Fells Point will soon welcome a new Mexican food concept, the Baja Tap bar, to their cobblestone street neighborhood.
The restaurant will replace the once popular brunch and nightlife venue Bond Street Social, which closed in 2022.
Baltimore Business Journal earlier this week reported developers’ plans to open Baja Tap in the former Bond Street Social space by August.
Baja Tap has been in the works for almost one year by the Wave Group, a hospitality group based out of Arlington, Virginia.
The Wave Group’s partners include John Rennich, and Gary Koh, who handle operations; Lee Smith who focuses on construction; Scott Parker who handles the marketing; and Greg Lloyd, who worked for seven years as the chef at one of the biggest and most iconic restaurants in D.C., Le Diplomate.
The group has worked on several successful restaurants in Virginia, including Poppyseed Rye, Nighthawk Brewery and Pizza, Don Tito’s and Bronson Bierhall.
Baja Tap will be the Wave Group’s first Baltimore project.
“We always wanted to go into Baltimore but we were waiting on the right location,” Parker said. “Our brokers called and said this location is the one for you. You’re not going to find anything else this good anytime soon. We went to visit, and it was a beautiful location in our favorite Baltimore neighborhood, on the water, so what could really go wrong?”
Another Baja Tap restaurant will open March 1 in the Washington D.C. neighborhood Adams Morgan.
“We planned for Baltimore to be the first location then we found a dream location in Adams Morgan, so we just went for it,” Parker said. “But we always knew this was a concept we wanted to grow and expand.
Guests can expect the menu to include a variety of tacos and other Mexican classics. The cooks working under head Chef Greg Lloyd are from Oaxaca, Mexico, “so they will be bringing authentic Mexican flavors to the menu,” Parker said.
Additionally, guests can anticipate a strong music-driven venue with live music seven nights a week, featuring guitar players, singers, and a full band on weekends.
Baja Tap will give the experience of a Mexican beer hall, featuring picnic tables and a serverless system that will allow guests to order from their table by using a QR code.
They will also be keeping the private room that Bond Street Social had in order to cater to private events.
While developing this project the Wave Group members have been working closely with founder and president of the Atlas Group, Alex Smith, who Parker says has helped Wave Group navigate the city and make contacts.
The restaurant will begin hiring staff in the middle of summer and plans to open in early August.
