The Maryland Restaurant That Has Oprah's Stamp Of Approval

For centuries, Maryland's Chesapeake Bay has been a source for sweet, succulent blue crabs. The state is home to hundreds of seafood restaurants that have made this classic ingredient the star of their menus. One particular Maryland restaurant is so good that it even has Oprah's stamp of approval.

Pappas Restaurant and Sports Bar, which Tasting Table ranked as one of the 15 best spots for crab cakes in Baltimore, Maryland, is Oprah's favorite place to visit when she's in town. In an Instagram post from May 2014, the influential media mogul and philanthropist shared a picture of herself holding a plate containing a Pappas crab cake, saying, "Had my favorite Baltimore's Best crab cake delivered. You can too. Worth it!" Pappas has four restaurants throughout Maryland, as well as a seafood market in Nottingham, Maryland, that also handles carry-out, catering, and shipping. It is widely considered to be the home of the best crab cakes in the state, and its website even claims that the dish is world famous.

While the specific recipe is a family secret, what sets Maryland crab cakes apart from the rest is the use of native blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. Like everything else on the restaurant's menu, its crab cakes are made fresh daily from scratch. They are also featured multiple times across the steak and seafood menu; you can order a five-piece appetizer of mini crab cakes or three crab cake eggrolls, a large eight-ounce crab cake with sides, or even a crab cake sandwich. Even if you don't live in Maryland, you can order Pappas' award-winning crab cakes individually, or in a 6-, 8-, or 12-pack via the company's website.

The first Pappas restaurant was opened in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1972 by Mark Pappas, who emigrated to the U.S. from Velvendos, Greece. Pappas developed a love of seafood and bought the Mount Vernon Restaurant in downtown Baltimore in 1961. By 1971, he was eager to start his own venture, and he purchased an old steak house in Parkville, Maryland, and turned it into the first Pappas Restaurant & Sports Bar location. Throughout its decades in business, the menu grew and evolved to include seafood, steak, and pasta, along with its trademark, classic Maryland crab cakes.

Now with restaurant locations in Cockeysville, Bel Air, and Glen Burnie, as well as its flagship Parkville location and Pappas Seafood Company Express in Nottingham, the business is flourishing. Each location has thousands of Google reviews, most of them glowing. Of the crab cakes, diners say that they are phenomenal. One reviewer went so far as to say they were "the best I've had in Baltimore." However, visitors also rave about the friendly service and the restaurant's atmosphere. And it's not just the crab cakes that diners love. Reviews also frequently call out Pappas' cream of crab soup, shrimp salad, and Crab Imperial.