Food & Drink
Restaurant Bathroom Spotlight: Step Inside One of Baltimore’s Most Luxury Loos
No longer just a utilitarian rest stop, bathrooms have become a bold statement at local dining establishments—not to mention the perfect backdrop for that all-important selfie.
From the Playboy bunny wallpaper at Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles in Fells Point to the dog-themed WC at The Milton Inn in Sparks, the fairest bathrooms in the land can be found all over Baltimore.
No longer just a utilitarian rest stop, bathrooms have become a bold statement and an extension of brand identity (not to mention the perfect background for that all-important selfie). These days, bathrooms delight patrons as much as the food.
One of the most luxury loos around is at Ammoora on Key Highway. “The design of the bathrooms was very important to us,” says Ammoora co-founder Markie Britton. “We wanted the whole space to feel like a beautiful Levantine home that’s warm, elegant, and filled with intention—and we wanted everything to reflect that. At a lot of high-end restaurants, part of the experience is the bathrooms—it shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought.”
Beginning with the crimson-hued hallway, dim lighting, and canopy of plants swinging from the ceiling as you approach them, Ammoora’s bathrooms make quite the impression.
“We wanted that hallway to feel separate and private. I know part of the reason we thought so much about bathrooms is we’ve traveled overseas where a lot of time you’re wandering around trying to find a restroom the size of a coat closet and wondering if you’re supposed to even be there. We didn’t want that to be the case but we also didn’t want them so blatantly standing out that they were in the way,” says Britton, noting that the prior tenant’s bathroom and open kitchen shared a hallway.
These bathroom interiors include tasteful touches such as gold hardware and hand-painted basins imported from England that float against a bronzed full-length glass mirror sourced in Italy. Each of the four bathrooms features a Syrian tray stand with mother-of-pearl inlay to hold towels for drying hands, plus a wall of stunning mosaic tile that’s reflected in the mirror.
“A lot of folks feel like the restaurant transports them somewhere,” says Britton. “That extends over to the restroom, as well. We have so many guests who tell their friends that even if they don’t need to go, they should stop in to see the restroom. It’s all part of the experience.”