Baltimore Food Scene Updates: Viale Pizza Opens, Beer Garden Debuts for Orioles Opening Day

After three years of serving wood-fired pizza and Hawaiian shave ice only six months a year off Key Highway, Kate Shotwell and Mack Fowler are ready to go year-round. The former Paulie Gee's space at 3535 Chestnut Ave. in Hampden will soon have pizza in it again: the owners behind Key Neapolitan by Verde and Crushed Velvet announced plans to relocate from Key Highway to the Hampden storefront. Their new venture is called Viale Pizza. The name is Italian for avenue, a nod to Hampden's main business corridor, which goes by The Avenue.

Shotwell and Fowler plan to merge their concepts at the Hampden spot, which they expect to open in May or June. They plan on bringing their separate businesses together, with Shotwell's shaved ice sold near the front and Fowler's pizzas in the back. Shotwell described the approach: "We're going to keep the vibes casual and fun with games like ping pong and pool, just like at our original space. We will expand our menu a bit, but pizza will be the star. The shaved ice component will have a walk up service window and ALL SYRUPS will be homemade now, nothing artificial."

Hampden residents had waited more than a year to see what would fill Paulie Gee's, which operated in the neighborhood for nearly 10 years. The Chestnut Avenue commercial space hosted a temporary pop-up bar called Bar Santa this winter, run by the team behind Charmery and Big Softy, but it had remained vacant since. Shotwell said they considered a location elsewhere in Maryland but ultimately didn't want to leave Baltimore: "We never wanted to go anywhere else."

With the Orioles home opener arriving Thursday at Camden Yards, another Hampden food destination also made its seasonal return. With Opening Day upon the city, Hampden Yards opened for the season, with the outdoor beer garden welcoming guests for food and drinks on Thursday, March 26. The Orioles hosted the Minnesota Twins at 3 p.m. to kick off the 2026 season.

Elsewhere in the city's food scene, Taco Love Grill opened in McHenry Row, similar to its sister spot in White Marsh, while another Taco Love location in Cross Street Market will close later this year when its lease expires in October. Two Baltimore institutions also marked milestones this month: Ekiben celebrated a decade in business on March 17, and the iconic Little Italy pastry shop Vaccaro's marked 70 years.

For Shotwell and Fowler, the move to Chestnut Avenue ends years of seasonal constraints and a difficult lease dispute. For the last three years, they served pizza and dessert seasonally, just six months out of the year, and are now excited to finally make their venture a year-round event. At 5,920 square feet, the building includes a back bar room, dining room, and a front patio; Shotwell and Fowler plan to open the wall separating the dining room from the bar room to increase visibility.