On December 8, the doors to one of the country’s most anticipated food halls will open in Baltimore’s Remington neighborhood. Located at Remington Ave. and 29th St., R. House is a historic car showroom and garage completely reimagined. The $13 million food hall was designed by social entrepreneurs at Seawall as a place for chefs to launch new restaurant concepts in the easiest way possible—by focusing on making incredible food.
R. House’s permanent stalls will include Dave Sherman’s breakfast and coffee concept, Ground & Griddled; Amano Taco, a taqueria featuring authentic Mexican tacos; Heather Chung and sister Unmi Kim’s casual Korean Barbecue concept, BeBim; Farid Salloum’s modern take on Mediterranean street food, ARBA; BRD, a fried chicken joint; White Envelope, Federico Tischler’s modern style of arepas, a Venezuelan comfort; BLK // SUGAR and Little Baby’s Ice Cream—two dessert brands with experimental flavors in one stall; Hilo—Baltimore’s first poke place, Melanie Molinaro’s vegetarian and vegan street food concept, Stall 11, powered by Urban Pastoral, as well as R. Bar, a craft concept led by Aaron Joseph and Amie Ward.
Though each concept is unique and independent, the chefs share a desire to bring their communities together through modern interpretations of classic flavors. By providing a house team and logistical support, R. House allows chefs to exercise their creativity.
“We built this space from the inside out,” explains Jon Constable, Seawall development partner. “By asking our chefs how their dream restaurant would work, we were able to understand how to make this space work for them.”
For chefs interested in testing out new concepts, R. House will also offer a fully outfitted pop-up kitchen for up to two months. The chefs will come from a diverse range of backgrounds—from experienced restaurateurs testing new ideas, to chefs visiting from other cities and countries, to restaurants about to open in Charm City. “Call it an incubator or a launchpad,” says Peter DiPrinzio, general manager, “this space is a way for local chefs to bring their ideas to life and find their start.”
The 50,000-square-foot-space includes 15-foot-tall windows, roll-up garage doors, and 12,000 square feet of wide-open seating (350 seats in all)—sofas, high tops, low tops, communal tables, booths, patio seats, and bar stools – all under one roof. In warmer weather, the patio will be open under a wisteria-covered trellis. A beautiful house bar is centered amid 11 open kitchens stationed around the room’s perimeter. In programming the space, R. House is meant to feel like a true Baltimore home. From the “playroom,” a playful construction of shou-shugi stairs and moveable seating, to the Den, an intimate 28-seat section, R. House has seating for everyone.
“We’ve designed this space so that anyone can come in and find their ‘spot,’” says DiPrinzio. “By calling ourselves ‘R. House, this space has the potential to become a ‘third place’ for our guests.”
The LEED Silver Certified venue will also offer “The Garage”—6,000 square feet of open space for events such as private parties, community gatherings, and bike-in movies.
“We imagine this space will become a place for community and celebration,” adds Stephanie Hsu, marketing and events manager. “The Garage is a blank slate, so it can be reinvented for each event.”
Seawall has dedicated much of its time and focus in the neighborhood of Remington, which like Baltimore, is in the midst of its own renaissance.
