Little Havana Buys Hogan’s Alley Liquor License, Eyes Expansion

Hogan’s Alley at 1501 Covington St. closed earlier this year and its liquor license and property were later sold at auction. The winning bid for the liquor license came from the Little Havana team. Little Havana currently has a Class B License and plans to move Hogan’s Alley Class BD-7 License to its restaurant.

Unlike a Class B license, Class BD-7 licenses do not have a food requirement and allow for off-premise sales of beer, wine and liquor. However, co-owner Marc Gentile noted that Little Havana has no issue meeting the food requirement of its current license.

Before transferring in the new license, Little Havana will be going to the Baltimore City Board of Municipal Zoning Appeals (BMZA) to make changes to the scope of their current Use and Occupancy Permit at 1325 Key Hwy. in Federal Hill. Little Havana is currently only zoned to operate its restaurant in its current layout, but the team is hoping to expand its operations to the front of its building facing Key Hwy. where a flooring company recently had an office.

If approved, the team is hoping to open some type of café on the Key Hwy. side of its building. Gentile told SouthBMore.com that more details will be available in the future but the early idea is to have a space that focuses on lunch and desserts.

Gentile said after approvals and transfers, Little Havana will look to sell its current license in the early part of next year.

Little Havana is now open for lunch year-round. It also recently received a new exterior paint job. Additionally, it recently demolished the former Globe Brewing Co. and converted it into a parking lot.

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.