“What’s for dinner?”
It’s a question that strikes fear into the hearts of parents and spouses everywhere. When there’s nothing in the fridge and you’ve tried everything on the takeout menu, it’s time to find a new place to eat.
Fortunately, Harford County residents have dozens of recommendations for any occasion. More than 1,300 voted in our 2017 Best of Dining readers’ poll, delivering winners in 41 categories.
Consider this your go-to guide for dinner ideas.
Editors’ note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to vote online in August and September.
Al fresco: The Hickory Lodge Restaurant and Bar
Honorable mentions:
Tidewater Grille
MacGregor’s Restaurant
Black Eyed Suzie’s
Ambience: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Honorable mentions:
Pairings Bistro
The Vineyard Wine Bar
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Asian: Chopstix Gourmet
Honorable mentions:
Fuji Sushi
Lemon ‘N Ginger Asian Grille
The Orient
Bakery: Flavor Cupcakery
Honorable mentions:
Woodlea Bakery
Paradise Donuts
Goll’s Bakery
Bar food: Looney’s Pub
Honorable mentions:
Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub
MaGerk’s Pub & Grill
Route 24 Ale House
Barbecue: JD’s Smokehouse
Honorable mentions:
Bird’s Nest Barbecue
Chaps Charcoal Restaurant
Famous Dave’s
Bartender: Megan Kikilis, Looney’s Pub
Megan Kikilis, a veteran bartender who has been at Looney’s Pub for eight years, is a people person, through and through. “We have the best owner and staff and more regulars than anyplace around,” she says. “The same people come in multiple times a week. We get to know their families, kids, grandchildren. Everyone here is like family.”
Looney’s Pub, 312 S. Main St., Bel Air. 410-803-7080. looneyspubmd.com.
Honorable mentions:
Tiffany Maher, The Hickory Lodge Restaurant & Bar
Shelby Stange, Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub
Kellee Cavey, formerly Liberatore’s Ristorante
Beer list: Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub
“Since we’re an Irish pub, we carry four Irish drafts at all times, and we’re known for having the perfect pint of Guinness,” says Sean Bolan’s bartender Shelby Stange. But the pub’s beer choices aren’t limited to those from the Emerald Isle; the bar’s constantly rotating list includes craft brews made by small breweries located everywhere Michigan to France.
Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub, 12 S. Main St., Bel Air. 410-420-9858. seanbolans.com.
Honorable mentions:
Looney’s Pub
Birroteca
DuClaw Brewing Co. (closed)
Breakfast/brunch: Sunny Day Cafe
Honorable mentions:
Bagel Works
Alchemy Elements
Mountain Branch Grille & Pub
Burger: Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Honorable mentions:
Looney’s Pub
Jake’s Wayback Burgers
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews
Chef: Jon Kohler, Pairings Bistro
For close to a decade, Jon Kohler has wowed locals as the chef-owner of Pairings Bistro, where he partners with chef de cuisine Sean Gomez to create inspired menus. “What fuels me is seeing people enjoy the food we put out and being able to provide food from our local farms,” Kohler says. “That’s a nice connection.”
Pairings Bistro, 2105 Laurel Bush Road #108, Bel Air. 410-569-5006. pairingsbistro.com.
Honorable mentions:
Yale Koplovitz, MacGregor's Restaurant
Brian "Chet" Chester, Silks Restaurant at Bulle Rock
Bobby Sheckles, Route 24 Ale House
Cocktails: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Liberatore’s drink selection is always growing, says manager Sheree Freund. “We change the cocktail list with the seasons, so we always have new stuff, but we keep the stuff that’s really popular.” Current favorites include the creamy, sweet espresso martini and the vibrant and tart pomegranate martini.
Liberatore’s, 562 Baltimore Pike, Bel Air. 410-838-21014. liberatores.com.
Honorable mentions:
The Hickory Lodge Restaurant & Bar (tie)
Looney’s Pub (tie)
Alchemy Elements
Coffee: Coffee Coffee
Honorable mentions:
Starbucks
Fox & Fern Cafe
Java by the Bay
Crab cake: Box Hill Pizzeria
Honorable mentions:
The Olive Tree
The Bayou Restaurant
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Deli: Vagabond Sandwich Co.
Inspired by his grandmother, who made sandwiches for travelers in San Bernardino, Calif., in the 1950s, Harford County native Ben Meyer bought a local deli four years ago, transforming it into Vagabond Sandwich Company.
Vagabond’s lengthy menu, including everything from the crab-topped McHenry Burger to a gussied-up BLT, has made it a hit with locals, who also respect Meyer’s Bel Air roots and the way he gives back to the community.
“In Harford County, ‘shop local’ is a very popular vibe, and I am one of the few places that’s not a chain,” he says. “I was a little skater kid who grew up in this town.”
111 Thomas St., Bel Air. 410-838-1263. vagabondsandwichcompany.com.
Honorable mentions:
Savona
Wegmans
Sam’s Deli
Dessert: Broom’s Bloom Dairy
Honorable mentions:
Flavor Cupcakery
Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop
Desserts by Rita
Fine dining: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Honorable mentions:
Pairings Bistro
Birroteca
The Vineyard Wine Bar
Frozen treats: Broom’s Bloom Dairy
Honorable mentions:
Jarrettsville Creamery
Bomboy’s Homemade Candy
Sweet Frog
Best happy hour: Looney’s Pub
Honorable mentions:
Mountain Branch Grille and Pub
MacGregor’s Restaurant
Alchemy Elements
Best healthful menu: Panera Bread
Honorable mentions:
Fox & Fern Cafe
Laurrapin
My Three Sons
Italian: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Honorable mentions:
Basta Pasta
The Olive Tree
Giovanni’s Restaurant
Late-night dining: Double T Diner
Honorable mentions:
Looney’s Pub
Waffle House
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Live entertainment: Looney’s Pub
Honorable mentions:
Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub
MacGregor’s Restaurant
510 Johnnys
Lunch menu: Looney’s Pub
Honorable mentions:
Fox & Fern Cafe
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Vagabond Sandwich Co.
Mexican: La Tolteca
Honorable mentions:
Plaza Mexico
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Qdoba Mexican Eats
New restaurant: Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz
Since it opened last November, Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz has become a must-visit spot.
“People thank us for the refreshing change in cuisine, for putting an adventurous concept in this small town,” says owner Kosmas “Tommie” Koukoulis.
Koukoulis, who is married to a Hawaiian woman, appreciates the enthusiastic response the restaurant has received. He loves hearing customers’ stories about their own experiences with Hawaii.
“It’s been cool how many of our clientele have a connection to Hawaii,” he says. “Not necessarily people of Hawaiian descent, or who have lived there, but people who went to Hawaii on their honeymoon 30 years ago. They walk in and are transported back to that time.”
2314 Belair Road, Fallston. 443-966-3999. eatatuncles.com.
Honorable mentions:
Black Eyed Suzie’s
Humagalas
Della Rose’s Local Tavern
Pizza: Buontempo Bros.
Downtown Bel Air is more than 100 miles from Brooklyn, N.Y., but Harford County pizza lovers don’t have to drive far to find an authentic slice of pie.
For several decades, Buontempo Bros. has been serving up pizza from its perch at the corner of Main Street and Kimmie Way.
“We get a lot of compliments about our pizza being as close to New York or New Jersey pizza as you can get — the crust and the sauce,” says Richard Lynch, who co-owns the restaurant with Renato Buontempo.
Part of their secret? “We make everything in-house. We make dough here all day long.”
1 S. Main St., Bel Air. 410-838-7640. buontempos.com.
Honorable mentions:
Fortunato Bros. Pizza
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
La Cucina Italian Restaurant
Place to take the kids: Broom’s Bloom Dairy
Honorable mentions:
Jarrettsville Creamery
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Place to take out-of-towners: MacGregor’s Restaurant
Honorable mentions:
Liberatore’s Ristorante
The Vineyard Wine Bar
Alchemy Elements
Overall: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Honorable mentions:
Pairings Bistro
The Vineyard Wine Bar
Alchemy Elements
Seafood: Bonefish Grill
Honorable mentions:
Richard’s Fish & Crabs
Tidewater Grille
Price’s Seafood (closed)
Service: Liberatore’s Ristorante
Honorable mentions:
Bonefish Grille
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
The Vineyard Wine Bar
Server: Cat Ye, Fuji Sushi
“I like to talk to people, and I really like to eat,” says Cat Ye. The popular server at Fuji Sushi says she loves her job because it gives her the opportunity to meet lots of different people, to snack on the restaurant’s fatty tuna and salmon and even to occasionally grab a seat at Fuji’s hibachi table.
Fuji Sushi and Asian Cuisine, 5 Bel Air S. Parkway, Bel Air. 410-569-4370. fujisushimd.com.
Honorable mentions:
Drew Hild, JD’s Smokehouse
Sheree Freund, Liberatore’s Ristorante
Josh Mendes, Steelefish Grille (tie)
Shelby Stange, Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub (tie)
Sports Bar: Looney’s Pub
Honorable mentions:
The Greene Turtle
Buffalo Wild Wings
Route 24 Ale House
Steak: Texas Roadhouse
Honorable mentions:
Outback Steakhouse
Sean Bolan’s Irish Pub
Alchemy Elements
Steamed crabs: Richard’s Fish and Crabs
Honorable mentions:
The Seafood Stop
Fallston Seafood
Price’s Seafood (closed)
Takeout: Box Hill Pizzeria
Honorable mentions:
Fuji Sushi
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Italian Sensation
Value: La Tolteca
Honorable mentions:
Looney’s Pub
Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant
Fallston Seafood
Vegetarian options: Alchemy Elements
Honorable mentions:
Fox & Fern Cafe
Sizzling Bombay
India Garden
View: Tidewater Grille
Honorable mentions:
Mountain Branch Grill and Pub
MacGregor’s Restaurant
The Promenade Grille
Wine list: The Vineyard Wine Bar
With over 80 wines available by the glass and half-glass, The Vineyard Wine Bar has one of the most extensive wine lists around. “We specialize in smaller, family and estate wineries,” says co-owner Jarrod Cronin. The list includes wines made from familiar grapes like pinot noir and lesser-known varietals like Croatina, the grape used in 606, an effervescent, sweet red made in Italy, exclusively for The Vineyard.
The Vineyard Wine Bar, 142 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace. 443-502-2551. vineyardwinebar.com.
Honorable mentions:
Pairings Bistro
Liberatore’s Ristorante
Enotria
