Most Haunted Restaurants In Baltimore

Posted: 04.04.2025 | Updated: 04.04.2025

‘Charm City,’ or Baltimore as it’s more commonly known, lives up to its nickname. With a blend of American history, a storied waterfront, and a thriving modern city center, Baltimore is nothing short of charming. Baltimore has also developed a strong reputation for hauntings, particularly in one type of location: restaurants. This list of the most haunted restaurants in Baltimore will have you coming back for seconds and spirits.

Feast on more ghostly tales on a Baltimore Ghost Tour with Baltimore Ghosts! 

What Are The Most Haunted Restaurants In Baltimore?

Good taste never dies. Baltimore’s love affair with the spookier side of life is manifested in a number of its haunted restaurants and eateries. Some gastric ghouls appear to have taken to dining in the afterlife, and here we take a look at the culinary Caspers and the establishments that host them. 

Haunted Restaurants In Baltimore

• The Waterfront Hotel
• Blue Moon Cafe
• The Wharf Rat
• Max’s Taphouse

The Waterfront Hotel

The History Of The Waterfront Hotel

Dating back to 1771, this staple of Baltimore’s historic businesses has been used as housing for Civil War troops and even bathed in the bright lights of Hollywood. The Waterfront Hotel, strictly a tavern and eatery these days, was a recurring set for 1990’s NBC cop drama ‘Homicide: Life On The Streets.’ 

In fact, the rustic beauty and aged interiors of the Waterfront were so popular with the series’ cast that three of the principal actors even opened a bar directly across from the hotel. It later became a popular destination in conjunction with the Waterfront. 

The Waterfront still receives guests each year who are fans of the show and have come to eat and drink in familiar surroundings. Others, however, come in search of something quite different. 

Waterfront Hotel Haunting

Proprietor Darin Mislan is certainly a believer in the notion that the Waterfront Hotel tavern is haunted. “A couple of weeks ago, I saw something!” he stated. “It was early in the morning, and I was meeting with a city inspector. I was the only one in the building. I was in the main bar, and I saw who I thought was the cleaner walk into the kitchen. I even said, ‘Good morning.’ But I soon realized I was the only one in there at the time!”

Mislan joins a slew of staff, young and old, who claim that the tavern attracts more than the living with its history and rustic charm. Staff were so keen to delve deeper into this phenomenon that they enlisted the help of paranormal investigators.

These ghost hunters revealed that the spirit who inhabits the building is named ‘Samuel.’ Mislan himself was shocked by this revelation but even more so by the older staff’s reactions. One calmly proclaimed, “‘Yeah, there’s been a ghost here, and he is known as ‘Samuel!’”.

The Blue Moon Cafe

History Of The Blue Moon Cafe

Beloved by Baltimorians since 1996, this funky eatery in historic Fells Point is famed for dishes such as the Cap’n Crunch-encrusted French toast. Adorned in glorious vine leaves and cosmic murals, Blue Moon’s building is as easy on the eye as the establishment’s wares are on taste buds. 

The cafe’s vibrant colors and rock-and-roll attitude have kept the hungry masses of Baltimore coming back again and again. In fact, the cafe and most buildings in Fells Point date back to the 1700s, giving the area a real character and depth that makes the Blue Moon and its surrounding neighborhood a draw for both locals and tourists alike. 

Tourists, in particular, are drawn to Fell’s Point as it is the final resting place of macabre literary legend Edgar Allan Poe. But, this connection isn’t the only thing that has given Blue Moon Cafe a reputation for being one of the most haunted restaurants in Baltimore.

Ghosts Of The Blue Moon

Owner Sarah Megan Simington believes the building may be home to several spirits. Simington, who resided above the restaurant from 1997 to 2009, recalled her mother once sitting on a stool by the basement when a voice from downstairs said, “Hello, Sherri.”

Simington also recalls one Halloween above the restaurant in her apartment. While doing business paperwork, an animatronic cat burst into life. Distracted and confused, Sarah approached the toy, but it had turned off. Assuming it was broken, she inspected the item, only to be stopped cold because it contained no batteries. 

Both staff and customers have witnessed moving chairs and plates. Shadowy figures have been seen moving out of the corner of the eye, while some have reported phantom touches with no one around. You know the food is good when even the dead stop by. 

The Wharf Rat

The History Of The Wharf Rat

Awash in an authentic nautical theme, this old and beautifully worn Baltimore tavern is a dimly lit paradise for those needing one shot too many. It’s a dingy escape from the mainstream schmaltz of theme bars and high-concept public houses. 

Like its surrounding Fells Point contemporaries, this beloved watering hole and restaurant dates back to the mid-1700s and serves as a haven for locals and visitors in need of escape. 

The Wharf Rat was sold in 2021. However, keeping with the authenticity of the establishment’s family-owned style, the saddened Oliver family made a request of its patrons. In the final hours of its night in Fell’s Point, the bartender barked out across the bar, “Last Call! Help us drain the kegs, empty the coolers, and make some final Wharf Rat memories,”

But the Wharf Rat lives on! After the 2021 closure, another local but anonymous proprietor added the Wharf Rat to his businesses. The liquor license changed hands for a reported $1M. 

Wharf Rat Hauntings

In 1907, the Wharf Rat was owned by Polish immigrant John Rutkowski. Enamored with his adopted nation, Rutkowski owned a Victrola record player and a single Star Spangled Banner record.

Rutkowski played this record so incessantly in the bar that a customer, also his cousin, Alexander Annsewsky, demanded he stop. John refused and was insulted by his cousin’s tone, promptly ejecting Alexander from the premises. 

Angry and humiliated, Alexander returned with two things: his brother Adam and a pistol. John Rutowski was shot and killed at 5 pm the same day, leaving behind a wife and seven children.

A former 1980s Wharf Rat employee claims that on numerous occasions, as she undertook late-night food prep, she would look up and be chilled to the bone. A man would be standing before her with tears in his eyes. John Rutowski, it seems, still mourns the loss of that day. 

Max’s Taphouse

History Of Max’s Taphouse

The more contemporary notion of Max’s that locals of Baltimore know and love has been part of Fells Point since 1985. The location where Max’s can be found has a dark and colorful past.

In the mid-19th century, a brothel and a slaughterhouse were located on these premises. These businesses would inexplicably combine in the mid-20th century, creating a saloon that is far more the figurative father of Max’s Taphouse than a house of ill repute. 

Max’s On Broadway, the business’s original moniker, referenced its street location. However, it was also a live music venue until 1994, when owners decided they “no longer wished to be patrons of the arts.”  They then decided that a bar would better stand the test of time. Max’s Taproom seems to have met that criteria and then some. It specializes in various draught ales, beers, bar grub, and spirits of both varieties. 

Max And The Taphouse Ghosts

Max’s staff have often fled in terror at the sight of one recurring phantom foul. A headless chicken has been known to wander the basement, calling back to the business days as a slaughterhouse, leaving staff both aghast and with numerous unanswered questions.

The apparition of a woman in a white dress has been known to terrify witnesses on the building’s third floor. Even more alarming is the ghostly man who has been seen floating through walls. He is often seen at the bar playing with discarded beer bottles. 

This mischievous manifestation is not without a sense of humor. Beer bottles have been seen to fly across the room or even float in the air as if manipulated by some unseen force or person. It also might be prudent to ask exactly which chicken wings came from and check that they had a head when ordering. 

Haunted Baltimore

From rich history to Edgar Allan Poe, cozy pubs, and charming places to feed your appetite, Charm City contains a surprisingly varied selection of businesses in Fells Point. Dig into these haunted restaurants in Baltimore the next time you are in need of a bite and a scare!

It’s always handy to have so many options close at hand. You wouldn’t want to be wandering around like a headless chicken. Don’t lose your head on a Baltimore ghost Tour. 

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for haunted stories from around the nation, and keep reading our blog for the best-haunted history in America.

Sources:

• https://www.candacelately.com/2024/08/baltimore-md-edition-blue-moon-too.html
• https://www.beveragejournalinc.com/new/easyblog/entry/the-waterfront-hotel-bar
• https://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=2a5c35e0-2835-4205-b7cb-cb81c6c08572
• https://onthegrid.city/baltimore/fells-point/the-wharf-rat
• https://www.hauntscout.com/places/united-states/maryland/baltimore/maxs-taphouse/