OPEN
Bar Santa: With its unmistakable, kitschy Baltimore holiday energy, Hampden is the place to be in December. Adding to the neighborhood establishments spreading festive cheer is the new Bar Santa, a limited-time pop-up activating the former home of Paulie Gee’s on Chestnut Avenue—which is conveniently just over a block away from the famous Miracle on 34th Street lights. The project is a collaboration between buddies Craig Falk—the chef/owner behind the Big Softy pizza and sandwich pop-up—and The Charmery owner David Alima, whose flagship ice cream shop sits just across the street.
“There is magic in Hampden [during] the holidays,” Alima says. “We just wanted to be a part of peoples’ Christmas.”
Now open Thursdays to Sundays from 5-10 p.m. through New Year’s Eve (for those attending the annual Baby New Year ball drop on 34th Street), the Father Christmas-named bar will offer a cheery menu of cocktails, mocktails, and dirty sodas dreamed up by local hospitality legend Amie Ward, whom Alima calls the “head elf in charge.” Notably, the menu also lists the famous Charmery hot chocolate, which can be boozed up with a bourbon marshmallow and the addition of Chartreuse.
As far as eats go—while the Paulie Gee’s brick oven won’t fire up, Falk will be slinging his signature Detroit-style pizzas cooked in a deck oven. Service will be fast-casual, with ordering done at the counter and a seat-yourself model.
“We’re not here for a long time,” Alima sums up, “but we’re here for a really fun time.”
Dimples Bar & Grill: Thanks to owner Mary Miles—who opened this cheesesteak shop on East Clement Street last month as a tribute to her late mother, also the shop’s namesake—a little slice of Philly has landed in Locust Point. Miles, a Philadelphia native, brings serious hometown credentials, including the use of real Amoroso’s rolls, which she and her husband, Armand, drive to Delaware for every morning so they can serve them same-day.
The menu reads like a love letter to classic Philly corner spots, listing cheesesteaks, hoagies, wings, and smashburgers. Soon, a full weekend brunch will serve pancakes, grits, home fries, bagels, muffins, and yes, cheesesteak-and-eggs. For now, the eatery is BYOB, but the space carries a liquor license that the couple plans to activate so that they can fulfill Dimples’ favorite pairing: a cheesesteak and an ice-cold beer.
Spice Kitchen West African Grill: After growing from a ghost kitchen to a full-blown brick-and-mortar, Spice Kitchen has brought its signature West African cooking to Canton. The fast-casual concept founded in 2020 by first-generation Nigerian-American Olumide Shokubi opened over Thanksgiving weekend in the previous home of RegionAle at the Canton Can Company complex.
Shokubi, raised in Prince George’s County, built Spice Kitchen to make West African cuisine accessible and customizable. His suya—a West African street food consisting of grilled, skewered meats marinated in a spicy, peanut-based seasoning blend—anchors the menu. Diners can expect plates piled high with fried plantains, white or jollof rice, and even goat-stuffed egg rolls. Save room for puff puffs, the famed sweet fried dough balls coated with powdered sugar.
COMING GOON
Bar Alice Anne: The team behind The Local Fry is heading into the bar business with Bar Alice Anne, a new neighborhood tavern slated to open this spring. Husband-and-wife duo Kevin and Elizabeth Irish, along with longtime creative agency partner Chris Richards, are taking over the former home of Lobo on Aliceanna Street (hence the name), where the three were regulars.
Beloved for its Old Fashioneds and comforting sandwiches and snacks, Lobo closed in 2020, much to the dismay of locals. The new concept will stay food-forward, with a menu of international small plates like banchan—Korean side dishes, similar to those served at Kevin and Elizabeth’s former Toki Tako in Hampden—plus an approachable list of beer, wine, and cocktails. The owners teased the concept on Instagram, “We’ve got a little sprucing up to do, but look forward to filling these seats soon.” Stay tuned for updates.
NEWS
Culinary Architecture: After a decade of being a neighborhood go-to in Pigtown, Culinary Architecture is preparing for a new chapter. The gourmet market and café will relocate to 236 S. High St. in Little Italy in January 2026, where a larger footprint will allow the team to level up nearly every part of the business. The new space will bring expanded kitchen and bakery operations, indoor seating (a first for the shop), and more room to experiment with catering, classes, and community events. It will also allow chef/owner Sylva Lin to hire additional staff and open on Sundays and Mondays—something longtime shoppers have been asking for.
Lin recently told The Banner that she spent the last two years quietly looking for the right home, knowing the business had outgrown its Pigtown footprint. For now, the Pigtown shop remains open as Culinary Architecture begins its transition.
EPICUREAN EVENTS
12/8: Bar La Caleta
Beat the Monday blues with this special bar takeover at Alma Cocina Latina in Station North. Cookhouse bar director Gabe Valladares will collaborate with the Alma team to pair one-night-only cocktails with small bites crafted by Chef Fernando Bertelsen. No reservations needed.
12/23: Feast of the Seven Fishes at Forno
Forno, the DiPasquale family’s speakeasy set in their former Highlandtown market, is hosting a classic Italian seafood feast on Dec. 23 with two seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. The seven-course menu is carefully curated by the Forno chef team, and includes a glass of Prosecco to kick off the evening, with additional bottles of wine available for purchase during the event. Tickets are on sale for $100 via their website.
12/23: Feast of the Seven Fishes at Little Donna’s
Little Donna’s—the cozy Upper Fells gem that feels part chef-driven neighborhood hangout and part grandma’s sitting room—will host its annual take on the Italian-American feast on Dec. 23, with two seatings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Chef Robbie Tutlewski’s Chicago culinary roots and the Yugoslavian recipes of his grandmother “Little Donna,” will inspire special dishes like Parker House rolls with buttered radishes and bagna cauda; halibut tartare brightened with Meyer lemon, apple, and fennel; a Dungeness crab strudel; mussels with baby potatoes in a warm mustard-dill sauce; scallops aglio with crispy spaetzle; and New Jersey tuna with heirloom beans, grilled radicchio, and mostarda.
12/24: Feast of the Seven Fishes at Love, Pomelo
If you still need Christmas Eve plans, the Roman-inspired Cafe Dear Leon sister-restaurant in Canton is offering a seven-course feast from chef Ermal Mirtag. Reservations, $150 with an optional Italian wine pairings for $45, are required.
SHUT
Hue Apothecary & Café: After four years of serving as a wellness-centered gathering place, Hue has closed its headquarters in Owings Mills. Founded by couple Ejami and Aaron McNeil, the vegetarian/vegan café and apothecary grew from small pop-ups and farmers markets into a full tea bar and community hub during the pandemic. In a heartfelt message to their “Hue Tribe,” the owners shared via Instagram that the closure isn’t an ending, but “a clearing” to make room for future offerings and expansion.
Hue leaves behind a loyal following that embraced its herbal teas, plant-based nourishment, and mission-driven approach to culture, wellness, and community care. Chef A and Mama Hue (as the owners were fondly known) say their devotion to that mission remains unchanged, with a new chapter already on the horizon.