They come for the hearty subs, tempting slabs of lasagna and Sicilian rice balls. Parking’s a mess, but a two-block walk whets one’s appetite. And so what if, at lunch, the serpentine ordering line spills out the front door? More time to soak in the sights and smells of DiPasquale’s Italian Marketplace in Highlandtown. So say its regulars.

Who’s to argue? DiPasquale’s has earned public kudos. In 2007, The Food Network saluted it on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Two years later, its silky crab cakes, laced with lemon and mascarpone cheese, were featured on Maryland Public Television’s “Eatin Crabcakes: The Best I Ever Had.”