Charlie Gjerde, the co-owner of Alexander's Tavern and Papi's Tacos in Fells Point, will take over the old McCabe's spot in Hampden.
Gjerde confirmed that he and his partners, who include his wife, Lori Gjerde, and her sister, Carrie Podles, have signed a lease for the Falls Road property, whose interior was severely damaged in an early-morning fire last December.
The concept for the new tavern, which Gjerde hopes open in November or December after a top-to-bottom renovation, is a "work in progress," he said.
"We want to fit in as best we can in the Hampden scene," Gjerde said. "A lot of the places here are high-end. We might be more of a casual place."
Gjerde and his partners haven't settled on a name for their tavern, but it won't be McCabe's, the name a succession of different owners used for the casual taverns that occupied the spot.
"The fire was really substantial," Gjerde said. "Everything had to go. We're tearing everything out. The bar is going to the Dumpster today. We want to go in there with a fresh eye."
The McCabe's property will mark Charlie Gjerde's debut in north Baltimore, an area of town where his brother, the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde, has made his mark with Woodberry Kitchen, Artifact Coffee and Parts & Labor.
"I've touched base with him a few times," Charlie Gjerde said. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes in Hampden. What he does is on a totally different plane."
Gjerde and his partners are also readying Huck's American Craft for an early July opening in Brewers Hill.