Sandwiches, Paninis, Burgers, Soups Salads Smoothies, Espressos and more.

By Van Smith

The gleaming University of Maryland Biopark complex has supplanted a foreboding collection of abandoned commercial buildings in the 800 block of West Baltimore Street. The block is now bustling with mostly white-collar workers and they need to eat, especially breakfast and lunch, and Café Gourmet has stepped in to feed them. This is the seventh location of the self-described “distinctive café brand,” which started in Towson in 2002, and it serves good fast food with friendliness and efficiency. The turkey BLT, ordered as a lunch combo with French fries and a 20-ounce soda ($8.98), was delicious—thanks in no small part to the applewood-smoked bacon and the substantial multigrain toasted bread—though the fries were oversalted. The place also offers smoothies, espressos, and a full array of wraps, paninis, burgers, soups, and salads, and its outdoor patio seating is a welcome bonus.