The Fishmonger’s Daughter opens for soft launch after years of delays

The wait is over.

The Fishmonger’s Daughter, a Catonsville offshoot of Faidley’s Seafood that has been years in the making, is set to open Friday after repeated delays.

The restaurant will begin with a “soft opening” limited to online reservations, co-owner Damye Hahn said in an interview. It will not accept walk-ins and is not yet open for lunch. It plans to gradually expand availability each day.

A grand opening date is planned for June, Hahn said.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Hahn said. “I wish I could say everything in the building is done, but we’re getting there. The place looks gorgeous.”

A menu was not available online, but Hahn described it as “Maryland-centric through and through,” from the distillers and taps to the oysters, fish and crab.

“We’re going to be featuring all the best of Maryland,” she said, adding that the restaurant’s chef will be announced soon.

The Fishmonger’s Daughter was announced in 2020, when the Faidley family purchased the former Plymouth Wallpaper Shop at 720 Frederick Road. It was planned as a Baltimore County outpost of the family’s famed seafood business, with a ground-floor restaurant, an upstairs event space and a basement shipping center.

But the restaurant faced “one setback after another,” Hahn told The Banner for a January story, and delayed its highly anticipated opening multiple times.

First the COVID-19 pandemic brought the renovation of the property to a halt. Then the project encountered termite damage, harsh winters, extensive plumbing and electrical upgrades, and permitting hurdles.

It will open six years after the initial announcement.

On Saturday, the space hosted a preview dinner in the Plymouth Room, a private event area above the restaurant, to celebrate the 90th birthday of Hahn’s mother, Nancy Faidley Devine.

Hahn’s daughter-in-law, caterer Julia Hahn, is partnering with the family to develop the venue for weddings, corporate events, crab feasts, milestone celebrations and more, according to a social media post.

Faidley’s Seafood, known for its jumbo lump crab cakes, is a Baltimore seafood stall founded in 1886 by Hahn’s great-grandfather. It has operated as an anchor tenant in the new Lexington Market since 2024, following an uphill battle.