A Tex-Mex restaurant opens in a Baltimore Peninsula still waiting to fill in

It was moving day for Ryan Conley. The former Florida resident sat outside his new home in Baltimore Peninsula waiting for the trucks with all his belongings to show up. When asked what drew him to the newly built neighborhood, he simply pointed toward the water.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “One day, it’ll be something.”

While Conley waited to unpack his stuff, boxes of glassware sat inside the 4,500-square-foot space of another new resident down the street: Urbano Mexican Fare. The 2425 Rye St. eatery hosts its grand opening Tuesday night.

The restaurant, an offshoot of an upmarket Tex-Mex restaurant based in Northern Virginia, will serve classic menu staples like guacamole, tacos and fajitas, with innovative twists, including a grilled octopus with roasted garlic cauliflower puree entree.

First announced in 2024, Urbano arrives at a Baltimore Peninsula that looks much quieter than developers and residents might have imagined two years ago, as the neighborhood remains a work in progress. Slutty Vegan, the much-hyped plant-based eatery from restaurateur Pinky Cole, who was billed as a “development partner” in the surrounding Rye Street Market, shut down last month.

The only other restaurant inside Rye Street Market — a set of two connected buildings billed by developers as “the heart and soul” of Baltimore Peninsula — is a Jersey Mike’s. Rye Street Tavern is the neighborhood’s sole sit-down restaurant. Most of the storefronts surrounding Urbano remain vacant, with gravel floors, as developers look for new tenants.

Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, who initially proposed the mini-city and lobbied Baltimore to finance it, has stepped away from the project. That has left an Arkansas bank ultimately in control of the remaining undeveloped land.

“We’re confident Urbano will quickly become a staple in the neighborhood and all of Baltimore,” said Claudia Jolin, executive director of the Baltimore Peninsula Partnership, in a statement. Jolin did not respond to a request for additional comment. Urbano owners Chad Sparrow and Larry Walston could not be reached.

And things are shaping up to be a busy fall for the neighborhood, said Havana Gazlay, a spokesperson for Baltimore Peninsula. A number of new eateries are set to arrive in a matter of months, including Blü Cā Jamaican restaurant, where construction is currently underway. Slurp Noodle, Hama Sushi and karaoke bar Live-K should also be launching this autumn, though BK Lobster is no longer coming. Other new non-restaurant tenants include a nail salon, bank branch and a daycare.

“These new openings reflect the strong momentum we’re seeing across the community and our commitment to creating a dynamic mix of dining, retail and neighborhood-serving amenities for residents, employees and visitors,” said Kelly Dayton, president of Sagamore Ventures, in a statement.

Baltimore Peninsula is “gradually filling up,” said Klaus Philipsen, an architect who writes about Baltimore and urban design. In the meantime, developers have found creative ways to draw traffic to the area, he said, such as creating a pop-up beer garden, Seagarten, at the Port Covington marina, or hosting festivals and other events.

Philipsen notes that other big commercial developments like Harbor East and Harbor Point both took many years to get going. As a sign of progress, he pointed to the recently built townhomes at the former Locke Insulator factory, which he said are “selling like hotcakes.” Though those properties are not controlled by Baltimore Peninsula, Philipsen is encouraged by the interest they’ve generated among residents.

“‘Retail follows rooftops,’ as the development industry says,” he said. “It may take another 20 years to build out, but it will gradually grow.”

One day, it’ll be something.