Rallo's Restaurant

 

2

7

Shannon G.

Baltimore, MD

Unlike some OTHER folks I believe this place is the best kept secret in the city.
The reason why this place is sometimes closed is because the owners follow the old rules of neighborhood business.  They are family run and they like to spend family time.  So if it's closed you may want to call your mom and tell her you love her.
As for the food...breakfast is like having your mom-mom whip it up for you.  Nothing tops their homemade desserts (the Jewish apple cake is to die for) or fresh doughnuts or yummy cina buns (you know the kind they had before malls). Love the coffee!  

Lunch is good too.  When I was pregnant I craved Reuben's and I can assure they have the best ones this side of NY.  Don't even get me started on the milkshakes (drool drool) They are made with half and half and the difference is so god you will never accept anything else.

As for dinner...boy do I miss stuffed cabbage.  Where else can you get that on demand??? They also have real bread, not a slice of bread, not a crummy roll, but real let-me-slice-that-up-for-you-hon bread and butter.  If your a soup person, don't ever pass up the beef and barley and make sure you get the bread.

This is the type of place everyone went to before there were Starbucks or trendy coffee houses full of laptops.  Here people actually TALK!  They read the news paper and they catch up on neighborhood business, both personal and public.  I was there the day of Shirley Doda's funeral (just in case you live in SoBo and live under a rock, Shirley's family owns the local funeral home and she is partially responsible we didn't end up a polluted underpass of I-95) and when her funeral line passed by, one of the waitresses called out, "everybody  stand up! Shirley's commin by Rallo's for the last time" and everybody did.  

So if you'd rather be dazzled by wifi and chic extensive brunch menu's then go ahead.  Rallo's has been there before you, and as long as the family can, they will be there after you.

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0

43

Gunnar V.

MD

I had seen online lots of talk about Rallo's. People seem to love it. And, it's right around the corner from me, so I'm thinking "I gotta check this place out." Lots of talk about "comfort food" and whatnot.

The crazy thing about Rallo's is that it never seemed to be open. At certain points I have believed Rallo's to be out of business, but now I think they are open for breakfast and [sometimes] lunch. This I found out when I randomly walked by and it was open for brunch on a weekend.

Well, I can tell you that the place is like... a diner... with diner style food. A big, unremarkable breakfast menu and ditto for lunch. They serve sandwiches and burgers for lunch.

Don't get me wrong, Rallo's is fine, but I don't get what all these people I read from on the inter-web are so excited about. Maybe it's that there's a place straddling Riverside and Locust Point that actually serves breakfast (which I admit is rare). But it's not like I'm going to be dreaming of the burger I ate there.

I'm initiating my coverage of Rallo's with a "Hold" rating. Has a good location for a local breakfast. Decent for a quick lunch.

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