Blue Moon Cafe
Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American (Traditional) [Edit]
1621 Aliceanna StBaltimore, MD 21231 (410) 522-3940
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: None
27 Reviews for Blue Moon Cafe
Some many memories of me coming there fucked up and getting a maryland crab eggs benedict, 2 bacon egg and chesse sandwiches on bagel and a bowl of grits and I will eat the whole thing. This place is the best diner in baltimore. It is worth the wait and even though the place is so tiny, it reminds you this is Baltimore at its finest.
The food here is unbelieveable, and they started having late night diner food as well. The biscuits are hand made, gigantic, and they come with hand made jam/jelly and butter.
The wait can be long, and the place is small, so try to show up during the lee hours, either early or somewhat late. On the weekends if you are not willing to wait a good 30 minutes, don't even bother showing up, really.
The service is friendly and the decor is strange, but in keeping with the atmosphere of the restaurant. I definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Charm City. Of course, I also recommend drinking a 40 of Natty Boh and then singing the drinking song from Jaws at three in the morning, pantsless, in Fell's Point, so...
The only real rule is: always get a goddamn biscuit.
While in Baltimore for a conference, I was craving an experience truly local and vaguely authentic - the inner harbor area where my hotel was is very pleasant, but is also typical of tourist hubs in most cities. A short walk to Fell's Point revealed a quirkier area with what seemed like a better mix of tourist fare and true local destinations.
I spied Blue Moon Cafe while walking back to the hotel and thought it would be a good option - a friend confirmed that it had been highly yelped, so I went back to have breakfast the last morning.
The cafe lived up to its reputation in pretty much all respects, and satisfied my interest in getting away from tourist fare - right down to the hand-written window signs and specials menu, the cute but funky decor, the R&B music playing, the textured wallpaper, the peeling paint on the door with a diamond-shaped window in it, and the 20-something tattooed waitresses who looked like they didn't have time to wash their hair before rolling out of bed and into work (but were friendly nevertheless).
The food was - really good. I had a vegetarian scramble and it was really satisfying in that way that greasy spoon food is - crispy hash browns, eggs mixed with veggies and slathered in cheese, with some nice fruit garnishes. The coffee was okay - not great but not bad. The menu is a nice variety of breakfast options and reasonably priced.
So why only 3 stars you may ask? Blue Moon Cafe has atmosphere, authenticity, character, and good food. But the wait. Oy vei. Maybe I walked in at a bad time (about 11:30 in the morning on a Friday), but it really bordered on ridiculous. I don't mind so much the wait to sit (about 25 minutes) as they only have 10 tables, and many popular places have long waits to sit. But the wait for the food was another 25 minutes, and there's just no excuse for that. There are fabulous greasy-cute cafes all over the country (Pork Store Cafe in San Francisco comes to mind) that have long lines, sassy waitresses, delicious food, and manage to turn your order around in a reasonable amount of time.
Obviously they know this, as menu has an admonition on it to "be patient" and when the guy behind me complained to the waitress about the wait for his food (after he, too had to wait 20 minutes to sit) she replied "we're a laid back place, dude". Laid back, ok, but doesn't the management want to have turnover and make some money? Maybe I'm being a whiny tourist here but I really felt that the wait time for food diminished the experience significantly. Making people wait a bit because a place is "laid back" is cute for awhile, but after a point it's just bad management.
This was a PERFECT example of Yelp working just how it was supposed to. I had two friends in town (DC), but their flights left 4 hours apart from BWI so I dropped the first friend off and then headed to B'more for a quick tour with the other friend. Before I left I yelped breakfast in Baltimore and this place looked awesome.
We got there JUST before the Sat. morning rush (9:45ish) and were seated very quickly, but the people started crowding in soon after. The place was very cute and VERY small, but I loved it. The food was delish! and SOOO cheap! They had so many veggie friendly options and the hashbrowns were toasty and hot.
The biscuits were awesome, but I could only manage to finish half of one with the rest of the meal. The veggies in my omlet were fresh and still a little crunchy and the coffee was hot (not fantastic, but usual fare). Even though it was so crowded the employees were super friendly and helpful.
Don't go in here for a fast lunch. Just take your time and soak it all up.
Thank you yelp, or I would have never found this jem!
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Everyone's right about the food (yummy!) and the wait (can be painful).
I have to admit, I'm among the suburbanites who flood in to the Blue Moon on weekends. And I'm not an early riser, so I just add to the considerable brunch crowd and make you wait even longer as I savor my hash browns...
If you're at all claustrophobic, this might NOT be the place for you. It's small. I mean ES-EM-ALL.
Pick your weather, BTW. There is no inside waiting area to speak of, so you're kicked to the curb.
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My favorite place for a good Breakfast in Baltimore. I love the Pancakes and off course the French Toast....absolutely Divine!
The place gets packed on weekends and I suggest you get there early or you will wait ...but it's worth every minute!
The Biscuits are fresh and hot and the service is great!
Looking forward to eating there on my next trip to B-More!!
This is a great local breakfast place that becomes over-run with folks from the suburbs on the weekends. The breakfast (especially their smoothies and hash browns) are worth it, but expect a 20+ minute wait. The biscuits w/ jam and the sticky buns are to die for- but make sure you are super hungry as you will fill up fast if you order either of these with a breakfast.
Also be patient with the servers- it is always crowded and somewhat disorganized inside. Also be prepared to sit with other people if you are by yourself or seated at the large table (they will ask if you mind before sitting you there).
The food is fantastic, just don't expect the place to run as smoothly as your local chain :)
I'm a big fan of the pitch black bathroom!
The food wasn't very memorable and seating was crammed and uncomfortable, but there is something lovable about this place.
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Blue Moon is a little gem. The City Paper voted it "Best Breakfast in Baltimore" in a recent year, and they weren't kidding: this place elevates ordinary French toast, home fries, and scrambled eggs to an art form. It's very small and quite popular, though; the general protocol is to put your name on the waiting list, spend some time walking around the neighborhood, and come back in about half an hour to get your table. The atmosphere and staff are on the bohemian side, but it's not insufferably hipster. Yes, it's crowded; yes, it's going to take a while to be seated. But it's worth it.
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Great for breakfast, especillay if you're an early riser and can beat the crowds as seating and parking are both limited. The french toast with fresh sliced bananas is simple and classic - no weird spices or artificial flavors. Also love the chorizo and eggs with an extra tortilla or two for self-made breakfast tacos. Smoothies are also outstanding and filling all on their own.
The most delicious hash browns -- perfectly golden brown, crisp on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and buttery throughout! The rest of the menu is ok, but its the hash browns that kept me coming back!
Fond memories of staggering in with studiomates half-dead during art school finals (many MANY times) in the wee hours of the morning or going just cause it IS good breakfast food. Forget the over-hyped over-priced Papermoon and all that BS--if you want a good ole' breakfast in large quantities, go here--especially if you are in such a state as we always were, food and sleep deprived and in dire need of a pick- me-up. Mmm I can taste those awesome hash browns already...
4 stars only because I wish they WERE open 24 hours and definitely more seating is needed (Papermoon and Blue Moon should trade in both respects).
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Fabulous breakfast and a wonderful staff make Blue Moon my favorite place to brunch in Baltimore. Go on weekdays and you will avoid the wait, although waiting is worth it as long as you have your cup of bluebird coffee in hand while you wait outside and check out the surrounding Fell's Point digs (including the occasional homeless wanderer with cart and drunken passerby). They have an 80's movie quote trivia too on the small blackboard in the back. Guess it and win.
Food is great here. I recommend trying everything at least once! Portion sizes are enormous as well, and the dining room is cozy (read, small).
best breakfast in baltimore!
gravy swamped biscuits, hash browns instead of home fries, singing waitstaff, this place is perfect.
i say best breakfast instead of brunch because the wait can be over an hour if you show up after 9am - there is an awesome flea market type thing right next door to browse in the summertime if you do, though!
Seriously. The last time I was in DC I made a special trip up to Baltimore, just to get brunch here. Ok, and to see a friend. But breakfast here might be my fondest memory of Baltimore, and of all the people who visited me while I lived there, since I insisted that they have at least one meal at Blue Moon. The biggest decision here is eggs or pancakes, because their biscuits are oh so buttery flakey delicious, and their egg choices are plentiful and varied and sometimes peppery spicy. But then the pancakes, well, check their Specials board, because they often have creamy fruity beautiful stuffed french toast and other equally crafty creations.
yup, the food is good, except for the specialty pancakes which are usually overmixed and dry and the weak coffee. get the cinnamon roll. go for lunch on a weekday and have the same experience without waiting in line for an hour.
the staff is another issue entirely. sometimes they're on, sometimes they're off. depends on how they feel about you that day. don't expect to get everything you ordered. don't expect refills. and don't give them any lip about it either. that girl with the rocky balboa shirt is a real boxer and will kick your ass. but if she forgets to bring you your biscuit (huge, hot, flaky and square, with homemade jam) it may be worth it to take it up with her.
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Fantastic breakfast place...I've never been able to get in on a weekend given the wait, but going on a Wednesday morning was smooth. pretty standard breakfast fare, but the prices are great, portions generous, and none of us left feeling overstuffed. Biscuits are just like grandma's and the hash browns were perfectly crunchy & not dripping in grease. We had great service - especially since there was only one server for the entire place...would definitely recommend.
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I ate there for the first time last month and really enjoyed it! It was a Sunday morning so there was a 30 minute wait and it's really too small of a place to wait inside... we sat out front and the waitresses were very good at checking outside for us when it was our turn.
Very friendly and "hip" staff, happy to explain a menu item and chat a bit. The food came pretty quickly. I had the "crabmeat omelet" that was EXCELLENT but pricey at $15 and my girlfriend had the more reasonably priced Mexican omelet that turned out to be as spicy as they advertised! We split a home-made cinnamon roll that was fresh and delicious! I think the total for everything including drinks was about $30 which seemed fair to me.
The decor is cool, constantly putting local artists work (for sale) on the walls and they make sure to have plenty of copies of local indy newspapers and magazines to read.
This place is definitely something Baltimore should be proud to have!
When I first walked into the restaurant, I thought I was back in Berkeley, CA. The atmosphere has a very indie/chill-and-relax-for-the-day sort of feel. First off, I'm not a big breakfast person. BUT, If you're gonna do breakfast, this is how to do it. The waitresses are super-friendly here, and it's obvious that there are regulars who come here for breakfast just to hang out. My boyfriend and I shared the potato pancakes, vegetable omlette, and french toast, which came with freshly baked biscuits, bacon, eggs, potato hash and a complimentary cinnamon bun to go (for Easter Sunday). The potato pancakes were by far my favorite, mainly because I've really never had potato pancakes the way they're made here. You can really taste the potato hash in the pancakes, and it's served with apple sauce -so delicious. Anyway, we also got a raspberry all-fruit smoothie which was great as well. I will definitely come again when I'm back in town.
Everyone says "this place has the most awesome breakfasts". I wasn't really that impressed. The bagel that my buddy ordered came plain with a apologetic "I guess we ran out of cream cheese." How does a breakfast shop run out of cream cheese?
He DID order a tea around Christmas time and when the choices rolled out, he went with the "egg nog". He says it tasted "like watery egg nog", which wasn't much of a suprise seeing as it was egg nog tea :)
As far as the choices for breakfast, it was pretty limited and typical, nothing really creative.
The waitress was REALLY nice though and perhaps it was just a bad day to go for brunch, it was a tuesday after all. Maybe weekends are better.
Go Bal-mor! Goin' danny o'shin! Oh how I miss those accents :)
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I like this spot...its' pretty cheap...I like a menu that makes it easy for me to decide...it's veggie freindly and pretty str8 forward. The food is a little better than "OK"....The service lately has been quite nice. I think they fired that one waitress who thought more of blabbing with her friends or co-workers than dealing with her tables. I came in once with my lady and we sat down for about 10 minutes before she came over and said..."Oh we're closed"...gets mad crowded on Weekends. and yeah the Bagel thing bums me out. they never have enough bagels to last the day and have a habit of running out of cream cheese and you can't get a real tomatoe slice....It's definately worth checking out.
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I wish we had a place like this in New York; the prices are great, the portions are plentiful, and they're open when you need them (early in the morning through the afternoon everyday, and then open all night on Friday and Saturday). The menu beats diner breakfasts in NYC, and the prices are better too.
I thought the service was great; we told our waitress it was our first time to the restaurant and she was very honest about what was popular with the regular customers. She was also extra friendly and everything was served promptly. If you go, expect to wait; but it just makes the grub taste that much better.
A great place to go for a good breakfast in Fell's Point. A bit too crowded on a weekend (read: don't even bother), but a great place for a lazy weekday brunch.
LOVE this place for breakfast/brunch. They have the best hashbrowns EVER! Service is great - granted it does take FOREVER to get in on the weekends but it is well worth it.
my favorite breakfast place in baltimore, hands down. the food is always good...and the hash browns make you think you've died and gone to heaven. there can be quite a wait on the weekends, but it's totally worth every minute.
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definitely good breakfast. just had to wait outside in line. did not mind cause weather was good then. small place and good serivice.
one of baltimore's charmer.
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yes, the breakfast is good. yes, the portions are generous. yes, the staff is friendly. yes, you will wait. money biscuits. money hash browns. believe the hype.
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