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Faidley鈥檚 is as much about the people as the seafood. Whether gathered around the store鈥檚 raw bar at one of the stand-up tables near the busy line of workers making crab cakes, customers are often feel like they鈥檙e simply sharing a meal with old friends.

Faidley鈥檚 started out at Lexington Market in 1886 when John and Flossie Faidley combined their seafood stall with the adjoining business to form Smith & Faidley鈥檚 seafood. John鈥檚 son, Edward took over the business before World War II, and, 1948, John W. Faidley, Jr. joined him and changed the name of the company to John W. Faidley鈥檚 seafood.

A major fire at Lexington Market that same year forced the business to move to the Lexington Market garage but Faidley鈥檚 was one of the first establishments to return to the new Lexington Marker in 1952. The idea of selling prepared foods at the stall originated around this time, reportedly after customers smelled a fish sandwich John, Jr. was making for himself鈥攁nd asked if they could buy one. In 1966, the Liquor Board gave Faidley鈥檚 a liquor license making it the first bar in the long history of Lexington Market. John W. Faidley applied for the license after he and his regular customer agreed that 鈥渋t just isn鈥檛 right鈥� to eat crabcakes and steam crabs with no beer to drink.

Over the past twenty years, Faidley鈥檚 has won international renown for its crab cakes. The current recipe was created in 1987 by Nancy Faidley Devine, John鈥檚 daughter. That was the same year she resumed working at the 鈥渇amily firm鈥� where her husband Bill Devine had worked since he finished a term of military service in 1964.

Not long after, food critics started making their way to Lexington Market and featuring Faidley鈥檚 in national publications including the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and USA Today. Baltimore Magazine gave Faidley鈥檚 the 鈥淏est Crab Cake鈥� award so many times the magazine had to retire the category. Faidley鈥檚 even worked with Old Bay to prepare crab cakes for astronauts on the space shuttle. Unfortunately, NASA officials cancelled their order at the last minute over worries that oil might escape from the crab cake under zero gravity conditions.

The future of Faidley鈥檚 Seafood looks just as promising as the past. Damye Devine Hahn, Nancy and Bill鈥檚 daughter, is now an integral part of the business and is keeping up Faidley鈥檚 fresh seafood and out-of-this-world crab cakes.