Snake Hill — Restaurant in Baltimore

Stopped in for the first time this past weekend, been wondering where this place was since I own a house just a couple blocks away so we walked over and it was way easier to find that way since it's on a corner mostly facing the alley behind the behemoth condos new being built where Hausner's restaurant used to be. Yes it's a fairly small and narrow space but the food is incredibly good, fresh, inexpensive and fast. Started with the truffle fries - my wife took one bite and said "Mmm, great choice." She (who's not a big sausage fan) also loved her Green Goddess (lamb sausage with a delicious tzatziki-style topping). I had the special, which was chicken-chipotle sausage with hot peppers and fried onions (on a great bun, kind of a brioche-type roll all warm and crisp) and it brought tears to my eyes and I mean in a really good way. I also had the "wild card" beer (for $3, are you kidding me?) since the bartender said it was a dark one today - it was the Couch Surfer Oatmeal Stout from Otter Creek and it was amazing on draft. Then I ordered the Burley Oak Bilsner mainly since I've never had their beers - nice lighter summer pilsner-style beer. Dessert was their signature no-bake chocolate peanut butter cup and for $2 it was a steal - we could've split one. Really friendly place, to me it captures the best of old-school Baltimore corner bars -- seemed to me like everyone was from the neighborhood when we were there -- with the best of today's bistro-pubs focusing on craft beer and great food. I sure hope they prosper but aren't overwhelmed by trend-seekers following good reviews, but I'd say get there soon because once that big new residential building opens right next door I expect to be jammed...

TLDR: Eccentric sausages and a great beer selection. The perfect neighborhood hangout.

Vibe: 4/5. Located in Highlandtown, Snake Hill is the epitome of the neighborhood hangout. Setup out of a row home, the bar is relatively small, with a 10 seater bar at the front and 2 long community high top tables in the rear. During peak hours, the small space could prove to be problematic, especially if coming with a large group. During warmer months, they have a few picnic tables available surrounding the building. The kitchen is located out in the open behind the bar so the wonderful smells of freshly grilled meat tubes fills the bar.

Service: 5/5. The staff at Snake Hill were great from start to finish. There are no waiters at the bar, so when you are ready to order, you must go to any of the friendly bartenders to place your order. If ordering food, they utilize vibrating pagers to alert you when your order is ready for pickup at the bar. This system works great, especially if sitting outside. During our visit, we sat at the communal tables in the back and had no problems getting our beers and food in record time.

Food: 5/5. Some of the best, most creative sausage blends in Baltimore. They are most famous for their pho dog, which is a blend of pork, Thai basil, star anise and Sriracha that accurately mimics the flavor profile of a bowl of pho. They also have exotic meat sausages for the more adventurous eaters, such as ghost pepper alligator and rabbit rattlesnake. One thing I definitely appreciate about Snake Hill is their social media presence, as they regularly announce special menu items. Overall, I highly recommend swinging by Snake Hill for a fresh glizzy and...

Came once with a buddy for a late lunch on Saturday afternoon. First thing you notice is that the bar top is compromised of thousands of Scrabble letter pieces, covered in laminate. Very cool touch.

Great beer selection here, had a great Flemish sour ale...which was served appropriately by the bartender in a tulip glass. I knew right then that this bar takes their beer very seriously, since most just default to an American pint glass no matter the beer style.

The food is wonderful also, they specialize in a variety of different sausage types. If you don't like polish-style sausages, there isn't much else on the menu here take for a few items. However, if you are a fan of them, as I am, you will love everything about Snake Hill's take on them. They experiment with many different types of meat, such as duck and alligator. My personal favorite is a blend of rabbit and rattlesnake meat. Don't knock it until you try it though. It's downright amazing.

Highly recommend this place for lunch as there is plenty of seating, or for an outing with a friend or two since the atmosphere is very laid back...