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Christina Tkacik

Christina

Christina Tkacik is a food reporter for The Baltimore Banner. She joined the staff of The Banner in August of 2022 to cover all things food. Prior to that, she spent more than six years at The Baltimore Sun, including three years as the newspaper’s dining reporter and restaurant critic. After all this time in Charm City, she can pick a crab but still can’t shuck an oyster.

The latest from Christina Tkacik

Get the gross-looking sundae at M&T Bank Stadium this Ravens season
Flamin’ Hot Cheeto burgers and barbecue sundaes: The Ravens and Levy Restaurants gave us an exclusive preview of the new dishes coming to M&T Bank Stadium this season.
Flamin’ Hot Cheeto burgers and barbecue sundaes: The Ravens and Levy Restaurants gave us an exclusive preview of the new dishes coming to M&T Bank Stadium this season.
The Dish: 2 new restaurants have the Baltimore County suburbs buzzing
Psych yourself up for your next grocery run by promising yourself a slice of Vito’s Pizza or all-you-can-eat Sushi Oishii.
The slices from Vito's Pizza are worth the trip to Timonium. And besides, you need to go to Aldi anyway.
At Jem’s Bottle Shop and Cafe, ring the bell for an egg sandwich
For now, Jem's Bottle Shop is just a takeout window at Fayette Street and North Collington Avenue. Baltimore is loving it.
Egg sandwich from Jem's Bottle Shop & Cafe, which opened up as a takeout window near Patterson Park in August.
Don’t Know Tavern will get another round at Cross Street Market
The Don’t Know Tavern is coming back to its old neighborhood, this time as a bar at Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market.
The exterior of the Cross Street Market in Baltimore, Md. on Monday, December 9, 2024.
Maryland is suing Ovenbird Bakery for more than $650,000
Ovenbird Bakery is being sued by Maryland for more than $650,000, the remaining principal, interest and fees on a loan that the bakery’s owners took out with the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development in 2023.
Ovenbird Bakery is being sued by Maryland for more than $650,000, the remaining principal, interest and fees on a loan that the bakery’s owners took out with the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development in 2023.
The Dish: Baltimore City schools have started composting. Can they keep it going?
Twelve public city schools are testing out a new pilot program to introduce composting in cafeterias. But it's only funded for one year.
Educational associate Scott Hartman helps Hamilton Elementary School students sort their food waste for composting after lunch.
The Dish: How The Royal Blue became all things to all people
The Royal Blue in Station North is a casual lunch destination, a packed party bar and more — and it works.
The Royal Blue in Station North is a casual lunch destination, a packed party bar and more — and it works.
Outback Steakhouse is leaving Canton after more than 20 years
No more Bloomin’ Onions for Baltimore: Outback Steakhouse will leave Canton’s Can Company complex after more than 20 years.
The Outback Steakhouse at 2400 Boston St. will exit Canton’s Can Company complex.
A downtown landmark will soon be up for lease — again
The historic Alex. Brown & Sons building will soon be up for lease after its restaurant tenant, Fruition at 135th, closed Monday.
The Alex. Brown & Sons Co. building at 135 East Baltimore Street. A new eatery with plans to bring premium dining experiences is set to open in the historic building.
One of the hardest reservations to get in Baltimore is at this new pizza place
The team behind Café Dear Leon bakery in Canton, a James Beard semifinalist with a viral following, has officially launched Flour and Wood, a pizza-centric restaurant inside La Maison.
Flour and Wood's specialty is Neapolitan-style pizza. The menu also features a range of vibrant Italian-influenced specialties like panzanella salad, gamberone al forno, and crispy mushrooms with punchy fermented jalapeno.
The Dish: The perfect pairing for your Negroni? A hot dog.
For local bartenders, hot dogs and cocktails are the perfect pairing.
At NeatFreak, Fells Point’s newest cocktail bar, martinis come any way you like—but there’s only one food option: a $5 hot dog. Owner Matt Steinberg says the simple frankfurter is the perfect pairing for a bold cocktail.
Attman’s Delicatessen to arrive at BWI Airport next year
Attman’s Delicatessen, a staple of Baltimore’s Corned Beef Row, will open a branch at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport next year.
A hotdog from Attman's Delicatessen in Baltimore, Monday, June 30, 2025.
Charcoal Korean BBQ is back as Jong Kak reopens after a year and $200,000 in upgrades
Last weekend, customers were finally able to return to Jong Kak, which frequently comes up in conversations about the best Korean barbecue around.
Jong Kak has reopened at 18 W. 20th St. after nearly a year closed as it updated its fire suppression system.
The Dish: Tourists are flocking to this Greenmount Avenue takeout window
More and more, influencers are bringing foodies to unexpected places in Baltimore, like a takeout window with no signs.
Phil Laguerre of Boston at I Love Seafood on Greenmount Ave.
Midlina in Canton appears to close after landlord sues over rent
Midlina, a splashy global fusion restaurant in Canton, appears to have closed after its landlord sued the restaurant over rent.
Midlina
Singer Olivia Dean thinks it’s so easy to fall in love ... with Baltimore’s dining scene
Olivia Dean, winner of this year’s Grammy Award for best new artist, stopped by Baltimore Seafood the night before her concert at CFG Bank Arena.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Olivia Dean performs 'Man I Need' on stage during The BRIT Awards 2026 at Co-op Live on February 28, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Baby’s on Fire owners speak out on sudden closure, say they received death threats
Baby’s on Fire owners David Koslowski and Shirlé Hale Koslowski issued an open letter on social media saying that the business faced problems long before a unionization push by employees.
Baby’s on Fire closed July 19.
Yuk it up: Magoobys comedy club is coming to Hampden
Cue the laughs: Magoobys Joke House, a Baltimore County comedy club that helped launch the careers of Stavros Halkias and Shane Gillis, is coming to Hampden.
Magoobys Joke House, located in Timonium, will open a smaller spot in Hampden.
The Dish: Why Baltimore’s swankiest new bar took 7 years to open
Werewolves Welcome may feel worth the wait after seven years and approximately $1 million transforming the Old Goucher space into a bar.
Werewolves Welcome, a new bar in Old Goucher, is a seven-year project by veteran bartender and cinephile Bryan Ranere.
How a Baltimore cheesecake company went viral with a Leonardo DiCaprio video
Èdo Cheesecake's video trying to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to try cheesecake has more than 24 million views and has increased sales 30%.
JANUARY 13, 2026 - Customers can sample Edo Cafe's Basque lava cheesecake at the former Chiu’s Sushi at 608 S. Exeter Street in Harbor East. Cakes can be purchased whole or by the slice, and come in different varieties like crème brûlée.
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