.
Sat, Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm
Lunch
Tue–Fri 11:30 am–3:00 pm
Dinner
Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Sunday Dinner
Sun 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
And the Dottie Tim Jazz Duo plays here on Sundays during our popular brunch, from 11:30 am till 2:30 pm.
Menu
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Gertrude's is our favorite place to meet up with family or friends in Baltimore for lunch or dinner. I usually get Gertie's crabcakes, which are some of the best we've had (and we live now on the Eastern Shore), the house salad is loaded with fresh veggies, the huge variety of sauces are great, the breads are always fresh and delicious as are the desserts....and the service and atmosphere are impeccable.
It was my moms birthday and a friend recommended this place for brunch. It in the right wing of the Baltimore museum of Art. There is a tent attached to the main permanent building where we were seated. The tent looks a bit worn out and not the cleanest.
The service was nice, the waitress was attentive and friendly, however, I asked a salad as a side instead of roasted potatoes but I was brought roasted potatoes. I asked for French toast as a dessert and a birthday “cake” for my mom. The French toast was brought at the same time as the main course.
The food was not what we expected. It was more like a diner food, not a fine restaurant. Portions huge and almost cold, mom liked grilled chicken, my crab omelet was ok, stuffed French toast was the worst I’ve ever tried. The stuffing was too liquid and the toast was overcooked and was swimming in some liquid which was like a watery syrup.
We will definitely not be back and I wouldn’t recommend this place.
Favorite spot for our 3-generation family. Brunch offers wonderful choices — some old familiars, most with a new twist that improves. Despite a busy place, the wait staff was most attentive and never let our water glasses sit empty.
I brought several old friends here for brunch last weekend. The food was delicious, the presentation lovely, and the ambience relaxing. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommend it to anyone who wants a delicious meal in a beautiful setting.
Gertrudes is always delicious. A pleasant setting and nice staff.
Fundraiser
Lunch at Gertrude's with my second cousin whom I had not seen in many years. Our crab cakes with salad and iced tea just right as we talked more than ate. Service was attentive but not pushy.
Love the food here, especially the seafood gumbo and dessert of bread pudding and cheesecake!!!
It is always a great experience and we all had different entrees. All good!
The waiters seemed a bit overwhelmed... we were left without silverware twice ... and no bread (hard and cold) before asking. The appetizer soup (cream of crab) came with our entree and it was cold. The dessert was also served without utensils. Most of the staff seemed lackluster.
On a separate note I loved my spinach salad with Salmon and the Crab Cake special was delicious. The dessert cheese cake special ... though small.... was delicious also.
We were seated outside in the tented area... which was surprisingly warm and comfortable... we hardly noticed we were not inside.... it actually felt spacious.
Loved the idea of walking through the museum and taking in a show afterwards.
Our family was gathered for Orthodox Easter. The staff was really accommodating as some members dropped off. We had pre-adolescent children who brought games, explained them to our patient and kind waiter. He contributed greatly to our good time. And the French toast is a must. One order for the table. Better than their biscuits. Or almost.
Great food, service and ambiance. My favorite brunch location in Baltimore.
Always great for brunch. Tried the eggs crabette. Great choice.
Hostess approached our table and wanted to know . . .
Gertrude's is one of my favorite places to eat whenever I am visiting Johns Hopkins University. The food (especially the Crab Cakes) is fresh and relatively local. They offer flights of whisky which is unusual, but always very good choices. And the setting inside the Art museum is rather romantic, with constellations on the ceiling and lovely gardens outdoors.
Perfect for before or after BMA visit. Or, paired with a visit to Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus. Beautiful, interesting cocktail menu (written by a poet!). Killer crab cakes. Always exceptional, welcoming service. Perfect spot to take out of town guests.
We love everything about Gertrudes. So much so that it was the venue for our wedding reception in 2013. This restaurant is so consistently good. We always leave completely satisfied and look forward to our next visit.
It was Easter so they were busy, but the kitchen produced the wrong sides for one of our meals. Food is tasty and there's a broad selection. I was pleased to see the new carryout containers are now recyclable and not Styrofoam. Our server was pleasant but could have been more attentive on refilling coffee. Like I said, it was busy.
Easter brunch
Great food as always. Service, typically fantastic, was not great. We had a table of 8 and the restaurant was not full. The waitress was also bartending. Had to ask for bread and the bottle of wine we ordered. Water glasses empty. Long wait for food. No check in from wait staff after food delivered. Felt like we were orphan table. Unfortunately, the gratuity was included due to size of our party... This is atypical for Gertrude's so not sure if they had new staff or sick calls, but given restaurant was not busy, we were disappointed.
The service at Gertrude's was exceptional. The staff was very welcoming and made my son's birthday celebration special. The food was delicious and I look forward to returning.
We go to Gertrude's a lot! It has always been consistent and has always been good, but then again, I have always had seafood. This time, I ordered the ribeye steak from the specials list. It was flavorless, gristly, overly fatty and just inedible. While my friend seemed to stomach his, mine was just bad. However, they recovered nicely and didn't charge me for my steak, but I left kind of hungry, having only eaten the really yummy cheese grits and garlic mashed potatoes. Others at my table raved about their food.
Stick with the seafood!
Fabulous meal and great service. We highly recommend Gertrude’s.
Our server was excellent. The crab cakes were excellent. Dessert was delicious. And the atmosphere is great. It's quiet and we were not rushed even though we were the last ones there. It's a great place if you want to have a conversation with your meal.
The overall quality and consistency of Gertrude's is wonderful. We dine at Gertrude's frequently and are always welcomed by a friendly staff, moreover, there is great variety on the menu and the food quality is always top notch. If you can catch a great day to eat outside, the seating in the sculpture garden is an added treat.
Very nice for a double birthday brunch. Sweet sorbet with birthday candles at the end. Very nice presentation
We went to celebrate my mother’s birthday and it was amazing! The food and service was crazy good! They even had a jazz ensemble playing which was so nice. We will definitely be back!
I had the Crab Gertrude and the crab cakes were greasy and soggy. Very disappointment as we've been here several times before and enjoyed.
Our server Joe was fantastic and made some great recommendations.
The foid was delicious and its great after touring the museum.
The dessert chef did a fabulous birthday dessert.
It was perfect for the occasion.
I always enjoy going there.
Gertrude’s is always a great choice. I’m usually there for brunch, but this week I had dinner. The pan fried chicken was excellent. The portion was huge and the mashed potatoes and broccoli were fine sides. The bread/biscuits were also a worthwhile addition.
Jk
I love crab cakes more than any food in the world. The crab cakes get a thumbs up from me!!
The service was prompt, the food was incredible, and accommodating as I have food restrictions. I cannot wait to return!
Wonderful meal and venue. A little too loud at Sunday brunch though, we had trouble hearing each other.
Delightful experience! We greatly enjoy dining at Gertrude's.
I am very upset with my visit here. We were there to celebrate my fiancé’s birthday and I am very displeased with the experience. We were seated for 20 minutes before a waiter came to the table. At bat point, we had to make the hostess aware so she could send someone. I ordered a seafood pasta expecting crabmeat as listed on the menu but there was no crabmeat present. The pasta was also very salty so I had to send it back. It was very crowded and loud and it was cold.
Wonderful, inventive food combined with service that’s pleasant and attentive.
Great customer service, fast service, and nice menu.
I would not recommend the crab quiche. No flavor!