Woodberry Tavern

The pandemic prompted the owner of Woodberry Kitchen, the barn-size tribute to the Mid-Atlantic, to rethink his vision. The biggest change? “We turned the restaurant into an event space and the event space into a restaurant,” says Spike Gjerde, the James Beard Award-winning Baltimore chef.

Woodberry Tavern, a former private room, is where diners can now book one of 22 seats for dinner five nights a week. Knotty wood paneling punctuates the soaring brick walls, and amber votives cast a warm glow. The original gratis “welcome” board is no more. Now, you pay for the spread that threatens to spoil your appetite with, most recently, local charcuterie, cheese puffs, sliced apple, a tiny jar of smoked trout dip and more. Thoughtfully, the menu prices have been cut to compensate.