Old spaces, new faces.

This week I check in with Baltimore restaurateurs who are bringing a fresh look to some classic structures in Baltimore, including a historic burger shop in Waverly and a longtime saloon in Canton.

Plus, we’ll find out what happened to a trendy burger joint in Fells Point.

New life for Waverly’s Hip Hop Fish & Chicken

“I’ve got some interesting news,” Kevyn Matthews wrote in a recent Instagram post.

Since starting his vegan food truck, Chihuahua Brothers, during the pandemic, Matthews has dreamed of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant to sell his signature tacos, hot dogs and Mexican snowballs. Matthews, a longtime caterer, was previously a “Dog Chef” who created artisanal pet food.

He even had his eye on a location: Waverly’s former Little Tavern shop located at East 32nd Street and Greenmount Avenue. The unique building had caught his eye during trips to Ace Hardware. Currently, it’s owned and operated by the Hip Hop Fish & Chicken chain. Matthews said the owner agreed to lease the building to him and shut down the chicken joint. He plans to ultimately buy the property.

The Little Tavern hamburger shops were once a fixture of the Baltimore and Washington areas, according to a video from Baltimore Heritage. The restaurants were known for their square sliders — sold by the bag — which attracted late night crowds of diners through the 1950s and 1960s. Some featured a distinctive green porcelain roof.

Matthews, who grew up in Silver Spring, remembers going to Little Tavern as a kid and looks forward to restoring the building. An antique car enthusiast, Matthews finds a unique joy in bringing old things back to life. “All of that energy is under all that stuff,” he said. “It’s a place where you make memories.”

Eventually he’s looking to add a small candy and ice cream store next door.

Dive in

Cool dive bars are having a moment.

Earlier this year, longtime Hampden watering hole Griffith’s Tavern got new owners and a rebrand into Melanie’s. The Hanover, a retro dive bar , launched in Brooklyn. And now, Sally O’s owner Jesse Sandlin is launching a dive bar of her own in Canton.

The name: The Dive. “Neo-dive, I guess you could call it,” said Sandlin, a Top Chef alum. “It’s just going to be a casual neighborhood bar situation.”

The building at Elliott and South Robinson streets was formerly home to Fuisine, which shut down last year, and Sandlin called it “too good of a deal to pass up. The building’s in great shape. I have always really loved the space.” She even worked inside during its previous iteration, Jack’s Bistro.

Years before that, it was Kirk’s Saloon, according to a 1987 article in The Baltimore Sun. And its owner told The Sun that its history as a neighborhood watering hole went back 80 years.

Partners on the project include Brian Acquavella, owner of Black Eyed Suzie’s in Bel Air.

Look for The Dive to open toward the end of October or early November. As for what guests can expect, Sandlin said: “It’s going to be casual.” Food will include pizzas, sandwiches and snacks with a mellow 1970s vibe. But it won’t be Sally O’s part two.

Sandlin stressed that there will be “no overlap” with her popular Canton restaurant, recently featured in a Food & Wine column spotlighting Charm City’s food scene.

Sally O’s is “way too personal to replicate,” Sandlin said. “Sally O’s is like taking a walk in my living room.”

Meanwhile, progress is moving slowly on Sandlin’s other new project, Bunny’s, in the former Wharf Rat of Fells Point. Contractors have gutted the building, which Sandlin said she discovered needed “a really absurd amount of structural work.” She’s also seeking an extension on the business’ liquor license, which was suspended by the city while the bar was closed down.

Any buyer’s remorse after the nearly $1 million purchase? Nah, Sandlin says. Although she’d hoped to be open already, she’s glad to be getting the building in proper shape to endure the next 30 years.

Lucky Buns in limbo

A sign on the restaurant’s door says Lucky Buns is closed for renovations. That’s only part of the story.

The buzzy burger chain opened in Fells Point earlier this year at 918 1/2 South Wolfe St., the first location outside Washington for the company founded in Adams Morgan by restaurateur Alex McCoy.

Months later, it’s out of commission.

McCoy said foot traffic in Fells Point has been sluggish since the place opened. “It seems to me it still isn’t back to where it was pre-COVID,” he said. “The restaurant industry’s tough and when it’s not busy it makes things a lot tougher.”

The original plans for Lucky Buns called for a second floor dining room. But that large space needs a large staff — and, more importantly, customers.

McCoy says he is now looking at retooling Lucky Buns’ business model or even selling the restaurant to a new owner. “We know there’s a winning formula there,” he said.

He’s having better luck in other places: Lucky Buns has three new locations opening in Washington and a new branch in London.

Try this: Pit Beef Festival

Pit beef is a Charm City signature — cooked on a hot grill, preferably at a roadside stand, outside a Ravens game or at Chaps on Pulaski Highway. Eat it with tiger sauce — aka horseradish and mayo — and plenty of raw onion.

And maybe with lots of beer.

This weekend, Drink Eat Relax Events will host Charm City’s first Pit Beef Festival. The event, this Saturday at Port Covington, will include a selection of more than 50 beers and other drinks as well as “dueling crush bars.”

Pit beef will be available for purchase. In addition, check out a la carte oysters, snowballs and classic local staples such as Berger cookies.

A $42 general admission ticket gets unlimited beer, wine and spirits samplings, plus a souvenir glass. Find out more at pitbeeffest.com.

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com