6 food and drink spots in Baltimore where you can order from a walk-up window

On a recent trip to Florence, Italy, we wandered through the streets and kept noticing people gathered outside restaurants and cafes, ordering through tiny windows cut into the sides of buildings. These were the city’s famous wine windows, or buchette del vino. This centuries-old tradition allowed wine-producing families to sell directly to customers and later offered a way to limit contact during the plague. Today, some are back in use, passing glasses of wine right through the wall.

It turns out that Baltimore has its own version. Whether you want wine, coffee, pizza, pretzels or even a burrito, here are six walk-up spots around the city with windows worth venturing up to.

Kneads Bakeshop & Café

Kneads Bakeshop & Café has its own wine window, appropriately named the “Chamber of Kneads.” Ring the bell and a small arched door opens for a glass of wine, which you can take with you while shopping around Cross Keys. The cafe sits in a glass-enclosed building near the entrance to the shopping center and serves artisan breads and pastries, along with coffee, breakfast and lunch. There is also plenty of outdoor seating surrounding the building if you want to stay awhile.

Jem’s Bottle Shop and CafeRing the doorbell on Fayette Street and place your order at Jem’s Bottle Shop and Cafe. (Chris Franzoni)

Jem’s Bottle Shop and Cafe is one of the newest additions to Baltimore’s walk-up scene, opening near Patterson Park earlier this year. The corner spot currently serves customers through an opening facing Fayette Street: Ring the doorbell, place your order and wait outside for coffee, baked goods or a breakfast sandwich. I recently included Jem’s in my roundup of new casual openings around Baltimore, where I tried the brown sugar shaken espresso and one of the “Jem’s Jammies,” made with house-made chicken sausage and sweet berry jam. The cafe is only part of the plan for the space, with indoor seating and a boutique bottle shop expected to debut in 2027. For now, the walk-up window remains the primary way to order.

Pizza di JoeyPizza Di Joey has pizzas so big they barely fit through the window at Cross Street Market. (Chris Franzoni)

Pizza di Joey started as a food truck in 2014 before Navy veteran Joey Vanoni opened a permanent home inside Cross Street Market in 2019. The shop specializes in New York-style pizza, including massive 24-inch pies cut into 12-inch “Monster Slices,” along with subs, paninis and other casual fare. A dedicated walk-up window on the Cross Street side of the market lets you order without heading inside, and they often have Italian classics playing outside while you wait. The pizzas are so big they barely fit through the window. It is one of my favorite New York-style pizzas in Baltimore, and I have used Pizza di Joey for catering a few times. The giant pies are always a party pleaser, especially during football season.

Daily GrindDaily Grind coffee shop in Fells Point has a walk-up window that’s especially convenient if you have a dog with you. (Chris Franzoni)

The longtime Fells Point coffee shop Daily Grind occupies a prime spot on Thames Street by the waterfront, serving coffee, pastries, bagels and sandwiches with plenty of seating inside. Outside, a walk-up window is especially convenient if you have a dog with you, and pups can even get a treat while you wait for your order. (Somehow I inadvertently left Daily Grind out of my recent article on Baltimore’s dog-friendly spots. Consider this my correction.)

Canton Pretzel StoreCanton Pretzel Store hands pretzels wrapped in foil directly to people passing by on O’Donnell Street. (Chris Franzoni)

There is not much standing between you and a warm pretzel at Canton Pretzel Store. The tiny storefront in Canton Square is strictly grab-and-go, handing pretzels wrapped in foil directly to people passing by on O’Donnell Street. The menu goes beyond the traditional salted version, with cinnamon sugar and crab pretzels, along with pretzel dogs and pretzel pizzas. The shop has been part of Canton for more than two decades, and its spot in the middle of the Square makes it popular with the neighborhood’s nightlife crowd. I am an easy customer when it comes to this one: I can never walk by a pretzel shop without getting one.

Ruben’s Mexican FoodAt Ruben’s Mexican Food, you order everything from the window on South Charles Street. (Chris Franzoni)

Come hungry if you’re about to buy a burrito from Ruben’s Mexican Food, where you order everything from the window on South Charles Street. The Federal Hill staple packs its menu with tacos, quesadillas, bowls and hefty burritos, including the Cali Burrito with fries, your choice of protein, guacamole, Mexican cheese and ranchito sauce. The Founder goes even bigger, combining chicken and steak with rice, black beans, extra cheese, grilled peppers and onions, ranchito sauce and Ruben’s hot sauce. Pro-tip: I end up adding their housemade hot sauce to just about everything I order.