Bits & Bites: Shuttered Baltimore restaurants spring open and a Fells Point dive bar gets a second wind

Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, and this year a few dormant Baltimore restaurants are joining baby birds and budding flowers as signs of new life in the city.

The Downtown Baltimore storefront that was the longtime home of Maisy’s has a new tenant focused on tacos. On the same block, a popular Turkish restaurant, shuttered since the pandemic, is getting ready to make its return. And in Fells Point, a veteran dive bar that’s been closed since last year will reopen thanks to a regular customer.

Then there are the annual signs that spring has sprung and summer’s on its way: The Pratt Street Market is kicking off a new season, snowball stands are scooping icy desserts and rooftop cocktails are back on the menu. I have all the details in this week’s column.

Tacos take over Maisy’s

Maisy’s, the Downtown Baltimore dining fixture that closed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, finally has a successor.

Vugar Ismayilov, who operates restaurants and food trucks in Northern Virginia, plans to open Tacos & Me in the long-vacant storefront at 313 N. Charles St. Ismayilov said the new dining spot could open as soon as this weekend.

Though tacos will be a focus, the restaurant’s eclectic menu will also cover dishes like poke bowls and steak salad. Ismayilov said he wanted to offer a “healthier” option for downtown office workers and residents.

Tacos & Me will be open for lunch and dinner, and will also have a selection of beer, wine and cocktails. The 4,200-square-foot restaurant has two floors of seating.

A native of Azerbaijan, Ismayilov got his start with a food truck in Northern Virginia before opening a Turkish restaurant called Akivva Grill in Arlington. He also runs a side business building out food trucks for other operators.

The Baltimore restaurant will be one of two planned locations for Tacos & Me: Ismayilov said he’s also preparing to open an outpost of the eatery in Alexandria, Virginia.

Cazbar’s comeback

Across the street, Cazbar will soon be back in business after a four-year hiatus.

The Turkish restaurant, which closed in 2020 due to flooding, recently renewed its liquor license after letting it lapse. Owner Haluk Kantar said he’s “inching closer to reopening,” though he hasn’t yet announced a date.

“The city seems to be getting better every month and I hope to help in the growth and stability of the Mount Vernon area,” he wrote in an email.

In the meantime, diners have been able to get their fill of beyti kebab and belly-dancing shows at Cazbar’s Columbia location, which opened in 2019. Kantar also owns the HomeSlyce pizza chain, which has restaurants in Mt. Vernon, Charles Village, Canton, Columbia, Clarksville and Towson.

Lil Phil’s to reopen with gourmet menu

Dale Fields has had a long list of cooking jobs around the city: He’s worked at Bertha’s Mussels and Claddagh Pub, Modern Cook Shop and Life of Reilly. He’s spent time in farther flung kitchens as well, from Marlin Moon Restaurant in West Ocean City to restaurants in Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Jordan.

His next destination will be a pint-sized Fells Point dive bar.

Fields, currently a chef at Peter’s Inn, is getting ready to revive Lil Phil’s, a 38-seat watering hole that’s been closed since late last year. He was a regular at the bar on South Broadway before owner Philip Osika passed away in June 2023, leaving its future in doubt. The chef decided to keep the Lil Phil’s legacy going.

Fields says he’s aiming to reopen the bar in September. Under new management, Lil Phil’s won’t see a “complete rebranding,” he said. But there will be some changes, notably on the menu.

The chef will bring his culinary pedigree to the dive bar with “some of the best pub grub you’d ever expect to find in a small place like this,” his attorney, Stephan Fogleman, told Baltimore City liquor board commissioners in a mid-April hearing. Visitors can expect to find food that’s different from standard bar fare, like fish consommé, duck wings, crispy chicken fries and ropa vieja, a hearty Cuban stew featuring shredded beef and tomatoes.

Fields “doesn’t want to take anything out of a bag,” Fogleman said. “Nothing’s going to be frozen; everything’s going to be fresh.”

Signs of spring

It wouldn’t be spring without the return of rooftop bars, farmers markets and snowball stands. Here are some of latest openings:

•Pratt Street Market: This seasonal market, organized by the Downtown Partnership, kicks off Thursday at the corner of Pratt and Light streets. The list of 2024 vendors hits a wide range of cuisines: rice bowls from SoBeachy Haitian Cuisine, gyros from B’More Greek Grill, brisket from Soul Smoked Barbeque, juices from MoreLife Organic Shop and meat-and-cheese-stuffed empanadas from DMV Empanadas. HoodFellas Bistro, which recently closed its downtown brick-and-mortar, will also pop up at the market, which will run every Thursday through September from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

•LB Skybar: The Lord Baltimore Hotel’s 19th-floor cocktail bar returned for the season on April 25. This year, the Skybar will be open Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. until midnight. Beer and cocktails (both craft and canned) are on the menu; to eat, there’s snacks like crab pretzels, cheeseburger sliders and grilled wings.

•Snowball stands: Warm weather calls for Baltimore’s favorite frozen treat. Seasonal snowball stands are back in action — Walther Gardens, which claims to be the country’s oldest snowball stand, returned in mid-April, while one of the city’s newest snowball stands, Quality Snowballs in Hampden, reopened Wednesday. Crushed Velvet, the Key Highway pop-up that serves Hawaiian shaved ice, will be open seven days a week starting May 15.