Ice cream? Check. Salads and sandwiches? Check. Tacos, hummus, arepas, chicken, sushi, coffee, doughnuts and cookies? Check. Cozy study spots? Check. And the list goes on.
R. House officially opened to the public on Dec. 8. Since then, it has been my go-to spot for all kinds of activities: studying, a good cup of coffee, a casual lunch or a nice dinner.
Located in Remington, R. House provides Hopkins students with the perfect easy off-campus jaunt. It’s only a short 10-minute walk from campus but feels extremely different from anything you might find in Charles Village. It’s a great place to escape the Hopkins bubble during a busy week.
Home to places such as the classic coffee shop Charmington’s, the eclectic Papermoon Diner, the butcher shop and restaurant Parts & Labor and the taqueria Clavel, Remington was already a must on the bucket list of any food lover in Baltimore.
R. House adds another unique dining experience to the neighborhood. It’s located inside a huge converted warehouse, which gives it a great modern-industrial vibe.
R. House is part of the rise of the food hall in Baltimore. Food markets in cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco have already demonstrated the concept’s popularity, and we’re next.
Other popular food halls in Baltimore include Lexington Market, Belvedere Market and the Mount Vernon Marketplace. R. House is the first one in the immediate Hopkins area. R. House boasts 10 different vendors with a variety of options from burrito bowls to chicken sandwiches to Korean barbecue to a fully-functioning bar.
After much deliberation, I would say my favorite stand would have to be Little Baby’s Ice Cream with their delectable and unique flavors like Smoked Cinnamon, Peanut Butter Maple Tarragon and Birch Beer Vanilla Bean.
Another cool option at R. House is the Pop Up. This space is reserved by local restaurants for week-long increments so that they can try out experimental dishes.
The most recent inhabitant of the space was Big Mama’s Asian Kitchen, a restaurant with a location in Fells Point. The manager explained to me that they wanted to try out their newest noodle bowl recipes in the space before deciding to serve them at their official location. He sounded very excited about the unique opportunity the Pop Up provides for Baltimore-area restaurants.
I was also impressed by the size of the space and the sheer number of seating options. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a café off-campus only to find it completely packed without a seat in sight.
Even at its busiest times, R. House is large enough to guarantee you’ll find a spot somewhere, either on a couch, at a high-rise table or in a booth. There are even child-sized tables with miniature chairs to accommodate its youngest patrons.
One customer I spoke with, who was visiting Baltimore from San Francisco, said that R. House was one of her favorite places in Baltimore. She particularly praised the healthier options R. House offers and said it was nice to find a place to get food quickly without resorting to fast food.
Another customer explained how the new food hall addresses the challenge of accommodating big groups at restaurants in Baltimore.
You’ll want to keep coming back to try out R. House’s seemingly endless options. It will be a staple of the area for many years to come.
