Barracudas Now Back Open in Locust Point
After being closed down since July 4th of last year due to a fire, Barracudas Locust Point Tavern reopened last week. Barracudas ownership and managerial team spent the last 13 months working with contractors and its staff to reopen.
“There was no soft opening, we just wanted to be open,” said General Manager Samantha Stinchcomb regarding the restaurant’s reopening.
She said just about everything inside Barracudas is new including the plumbing, electricity, and cosmetics. She noted however that most of the decorations were saved and put back on the walls.
The upstairs underwent the most changes as a wall was taken out and a bar was built. Stinchcomb said the upstairs at Barracudas was previously used for overflow seating but “now people will want to to up there.” The upstairs bar will be fully functional with a bartender whenever Barracudas is open.
The kitchen has some new equipment, according to Stinchcomb.
The exterior has a new “Jeet Yet?” mural, which is Barracudas’ Baltimore accent-inspired tag line, painted on the front facade by muralist Laura Klipp. The fish mural on the side wall was touched up by Charles Lawrence. And, the hanging mermaid and catfish were newly spray painted.
The awning over the outdoor patio, which was installed shortly before the fire, has been reinstalled. Wood paneling will be added to the fence on the western side of the patio.
A.R. Marani was the contractor on the rebuild.
The menu is the same as it was before. It features appetizers, salads, soups, large sandwiches, seafood dishes, and entrees, as well as specials that are always being added. Stinchcomb said there are a lot of peach-inspired specials currently.
The bar still has the same selection of fresh fruit crushes, infused liquors, wine, and bottles of beer.
Stinchcomb said a lot of the front-of-house staff is new. The kitchen staff, however, is the same as owner Bill Hughes kept the employees, including sous chef Melvin Najero, paid while the restaurant was shut down. The kitchen staff helped set the restaurant back up.
Barracudas is now open every day for lunch and dinner.
“It’s been going really well, and it’s really exciting,” said Stinchcomb. “It feels the same, feels like we didn’t skip a beat. It just feels newer.”
“It feels like the weight of the world is off our shoulders. We get to be with people and we have a purpose again,” added Stinchcomb.
“We just missed each other, and missed being here. We are excited be back in the community. We plan on being here a long time.”
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.
