These 3 new Baltimore restaurants are one step closer to opening

Baltimore chefs are taking big swings, from a new fine dining concept downtown to an all-day breakfast spot in Greektown.

The restaurateurs were granted licenses and license extensions to sell alcohol by Baltimore’s Board of Liquor License Commissioners at a hearing Thursday — bringing them leaps closer to finally opening up shop.

Mark your calendars.

Thai Restaurant

• 3100 Greenmount Ave.

Thai Restaurant was a beloved family-owned eatery that ended its two-decade tenure in the Waverly neighborhood in 2023 when its former property owner had them vacate the building.

Nat Mettawiparee, whose parents previously ran the eatery, is taking over the new location at 3100 Greenmount Ave. in Abell. With the help of local grants and a GoFundMe fundraiser started by the community, the business is edging closer to an opening. Construction on the new building is finished, according to Mettawiparee‘s attorney Stephan Fogleman, who said Thursday the business is waiting on inspections from the city to set an official launch date.

Nest

• 21 N. Eutaw St.

It’s been more than a year since chef Loic Sany announced plans to open a fine-dining sister concept above downtown Caribbean spot Jerk At Nite. Nest, with a mixture of cuisines that inspired Sany upon his arrival in the United States from Cameroon, is weeks away from firing up its kitchen.

Sany said in an interview Thursday that he expects Nest to open at the end of May, with luxurious offerings from caviar to foie gras and duck. The menu takes inspiration from Japanese, Middle Eastern and French food, among others, and will call upon Sany’s 15-year background in fine dining to pull off highly technical dishes that customers won’t find elsewhere in Baltimore, he said.

The second-floor space will provide a contrast to the upscale casual food offered at Jerk At Nite, which Sany explained is more focused on feeding the community. Nest will be a more expensive, time-intensive experience for the young chef looking to showcase his ambition and prove his talents among a small field of the city’s established fine-dining players.

“I want to wow people,” Sany said.

The Breakfast Club of Baltimore

• 560 Bayview Blvd.

Greektown’s options for breakfast are limited, according to Sadio Noni Green and Sandra Davis, owners of The Breakfast Club of Baltimore.

The restaurant will open soon at East Baltimore’s Yard 56, a 20-acre, mixed-use development with residential units and retailers, including a Lidl grocery store. The project by MCB Real Estate, which is also redeveloping Harborplace, will serve as the second location for the breakfast spot. Green and Davis said Thursday they will not be transitioning staff from their Silver Spring location, choosing instead to hire locally. The Breakfast Club will offer French toast, smoked salmon Benedicts and artisanal coffees in a casual, welcoming environment. Bloody Marys and mimosas will also be available.

It all started with the simple idea that the first meal of the day deserves much more attention, said Eric von Vorys, an attorney for the business.