Jimmy’s Famous Seafood’s ‘TailGOAT’ Coming to Hammerjacks Venue this Ravens Season

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood’s TailGOAT tailgate party for Ravens games will be at a new location this season. The Southeast Baltimore seafood restaurant is moving its TailGOAT from the parking lot at the Parker Metal Building to the Hammerjacks outdoor music and event space at 1300 Russell St.

Jimmy’s has been hosting tailgate parties since the Ravens came to Baltimore in the 1990s and the team is excited for its new location. “We are always looking to create new and exciting things for our customers, ” said Jimmy’s partner John Minadakis. “We jumped at this opportunity.”

Hammerjacks reopened in 2021 as an outdoor music venue constructed with recycled shipping containers. It took the place of the former Paradox music club, which was demolished.

Minadakis noted the space is slightly bigger than Jimmy’s tailgate lot last year and is more turnkey to prevent long hours of set up and breakdown. Jimmy’s staff would arrive at the TailGOAT lot at 3am in previous years.

Many components, such as the stage and bars and merchandise stands, are already in place at the new location.

1300 Russell St. is also directly across the street from M&T Bank Stadium, which Minadakis loves.

A big aspect of the TailGOAT is the musical acts each week. For week one on September 10th when the Ravens host the Houston Texans, electronic music band Cheat Codes is the headliner.

“We’ve been bringing in bigger names over the years, so it’s more conducive to be in a music-first venue,” said Minadakis.

1300 Russell St. is on a cul-de-sac. Jimmy’s will use this area for vendors and food trucks.

Jimmy’s serves its popular seafood items at TailGOAT but also tries to change up the menu each week and tap into the popular dishes of the city of the Ravens’ opponent.

TailGOAT also fundraises for different local charities.

Minadakis thinks capacity will be between 1,500 to 2,000 people, but they will be capping attendance at 1,500 for September 10th to get a feel for the space. He expects a sellout.

Jimmy’s will be upgrading the space with some cosmetic improvements, its own branding, and digital enhancements.

There is a two-story brick building at 1300 Russell St. that fronts Ostend St. For now Jimmy’s will just be using it for storage and a green room for the bands. This building was recently painted black by the landlord, and Jimmy’s will be adding a TailGOAT banner to it.

Along with Ravens tailgates, Jimmy’s is hoping the Orioles make the playoffs so it can host baseball tailgates as well. Jimmy’s is also considering doing additional events for St. Patrick’s, Cinco de Mayo, and a rock-and-roll and pro wrestling event.

Jimmy’s has a one-year lease at 1300 Russell St. and hopes to be back next year. “We are taking it day by day and game by game,” said Minadakis.

Photos below courtesy of Hammerjacks

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.