Review: Bar Alice Anne Reinvents a Corner Watering Hole in Fells Point

“A nice place for a drink” reads the message on the door at Bar Alice Anne, the new Fells Point bar from Liz and Kevin Irish. And while Bar Alice Anne is, indeed, a nice place for a drink, it’s also a great place to eat, even if you’re getting a zero-proof cocktail.

Named for its corner location at Wolfe and Aliceanna Street, it serves up elevated bar food that follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the beloved Bar Lobo. From Toki Tako, the now-closed Korean fusion spot, to the global spuds-themed The Local Fry, the married duo has built a reputation for unique concepts.

After a decade devoted to franchising The Local Fry, Liz jokes that she and Kevin thought they were going to “semi-retire” to a “cute little house with a bit of land” in Westminster. But the chance to open a bar was irresistible.

“Korean food goes great with beer and alcohol,” she says. “We were, like, ‘This could be Toki Tako reimagined.’”

The fare, like their other projects, is a fusion of their blended backgrounds—his from Ireland, hers from Korea—and a romance rooted in culinary adventure. Their partnership started in Paris where Liz, a Baltimore native, and Kevin, a native of Ireland, developed a whirlwind friendship. By summer of 2006, she moved to Milan, where a love affair soon formed over food.

“Kevin hadn’t tried sushi or Korean food, so whenever he’d visit, we’d go on food adventures,” recalls Liz.

Sixteen years of marriage later, their respective cultures still shape what they create in the kitchen. There are umami-forward tater tots drizzled with okonomi, a barbecue-Worcestershire-style sauce, aonori seaweed flakes, and bonito fish flakes; plump Castelvetrano olives coated with kimchi for a salty-spicy bar snack; and a Cubano-inspired toastie—stacked slices of ham, Kewpie mayonnaise, and crisp pickle between slices of toasted Korean milk bread (one of several “toastie” sandwiches), plus a bag of made-in-Ireland Tatyo cheese-and-onion chips.

Also on offer is menbosha, delectable air-fried Korean shrimp toast with minced shrimp paste, mushroom seasoning, oyster sauce, garlic, and scallions stuffed between milk bread. (“Basically, the filling of shrimp dumplings,” notes Liz.) In addition, there’s a rotating list of banchan, staple side dishes, often vegetable-based, both fresh and fermented, and an essential element of Korean cuisine.

You’ll also find a lovely list of draft beers, including Kevin’s much-loved Guinness and well-balanced cocktails, some named after the monikers they considered before landing on Bar Alice Anne.

“We have one cocktail named In Sheep’s Clothing, because we’re on Wolfe Street,” says Liz. “It’s like the bar—a classic American corner bar from the outside, but when you come in, you’re not expecting to get these Korean flavors or Irish items on the menu.”

Indeed, hiding in plain sight, Alice Anne is unpretentious, and full of surprises—a neighborhood bar, distinctly its own—much like the city where it’s situated.

BAR ALICE ANNE: 1900 Aliceanna St. HOURS: Tues.-Thurs. 4-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. $4-12. PRICES: Snacks and shareables: $6-38.