Bar One in Baltimore has permanently closed, according to the property’s owners. Recent court records also show the restaurant now owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes to the state of Maryland.

Property management company Harbor East has taken possession of the space at 1000 Lancaster St., Unit B, and is in the early stages of finding a new tenant, according to a representative. As of this week, the furniture from the lounge appeared to remain on the premises.

Bar One closed its doors in May after staff members walked off the job, alleging they hadn’t been paid. The restaurant also saw its liquor license suspended after failure to pay tens of thousands of dollars in state taxes, while the restaurant’s owner, Peter Thomas, admitted he was behind on rent by several months.

On Aug. 25, a lien of judgment against Bar One of more than $355,000 was entered in favor of the state. The amount, which includes interest and penalties, reflects the period covering October 2021 through the following September.

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Despite mounting difficulties, Thomas, a one-time reality TV star known for his stint on the “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” told The Baltimore Banner in late June that he planned to reopen the lounge. Without offering evidence, he blamed the business’s woes on large-scale thefts by its employees.

During its approximately two years in operation in the former Gordon Biersch Brewery, Bar One became a destination for mingling and political fundraisers among Black powerbrokers in the area. Thomas told The Banner that the space was important to him as a Black restaurateur: “There hasn’t been one Black restaurant on the waterfront in the history of this city,” he said.

Thomas and his spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Thomas has not made any announcements about the lounge’s official closure on his Instagram account and the Bar One Baltimore account has not been updated since May 30, though he tagged @baronebaltimore on his personal page as recently as Aug. 11. The restaurant website has been taken offline.

Despite financial troubles, Thomas’ Bar One Miami Beach location remains open. His Florida landlord has filed for eviction, alleging the restaurant owes more than $400,000 in rent, though lawyers for the business dispute those claims. Sports One Bar and Lounge in North Carolina, which Thomas also owned, closed in 2019 with more than $200,000 in unpaid taxes.

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com

Christina Tkacik

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com

Christina Tkacik

Christina Tkacik is the food reporter for The Baltimore Banner.

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