Good eats in Hamilton-Lauraville are nothing new.

The northeastern side of the city is home to beloved dining spots like Maggie’s Farm, Koco’s Pub, Taste This, Zeke’s Coffee and Silver Queen Cafe. More recent additions include Cafe Campli, a restaurant serving dishes from Italy’s Abruzzo region, Diasporan Soul, a Jamaican-American fusion spot and Arcola, a neighborhood coffee shop.

A new wave of culinary arrivals will soon add even more dining options to the menu in Northeast Baltimore. In this week’s column, I have an update on what’s in the works, from tacos to smoked salmon pizza.

Eating good in the neighborhood

When Mercedes Unfried says she lives in Lauraville, people typically tell her they’re familiar with one of just a handful of restaurants in the area.

“They usually know Koco’s Pub, Silver Queen or Zeke’s,” Unfried, the president of the Lauraville Community Association, said. But she and her neighbors know there are even more dining options nearby. She tries to invite a broad selection of eateries each year to be vendors at the Lauraville Fair, hosted by Lauraville Fair Inc., another community organization where she serves on the board.

“We like to have a good mix of different kinds of places,” she said, to reflect the diversity of the neighborhood.

Soon, Northeast Baltimore — home to neighborhoods like Lauraville, Hamilton, Waltherson and Mayfield — will be home to even more places to dine.

At least one of the new additions will be run by locals. Micky White and Krista Cushman are getting ready to open Micky’s Joint, a bar and restaurant, in the coming weeks. White and Cushman live within walking distance of Micky’s, which will take over the old Char’d City space at 5402 Harford Road. Cushman is well known in the community for the pet store she used to own, Mutt Mart, as well as her work as the neighborhood marketing coordinator for Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street.

She will run the front of house at Micky’s while White, who most recently managed the food truck for Kooper’s Tavern, will run the kitchen. The new restaurant will make use of Char’d City’s hefty wood-fired oven to turn out dishes cooked “with fire and smoke,” he said, like pizza, roast beef and chicken wings. (White says he initially wanted to remove the oven, but the task proved too expensive — so he adjusted the menu accordingly.)

Pizza options will range from traditional flavors, like cheese and pepperoni, to more unique ones, such as the salmon pie, topped with smoked salmon, goat cheese, pickled red onion, capers and everything bagel seasoning. (“It’s kind of like eating a lox and cream cheese bagel, but on a pizza,” White explained.)

He also plans to serve sandwiches (BBQ pulled pork, fried chicken, Cubans, Italian hoagies) and smashburgers.

Micky’s will be a laid-back spot where customers order at the bar and can come as they are.

“We don’t care if you’re wearing your sweatpants,” Cushman said. She and White are planning to host trivia nights, live music and happy hours (they’re considering late-night deals for those who can’t make it in time for a traditional happy hour).

The pair take inspiration from another local favorite, Hamilton Tavern, which closed during the pandemic. New owners Sushme Karkai and Binod Uprety said last year they plan to renovate the spot and add Indian food to the menu.

“I feel like the neighborhood’s been missing something since they left, so we want to fill that void,” Cushman said. “We’re kind of pushing to be that neighborhood watering hole.”

More on the way

A few blocks down the road, Papi’s Tacos is getting ready for a debut by the end of the year — if all goes according to plan.

Owner Charlie Gjerde said the restaurant — the fifth for the local taco chain — is “a couple weeks out” and needs to pass final inspections before opening its doors.

Gjerde has been looking to expand Papi’s in recent years, adding new locations in Hampden, Towson and Ocean City. The original taqueria opened in Fells Point in 2014.

The newest restaurant will open in the SoHa Union development at 4801 Harford Road. The building is already home to Cafe Campli, which opened last year. Gjerde said SoHa Union developer Sam Polakoff is also the landlord for another of his restaurants, Huck’s American Craft in Canton, and urged Gjerde to consider the Northeast Baltimore space, which was initially designed for Japanese restaurant Fire & Rice.

“It was a perfect fit for what we like to do with Papi’s,” Gjerde said of the spot.

Also expanding on Harford Road is Maillard Pastries, a Hampden bakery known for croissants, cakes and other small-batch baked goods.

Owner Caitlin Kiehl said last month that she hopes to open a second Maillard in the former Bramble Baking Co. space at 5414 Harford Road in time for the holidays. It appears she may meet that goal: a Nov. 12 post on the bakery’s social media said an opening was “getting really close” and that the store was hiring for a baker and cashier in preparation.

Also in the wings is Max’s Spice Beaudega, a “vedge friendly joint” from the owners of Baltimore-based salt and seasoning business Max’s Degrees. Details on the concept, slated to open at 4607 Harford Road, are still sparse. I’ve reached out for more information.

Build-your-own gingerbread rowhome

A Baltimore organization is putting a local spin on gingerbread house-making this holiday season.

Open Works, a nonprofit makerspace on Greenmount Avenue, is selling laser-cut gingerbread rowhome kits as a fundraiser for the Women’s Housing Coalition, an organization working to end homelessness.

Each kit comes with three laser-cut graham cracker facades, 12 graham crackers to use as walls and roofs, icing and assorted candies for decorating. You can find more details on the Open Works website.