Todd Conner's in Baltimore: New American with Seasonal Precision and Local Sourcing
Todd Conner's is a 60-seat New American restaurant in Federal Hill that builds its menu around what's available from regional farms and purveyors in a given season, with a kitchen that prioritizes technique over trend and a wine list weighted toward small producers.
What Todd Conner's actually is
The restaurant opened in 2010 in a narrow storefront on South Charles Street and has remained deliberately small and single-focused. There is no second location, no franchise model, and no rotating celebrity chef guest appearances. The dining room seats about 60 people across a mix of two-tops and four-tops, with a bar that accommodates six. The kitchen is visible from much of the dining room. Todd Conner, the owner and executive chef, sources from Baltimore-area farms including Meadowbrook Farm and Artifact Coffee's roasted beans, and the menu changes with availability, not calendar dates. This is not farm-to-table marketing; it is a structural choice that produces inconsistency by design. You will not order the same thing twice.
Menu, pricing, and what to expect to spend
Entrees run $28 to $38, with most falling in the $32 to $35 range. Appetizers are $10 to $16. A three-course meal with wine typically costs $70 to $95 per person before tax and tip. The menu is printed daily and contains no descriptions; servers explain each dish. On a given night you might encounter pan-roasted halibut with spring alliums and brown butter, or braised short ribs with root vegetables and aged balsamic. Pasta changes weekly. Proteins rotate between fish, poultry, and meat based on what the suppliers have. Vegetable plates are offered and are not afterthoughts; they are built with the same attention as proteins. The wine list contains roughly 80 selections, heavily weighted toward European producers and small American operations, with by-the-glass options starting at $8 and bottles starting at $32. A flight of three wines runs $18. There is no wine markup shock; markups are measured.
How Todd Conner's compares to other Baltimore New American restaurants
Charleston in Canton and Ropewalk in Fells Point are the nearest comparisons in scale and philosophy. Charleston also changes its menu seasonally and sources regionally, but it trends larger (80 seats) and operates a second location in Annapolis. Todd Conner's remains singular. Ropewalk is technically New American-Italian but leans more heavily Italian and offers a larger bar program. For seasonal American food at a different price tier, Sotto in Canton is significantly more expensive ($42 to $54 entrees) and occupies a larger, louder space with Italian undertones. If you want New American in Baltimore without daily menu shifts, Woodberry Kitchen in Hampden is more consistent in its offerings, though it still rotates seasonally and emphasizes local sourcing. The key distinction: Todd Conner's has no printed menu you can study ahead of time. You decide what to eat when you arrive.
Who it suits and who it does not
Todd Conner's suits diners who enjoy not knowing what they'll order until they sit down, who view consistency as the enemy of good food, and who are comfortable asking questions about ingredients and preparation. It suits people who want to spend $75 to $90 on dinner and feel like the money went to the food and the skill rather than the room. It does not suit people who need to plan their meal in advance, who have rigid dietary restrictions, or who want a lively bar scene. There is no cocktail program; wine and beer are the focus. It does not suit groups larger than eight, as the kitchen is too small to execute a nine-top comfortably. It does not suit diners in a hurry; meals here average 90 minutes.
What the first visit involves
Arrive without expectations about what you will eat. You will be seated and handed a printed menu written that morning in pen. The menu is brief, usually four appetizers, two or three pastas or grains, and three to four entrees. Ask your server about any dish. The kitchen is visible, and staff will answer questions about sourcing and technique. Order two or three things to share, or order a single entree and ask to add an appetizer and a vegetable side. Wine service is knowledgeable and unpushy. Meals move at a deliberate pace; tables are not rushed. The kitchen will communicate if something is taking longer than expected.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Todd Conner's is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Street parking is available on South Charles Street and the surrounding blocks in Federal Hill, though spots are competitive during dinner service. There is no dedicated lot. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made via phone. The restaurant does not have a website or online reservation system; call directly.
Todd Conner's has stayed open and small because the model works: chefs and diners willing to trade predictability for precision can find exactly what they want, and a restaurant built to shift with its suppliers rather than fight them will always have something worth ordering.
