For local bar owner Matthew Steinberg, opening his newest spot in Fells Point represents a return to the part of the job he’s missed most: actually connecting with patrons from behind the bar.
When he opens NEATFREAK! on Aug. 1 in the former Greyhound Tavern on Fleet Street, Steinberg won’t be in the background supporting a team of bartenders, as he has with his other concepts like Meander Art Bar and the now-closed Kenwood Tavern.
He’ll be center stage, shaking martinis, pouring rare spirits into one-of-a-kind snifters, and walking guests through the stories behind what’s in their glass. In fact, for the most part, he’ll be the only face you see behind the bar at NEATFREAK!
“Life is with people,” Steinberg says. “I go for the bartender, not the bar.”
Steinberg first looked at the property nearly a year ago. Upon seeing a recent price drop, he knew it was the right time to make a move. He and his wife, Molly, purchased the building and now live upstairs with their two cats.
“I loved Greyhound Tavern,” he says of the bar’s previous inhabitant, which poured its final pints in May due to the sale. “Every time I came in and sat here, I’d look around the room and think, ‘Man, these old bones are gorgeous.’”
Named after Steinberg’s love of drinking his spirits neat—and his tendencies of making sure everything is in its place—NEATFREAK! will be a martini bar at its core. Rather than showcase elaborate cocktails, he wants it to be a place where people can count on a well-executed classics, as well as affordable glasses of wine ($7-10), and rare spirits from around the world.
A signature “day-cap” special will offer $10 customizable martinis from 12-5 p.m., catering to a recent trend of patrons drinking earlier to reduce the risk of hangovers, especially on weekdays. (He’ll open the doors on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays.)
“A lot of people are thirsty for something that’s really tasty and straightforward,” Steinberg says. “I want to send people off so the next bar they go to, they know their martini order.”
To complement the drinks, Steinberg will serve a concise menu from a newly built kitchen.
“I’m for sure doing a hot dog,” he says, planning to keep the classic bar snack simple, serving it from a roller with mustard, ketchup, Kewpie mayo, and perhaps relish. He also wants to offer noshes like olives and popcorn, plus limited-run items like crab cakes.
Much of NEATFREAK’s atmosphere draws inspiration from “the ashes of Bar 1801,” where Steinberg featured natural wines and non-stop spinning vinyl in the Upper Fells Point space that is now Meander Art Bar. (Bar 1801 closed in 2023 when it was denied zoning for recurring live jazz nights. Simultaneously, Steinberg’s former business partner moved abroad to cook at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France.)
Despite being short-lived, the spot developed a following for its laid-back vibes. Steinberg says NEATFREAK! is his chance to revive that spirit.
The space is filled with his impressive personal collection of antiques, old instruments, glassware, and more than 3,000 records.
“I think I was an interior designer in another lifetime,” says Steinberg, whose “neat freak” tendencies have made for a cozy atmosphere that feels new, yet lived in. Among the treasures locals will spot throughout the bar are a functional antique cash register, a ’90s Guinness poster, a Natty Boh clock, aged Chartreuse display case bottles, and Maryland-labeled whiskey bottles.
“I want to bring all of that soul back,” he adds.
While some details are still being ironed out, one thing is clear—Steinberg wants people to come and hang. He’s excited to strike up conversations and answer questions, either about the booze or a piece of decoration.
“I’ll wake up, have breakfast, do my morning exercise, and then come down to pop open the door,” he says, not batting an eye at the thought of working a 12-hour shift alone. “I love hanging with people, I’d rather just be at my own bar.”
Steinberg is also keen on unearthing and preserving the building’s history. Inspired by old neighborhood storefronts, the front window shelves will display his cocktail books, instruments, glassware, and spirits, some of which are for sale—a nod to the building’s earliest days as a grocery store.
“This should be a bar for the next 100 years,” he says. “I hope it stays in our family, and I hope we can continue to build a strong community in Baltimore.”