Faidley's Seafood at Lexington Market is the most famous crab cake counter in Baltimore, which is to say it sells what many consider the best crab cake in a city that takes crab cakes very seriously. The market stall has been operating since 1886. The crab cake is a large, barely-held-together patry of backfin lump crab meat with almost no filler — the way Baltimore people insist crab cakes should be.
Standing at the counter and eating a crab cake and a cup of steamed crabs with a beer is one of Baltimore's essential experiences. Lexington Market is not in the prettiest neighbourhood, but Faidley's is one of those places that exists entirely for the quality of what it serves, and the quality is exceptional.