Feb 16, 2024 - Food and Drink

New Black woman-owned oyster bar opens in Baltimore

Anna Spiegel

The Urban Oyster chef Jasmine Norton (left) and oysters on the half-shell (right) with red cocktail sauce — The Urban Oyster chef Jasmine Norton. Photos courtesy of The Urban Oyster; Steve Vilnit

A Black woman-owned oyster bar, The Urban Oyster, just opened in Baltimore — the first of its kind in the U.S., according to chef/owner Jasmine Norton.

Why it matters: Norton, who grew up eating half-shells in Baltimore, tells Axios her goal is to make oysters more accessible — especially in the African American community, where she says there's a long history of oystering and shucking but not always enjoying the local bounty.

What they're saying: "We have some much history in the labor behind them, I want it to be about nourishment and connecting the storylines," Norton tells Axios.

Zoom in: She serves the oysters at a range of price points, and prepares them in fun ways for the raw bar-adverse like chargrilled bacon-bbq bivalves or a riff on Oysters Rockefeller with collard greens, parmesan, and a crispy cornbread topping.

Flashback: Norton started grilling up oysters at Baltimore-area farmers markets and briefly opened a restaurant in 2020 that closed during the pandemic.

The bottom line: You'll find a variety of oysters at the bar, but Norton's love is local. "What I love most about oysters from the bay is that they don't have high salinity levels—just that fresh, clean, crisp, bay taste."

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New Black woman-owned oyster bar opens in Baltimore

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