COMING SOON
Bar Dalí: On the heels of opening La Jetée on the first floor of Harbor Point’s Canopy Hotel in October, James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde recently announced a partnership with another hotelier, Ash, which owns Hotel Ulysses in Mount Vernon.
A new concept called Bar Dalí—an ode to Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí in the form of a subterranean neighborhood tapas bar—is slated to open early 2026 at 909 Charles St., taking over the hotel’s neighboring property that was formerly Mount Vernon Stable & Saloon.
The project will embrace the community legacy of “the Stable,” which shuttered in 2022, while bringing Gjerde’s signature local-first sourcing to a globally inspired menu. The partnership between Gjerde and Ash will also include overseeing the food and beverage program for Swann House, Ash’s upstairs event space at the new bar. More details to come.
Nora Blu & Hush Lounge: Speaking of Mt. Vernon, and Gjerde, another bar and restaurant is set to move into the former Spike & Charlie’s at 1125 Cathedral St., which housed Gjede’s first venture that he operated with his brother, Charlie, from 1991 to 2004. In the years since its closure, other establishments like Ryleigh’s Oyster, Anonymous Restaurant & Lounge, and Red Emma’s (before its move to Waverly) have called the building home.
Now, owner trio Dezmon Parker, Tariq Ibrahim, and Mohammad Elmanyari are preparing to debut an upstairs Mediterranean restaurant, Nora Blu, and a basement speakeasy called Hush Lounge, in the space. With the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall across the street, the owners hope to host live entertainment, as well as become a hub for pre- and post-show audiences.
“We want to tie in to the local community, knowing that the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is across the street,” Parker recently told the Baltimore Business Journal. Their target opening is slated for late December or January, with dinner service nightly and extended weekend hours.
NEWS
The Duchess Dish Lauded by the New York Times: As The Duchess, Tony Foreman’s latest venture with co-owner chef Kiko Fejarang, celebrated its one year anniversary in Hampden, the team got a gift from The New York Times. The publication’s editorial team listed the restaurant’s Chamorro shrimp and corn patties as one of the top 23 dishes they ate across America in 2025.
Eric Asimov, the Times’ chief wine critic, described The Duchess as one of the “more unusual restaurants” he’d visited, citing the mix of the British pub-influenced interior with Fejarang’s Pacific Rim recipes. (Read our review, here.) The $13 dish is a Chamorro classic, a beloved fried snack from Guam, which Asimov described as “the platonic essence of their ingredients [shrimp and corn], a beautiful balance of textures and flavors.”
After hearing the news, Fejarang told the Banner, “I’m glad I can be able to represent not only Guam but Baltimore.”
After the announcement of The Wren as one of the top 25 restaurants by the Times earlier this year, the win for The Duchess further solidifies what we’ve always known—Baltimore’s food scene is top tier.
EPICUREAN EVENTS
12/18: Gunther & Co’s Annual Hanukkah Dinner
Bundle up and head toward Brewers Hill to ring in the fifth night of Hanukkah with Gunther’s annual feast. In addition to the regular dinner menu, the restaurant will be offering holiday specials including braised beef brisket, pan-roasted salmon, noodle kugel, and chopped chicken liver on rye bread. Must-haves include an order of house latkes (with requisite apple sauce and sour cream) and a steamy bowl of matzo ball soup. If you have room for dessert, sweets like cinnamon sugar-dusted babka and raspberry-drizzled brioche donuts will offered all night.
12/18: Fells Point Main Street Cookie Crawl
The shops surrounding Broadway in Fells Point make the holidays even sweeter with this neighborhood tradition. From 4-7 p.m., roam around the area (Su Casa on South Bond Street is the official check-in point, where you can pick up a bag and a map) to visit your favorite retail and restaurant owners and collect a complimentary cookie at every stop. See the full list of places participating, here.
12/19: Brewers Haven Holiday Party
Throw on your ugliest sweater for this Highlandtown holiday soiree. Hosted by Brewers Haven—the joint home of Monument City Brewing and Key Brewing on North Haven Street—the festivities will highlight flowing pints, live music, discounted merch, giveaways, and food by their next-door neighbors at Motte.
12/21: National Coquito Day & Club Sonora’s Tuki Tuki Event
We love unofficial food and drink holidays, no matter how arbitrary they might seem. On Sunday, Dec. 21, thanks to Don Q rum, the day is devoted to coquito—the creamy, rum-spiced “little coconut” cocktail rooted in Puerto Rican culture. Check out our guide for places to sip coquito all over town, including The Empanada Lady downtown, The Undefeated in Fells Point, and Mama Koko’s in Old Goucher. Golden West Cafe in Hampden, Pink Flamingo in Remington, and Sacre Sucre in Fells Point also have their own versions that will get you into the spirit.
If bar competitions are more your vibe, swing by Club Sonora’s Tuki Tuki event from 4-8 p.m. at Stem & Vine downtown, which will feature its own coquito contest, along with a holiday market, tamales by Rosalyn Vera of Cocina Luchadoras, and live salsa. As Bad Bunny lamented in his 2025 album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, take the picture and get your boricua on.