1845 Coffee Shop
Coffee Your Way at the Oldest Building on the Yard The U.S. Naval Academy’s Business Services Division opened the 1845 Coffee Shop just inside the Naval Academy’s Gate 3 in May 2019. Visitors are invited to travel back in time by stepping into the oldest standing building on the Yard (the former gate house building) and purchasing a great cup of Ceremony coffee to go – along with fresh baked goods daily from the Harvest Bread Company. Outside patio tables with umbrellas offer a pleasant place to relax for those who can linger a little longer.
Annapolis Ice Cream Co.
New Look, New Flavors at Annapolis Ice Cream Company For the first time, Annapolis Ice Cream Company now offers two-to-three flavors of vegan ice cream. After purchasing the shop in spring 2019 and completing renovations, the new owners of Annapolis Ice Cream Company re-opened the 196 Main Street shop in downtown Annapolis in May 2019. Kim Proctor and Barbara Meloni say the core of their menu is the original recipes and fresh ingredients store founders Nancy and Walter Giera had used at the shop ever since they opened it in May 2004. The foundation of their ice cream is a rich, sweet cream base that is rBST-free. The new owners are using the same base from the same distributor. They even cook the ice cream in the same machine and with the same ice cream chef. Annapolis Ice Cream Company has been voted Best of Annapolis for 15 years, and the new owners plan to uphold the tradition.
Ashling Kitchen & Bar
Enjoy a Musical Memory Lane at Ashling Kitchen and Bar In April 2019, co-owners Saeed Ashrafzadeh and Elise Letavish opened Ashling Kitchen & Bar in Crofton, where Christopher’s Restaurant used to be. The opening was the next step for duo as they continue to run their successful Ashling Catering business that provides meals for music and stage performers and their backstage staff in venues throughout Maryland. The new restaurant serves as home base for the three-year-old catering business. Before donning her catering cap, Letavish had worked with the music industry for over a decade. She spent six of those years serving as tour manager for the late rapper, artist, and producer, Mac Miller. During that time, Letavish saw the world and got to work with some of the best artists in the nation. As tour manager, she learned the value of creating community and a sense of home around a “good meal and a stiff drink” wherever you are. In 2016, Letavish received a call from the production manager at the Lyric Theater in Baltimore asking for assistance in improving the backstage experience for their artist clients. In response, Letavish and Ashrafzadeh launched Ashling Market and Catering. They quickly developed a reputation for food that was diverse and familiar, sophisticated and accessible. This same quality food is now being served at Ashling Kitchen & Bar, which has a music industry theme and serves up star treatment to its guests. The restaurant employs 50 individuals and the catering business employs 30 people.
Made in Eastport Forward Brewing is slated to open in February 2020 at 418 Fourth Street in Annapolis. The Eastport-based nano-brewery will be the first establishment of its kind in the neighborhood. The 28-seat beer hall style restaurant and taproom will be housed in a former marine electronics store. Owners Camden and Claire Bowdren are planning a menu that includes a rotating mix of small plates, soups, salads and a few entrees. Smaller than a microbrewery, a nano-brewery gives the Bowdrens tremendous flexibility in the beers they can craft and present. They’ll be offering two beers, a Kolsch-style ale called Boat Beer and a red IPA, when the restaurant opens. The taproom will have 12 taps that it will grow into as the brewery gets up and running. The Bowdrens plan to source food locally and recycle spent grain by sharing it with local farms for animal feed. Forward Brewing will be the first brewer to operate in Annapolis in several years. Rams Head opened Fordham Brewing Company on West Street in Annapolis in 1995. It relocated the brewing company to Delaware in 2007.
Galway Bay Irish Restaurant
Calling All Irish Whiskey Lovers During ceremonies in Dublin in October 2019, Irish Hospitality Global named Galway Bay Irish Restaurant, Pub & Whiskey Bar the 2019 Winner for Best Irish Whiskey Experience in the United States. The annual award celebrates the best of Irish hospitality in Ireland and the World. After several months of renovations, Galway Bay introduced its Irish Whiskey Bar experience in 2018. Featuring more than 80 Irish Whiskeys, it’s believed Galway Bay has the largest collection of Irish Whiskeys in Maryland – from everyday favorites to rare and hard-to-find spirits, including Midleton Very Rare, Jameson 18 Year, Bushmills 21 Year Single Malt and the very special Teeling 29 Year Single Malt – Bottle #61. It’s one of only 100 made solely for the U.S. market. Galway Bay has created specially selected Irish Whiskey flights to offer customers a unique tasting experience not found anywhere else in the United States. Galway Bay is believed to have the largest collections of Irish Whiskeys in Maryland.
Down Home Southern Hospitality at Julep Located across from the Annapolis Towne Centre in Annapolis, the local, family-owned Julep Southern Kitchen & Bar opened in mid-December 2019. Owned by the same restauranteurs as the Hideaway, in Odenton, the new eatery at 2207 Forest Drive is in the Old Bertucci’s space, between the Home Depot and Outback Steakhouse in the Forest Plaza shopping center. Julep’s contemporary southern-comfort menu includes plenty of BBQ. The dining room is very open, with a full bar to the left and the main dining to the right. The open kitchen is along the back wall. The décor is modern meets rustic. Julep also has a full-service bar specializing in American Bourbon and Rye whiskeys, cocktails and local craft beer. The menu includes a host of Southern favorites: shrimp and grits, meatloaf, St. Louis ribs and chicken fried steak, among others.
