More than two years after Cafe Hon closed on The Avenue in Hampden, there are signs that a new restaurant may be close to taking its place.
The Baltimore Liquor Board recently posted a notice in the front window of 1000 W. 36th Street, where Cafe Hon operated for 30 years, saying that the board has received an application for a new restaurant license and will hold a public hearing in City Hall sometime “on or after” July 4.
The notice states that the applicant, John Anthony Foreman of PubCo LLC, is seeking a Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor license and requesting to provide live entertainment and outdoor table service. A trade name for the new business is pending, the notice states.
Also posted on the window are building permits indicating that contractors have received permission from the city to complete mechanical work on the premises, involving plumbing, electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems.
The building’s street-level windows have been covered over so it’s difficult for anyone outside the building to see what work is underway inside.
The permits state that the scope of work is: “interior fit-out for a new restaurant within an existing restaurant space on the first floor of an existing 3 story building” and that the “lease includes a basement level.”
The permits say the work also includes new walls and doors, new built-in furniture and millwork, and updates to finishes, fixtures and restaurant equipment.
One permit was issued Dec. 9, 2022 and expired Nov. 29, 2023. A second permit was issued Jan. 17, 2024 and is due to expire on July 17.
Before Cafe Hon opened in 1992, the building at 1000 W. 36th Street was the home for many years of Benson’s Hardware. Cafe Hon was one of several pioneering businesses whose opening helped change 36th Street from a corridor of service-oriented businesses to a regional destination for shopping and dining, with one-of-a-kind retailers rather than chain stores.
When she closed Cafe Hon on April 29, 2022, owner Denise Whiting announced that the space would be leased by Foreman and Cindy Wolf of the Foreman Wolf restaurant group. Whiting said the new restaurant wouldn’t keep the name Cafe Hon and would change concepts, but she didn’t say how it would change.
“Tony and I have been acquaintances for decades and [Foreman-Wolf restaurant ] Petit Louis holds a special place in my heart,” she said at the time. “I look forward to seeing what comes next for the space.”
After Cafe Hon closed, Whiting put many of the items from her restaurant up for auction, but a replacement restaurant never opened.
Foreman did not respond immediately to a request for comment. According to his application to the liquor board, stamped May 31, 2024, Foreman is a licensee in two other city restaurants: Petit Louis Bistro at 4800 Roland Ave. and Cinghiale at 822 Lancaster St., and he would have 100 percent financial interest in the entity holding the liquor license for 1000 W. 36th Street. His attorney for the Hampden venture is Caroline Hecker of Rosenberg Martin Greenberg LLP.
Other Foreman Wolf properties, according to its website, are Johnny’s at 4800 Roland Ave.; Charleston Restaurant at 1000 Lancaster St.; Cindy Lou’s Fish House at 1215 Wills St.; Bin 604 Wine + Spirits at 711 S. Central Ave.; The Milton Inn at 14833 York Road in Sparks; and Bin 201 Wine + Spirits at 201 Harker Place in Annapolis.
A floor plan on file with the liquor board application indicates that the restaurant in Hampden will have seating for about 50 patrons in its main dining area and a separate 14-seat bar with additional booth seating where Cafe Hon’s bar was, overlooking Roland Avenue.
The liquor board typically holds public hearings on applications close to when a restaurant is ready to open. Matt Achhammer, community liaison for the liquor board, said a date has not been set for a hearing on Foreman’s application.
