Phillips Seafood plans return, liquor license hearing set
The ownership group behind Phillips Seafood is plotting a return to Annapolis, this time at 110 Compromise St.
The Maryland- based seafood chain, owned by Steve Phillips, and owners of the high profile waterfront property have applied for a beer, wine and liquor license before the Annapolis Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The board will hold a public hearing on the application Wednesday, which can be viewed on the city’s Youtube channel.
Phillips is seeking a Special Sunday License that would allow alcohol sales seven days a week from 6 a. m. to 2 a. m.
Alderwoman Elly Tierney, D- Ward 1, who represents the area, said the restaurant had been three years in the making.
“It’s been difficult to find a local restaurant, and this is a local guy with ties to the Bay,” she said.
Tierney added that while she thinks the application will be approved, some Ward1 residents have expressed concerns about the alcohol sales so late at night.
“You know, the saying nothing good happens after midnight at City Dock is really a true statement,” she said. “You get a different clientele that is mostly [ from] bars, but this is an established restaurant. I’m sure they’ll have it under control.”
Annapolis architectural firm Hammond Wilson submitted plans for the project last year. The Annapolis Board of Appeals approved a special exception for the property to convert the existing twostory building into a restaurant with alcohol service, live entertainment and more than 460 combined indoor and outdoor seats.
The restaurant would occupy about 9,700 square feet of the building. Maritime tenants occupy the rest.
There are plans to serve fresh- caught seafood straight from the water, which required a City Code change last year. The legislation, co- sponsored by Tierney, allowed wholesale and retail sales of fish and shellfish in the Waterfront Maritime Conservation District, where 110 Compromise is located.
The developers have not yet received their building permit, Planning and Zoning Director Sally Nash said.
For 40 years, 110 Compromise St. was the location of Fawcett Boat Supplies, before the company moved in 2010.
The property then sat vacant for about seven years when it was renovated by the current owners, John Bruno and Mike Keenan.
Phillips Seafood left its old location on Dock Street in 2015. It had previously operated at the same location for several years before closing in 2009. The restaurant has other locations in Baltimore and Ocean City, as well as smaller sites at BWI Airport and a rest area in Aberdeen.
Restaurant representatives did not respond to a request for comment.