Amicci's Pane Rotundo is Little Italy’s best appetizer

 TLDR

This restaurant has a special place in my heart and belly with a creamy shrimp appetizer. It is located in a historically ethnic neighborhood that still has plenty of good food and fun events for me to blog about in the future.

My Story

I have since explored many of the restaurants in Little Italy, but Amicci’s was the first one I visited while I was searching for a home in Baltimore. I had a day of house hunting. I was looking for a rowhome with a parking pad and an open floor plan. That didn’t sound like a lot. But listings that said “parking pad” was really concrete in the back of a home that had no turn radius to actually accommodate a car. I would have to drop my car from the sky to get onto the parking pad. 

I was starving and really needed some comfort food and Italian food fit the bill. My brother, who had lived in the city for a few years, suggested Amicci’s. He was born when I was six and it seemed very unnecessary to me, but he has shown his value now that we are adults.

The Wiggins kids. I'm glad we kept him.

Amicci’s looked simple from the outside so I had no idea what awaited me on the inside. I sat at the bar so I could get some advice from the bartender on what I should try. The bartender said I had to have the Pane Rotundo, their signature appetizer. She had me at shrimp and cream sauce. The fact that it is served in a toasted sourdough bread bowl was an added bonus. The combination of the crusty sourdough and the succulent shrimp, bathed in a creamy sauce, made me forget about nonexistent parking pads. It was so good, I don’t remember what else I got that day. 

Pane Rotundo at Amicci's

I have gone back to Amicci’s several times since that first day. I have never had a bad meal. I love the tortellini peas and ham, but I’m a fool for stuffed pasta. There is an awesome daily carryout special. I find Amicci’s to be one of the more affordable places in Little Italy. Don’t let the price fool you. The food is quality. Amicci’s is a cozy spot perfect for a family meal or a romantic date. Now they even have a smaller version of the Pane Rotundo called the Panino in case you feel some kind of way about eating a whole sourdough bowl. I’m fine with it.

History

Amicci’s is a family owned restaurant established in 1991 in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood. In the mid to late 1800’s, Italians migrated to Baltimore. A main entry point was President Street Station on the Baltimore waterfront. Immigrants from many different European countries settled in the area. By the early 1900’s, most of the residents were Italian and many family owned businesses were established in the neighborhood. Today the population is different, but there are still many places to eat (they will be in future posts). There are several regular events in Little Italy like the Italian Heritage Day and the Madonnari Arts Festival (more future posts)