St. Michaels, MD: Lunch, Dinner & a Snack

Gina’s came highly recommended to us by our hosts at the Dr. Dodson House Bed & Breakfast – it’s Jamie & Ben’s favorite restaurant in town. Hungry & searching for food at 8:30pm, we walked down the town’s main drag, Talbot Street, past other restaurants & souvenir shops, & into a tiny (four tables & a half dozen bar stools inside, a handful of tables outside), funky, eclectic neighborhood hangout. We grabbed a high-top in the back, just past a local family celebrating a 10th birthday & an older couple very much in love at the bar. The menu revealed what can best be called Chesapeake tex-mex: tex-mex dishes featuring local crab, shrimp, & fish. We started with chips & chunky homemade salsa, which served with two types of homemade tortilla chips: a traditional corn chip & a ridiculously good chip that is more like a broken up taco shell which had been fried in soybean oil. B had the “savory & delicious” Lighthouse Tacos: two soft shell tacos piled high with crab meat, guacamoli, tomatoes, cheese & mayo. I had the crab nachos: a heaping plate of cheese-y, goo-y, crab-y deliciousness (there was really enough to feed a football team). While we were stuffing our faces with delicious local food, sure enough our Dodson House hosts came bounding through the door & we joined them at the bar afterward for a beer, a chat, & a shot of glazed donut vodka. It was our first time at Gina’s, but we already felt like regulars.

In a town full of crab & seafood restaurants, sometimes it’s refreshing to have another option. Enter: Ava’s Pizzeria. I’ll admit that I was skeptical of an Italian restaurant in the middle of a shore town, but this is the real deal. Call ahead seating is a must, especially during the summer. We ended up sitting down to eat about an hour after we called to put our name in (but only 15 minutes past our estimated wait time passed). Luckily, it was worth the wait. If the weather is nice, request a table on the cozy, intimate back patio, which was filled with couples, families, & groups of friends the night we ate there.

The menu is traditional Italian trattoria food: pizzas, sandwiches, a few entrees, & pasta. The meatball appetizer is an absolute must. They’re are priced individaully & one meatball makes for the perfect starter bite. Coming from a large Italian family, I never order meatballs in resturants becaue they almost always disappoint, but Ava’s was one of the best I’ve ever had – anywhere. Ava’s is known for their for their oak-fire pizza & the pizza special we had didn’t disappoint: a white pie topped with argula, feta, dates, prosciutto, & balsamic vinegar. Already stuffed full, we were talked into dessert by the manager & waitress & I’m so glad we were: warm, doughy beginets covered in powdered sugar & served with a raspberry dipping sauce. If they serve jelly doughnuts in heaven, this is what they taste like.

Like any small town that caters to summer visitors, St. Michaels has their fair share of ice cream parlors. After sampling a few, B & I agreed that Justine’s was the best. Located in the heart of Talbot Street, Justine’s serves up a dozen handscooped flavors, a couple dozen different sundae combinations (what a fun summer “project” that would be: try every sundae at Justine’s!), shakes, & malts. B had cookies & cream, which featured huge chunks of cookie, & I had my summer favorite, strawberry. A stop by Justine’s makes for the perfect summer afternoon treat while visiting St. Michaels.

South Talbot Street & East Chew Avenue

St. Michaels, MD

410-745-6400

409 South Talbot Street

St. Michaels, MD

410-745-3082
call ahead seating strongly recommended – call at least an hour before you want to be seated, especially on Friday & Saturday nights, or any night during the summer

106 North Talbot Street

St. Michaels, MD

410-745-6087