Memo's Bar & Grill in Baltimore: A Casual Seafood Spot on the Water

Memo's is a straightforward seafood restaurant with a bar, located on the Inner Harbor at Fells Point, serving fried and grilled fish, shellfish, and crustaceans at moderate prices to a mixed crowd of tourists, local workers, and families. It operates as a walk-in casual dining establishment without reservations, making it a reliable option when nearby Fells Point restaurants have wait times.

What Memo's actually is

Memo's functions as a neighborhood seafood house with waterfront seating, not a fine-dining destination. The menu centers on preparations that require minimal technique—fried catches, steamed crabs, and grilled shrimp—rather than raw bars or complex sauces. The bar runs the full depth of the restaurant and generates as much revenue as the dining room, a distinction that shapes everything from noise level to service pacing. Memo's draws its energy from proximity to the harbor and foot traffic rather than reputation for innovation.

Menu and pricing

Entrees range from $16 to $32, with most seafood plates landing between $18 and $26. Fried fish baskets, a house staple, cost $16 to $20 and come with fries and coleslaw. Steamed crab by the pound runs $18 to $24 depending on season and market price; verify current rates before ordering. Grilled shrimp, flounder, and rockfish entrees sit in the $20 to $28 range and include a vegetable and starch. Raw oysters, when available, are priced per half-dozen and fluctuate with supply. Appetizers span $8 to $14 (crab cakes, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail). Beer and basic cocktails run $5 to $8, making the bar affordable for extended happy hour sitting.

How it compares to other Baltimore seafood

Memo's occupies a different tier than Fogo de Chão or The Walters Art Museum's seasonal installations, both of which require advance planning and deeper pockets. Among casual waterfront seafood, it sits between L.P. Steamers, which leans heavier on crab and steamed items, and Phillips Seafood, which operates as a tourist-focused chain with higher pricing and table service emphasis. Memo's differentiates by accepting walk-ins without reservation and maintaining lower noise tolerance than Phillips; choose Memo's if you want speed and bar seating, L.P. Steamers if you prioritize the crab experience and don't mind a longer wait, and Phillips if your group includes people who dislike seafood and want broader menu coverage.

Who it suits and who it doesn't

Memo's works well for lunch on a workday, solo bar dining, groups of four or fewer without young children, and anyone visiting Fells Point who doesn't want to plan ahead. It does not suit large private parties, guests with shellfish allergies who need careful cross-contact protocols, or diners seeking refined service. The bar noise level makes conversation difficult; consider it an environment where you eat quickly rather than linger over a meal.

What the first visit involves

Expect to walk in without a reservation and either sit at the bar (immediate seating) or join a waiting area if the dining room is full. First-time orders often benefit from asking staff whether the crab is fresh that day and what the fried fish special is; menu boards aren't always updated in real time. If you sit at the bar, order directly from bartenders; if you're in the dining room, a server takes your order in 5 to 10 minutes. Food arrives in 15 to 25 minutes depending on kitchen load. There's no separate dessert menu; most guests skip it or grab something nearby after.

Hours, parking, and logistics

Memo's is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., though hours may compress in winter months and should be verified for holidays. It's located on the Inner Harbor at Fells Point, with street parking available on surrounding blocks and paid lot parking within two blocks. The restaurant sits on the water with a small outside deck in season; wind and temperature make outdoor seating impractical in winter. No reservations are accepted, and the bar accommodates walk-ins first, which means dining room tables turn over faster during off-peak hours (weekday lunch, early evening before 6 p.m.).

Memo's succeeds because it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't: a quick, affordable seafood meal without ceremony, in a location where people expect exactly that.