Beloved Dock Bar Reopens In New Location: See Photos

BALTIMORE, MD — A dock bar that closed its Annapolis location last year reopened last week under new ownership in Baltimore.

Pusser's Landing, known for its Painkiller rum cocktails, cut the ribbon on July 21 at Canton's Lighthouse Point Marina. Located at 2780 Lighthouse Point E, Pusser's filled the vacancy left by Drift Bar.

Then known as Pusser's Caribbean Grille, the laid-back eatery shuttered last Halloween after 30 years in downtown Annapolis. The old Pusser's is being replaced with two higher-end establishments.

Pusser's vowed to return and searched for other waterfront locations nearby. Weeks before closing, Pusser's announced that it would move to Baltimore.

Patch later reported that two longtime employees of Pusser's Caribbean Grille bought the iconic pub from its retiring ownership group for an undisclosed price.

Related: 'Iconic' Dock Bar Sold To 2 Employees, New Owners Have Big Plans For MD Move

New co-owners Chris Townsend and Jim Lepley plan to maintain the brand's nautical vibe. Townsend, nicknamed CT, was the general manager of Pusser's Annapolis. Lepley was a former 10-year employee of the bar.

"It's bittersweet," Townsend told Patch in an interview last year. "It was a lot to take in ... but we're super excited about the opportunity to leave our mark on the brand and continue the legacy of Pusser's as we move to Baltimore."

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Vision For Baltimore

The new space features a floating dock bar. Inside, the year-round dining room is themed after the British Virgin Islands, where Pusser's was founded 46 years ago. Customers will still be able to sip Painkiller cocktails made from Pusser's-branded rum, and they will find a few relics from the Annapolis pub.

"We are actually moving the inside bar from the Annapolis location that was custom-built in Wales in the late '80s and early '90s," Townsend said. The mirrors from behind the bar also made the trip to Charm City.

Boating will remain a pillar of the Pusser's identity. About a third of the marina's slips are for transient, visiting mariners. At the floating bar, there will be another 10 to 15 slips reserved for Pusser's patrons.

"We'll actually have way more opportunities for boats to come dock and dine and things like that than we had in Annapolis," Townsend said. "We're really just a boat ride away from the location that we had in Annapolis."

The new lease is for 10 years plus three separate five-year options.

"I have every confidence that they [will] do a phenomenal job," Clyde Culp III, retiring Pusser's Annapolis co-owner, told Patch last year.

Construction was slated to begin in January. Canton-based JP2 Architects led the design. JP2 is known for its work on the Merriweather District in Columbia and Foundry Row in Owings Mills.

Townsend applauded Lighthouse Point Marina, saying Pusser's aligned with "their vision."

"They want Pusser's. Pusser's has such an iconic image in the Chesapeake that they really want that brand," Culp said. "You have a 350-slip marina, why wouldn't you want to have a brand that takes the stress away every day and has fun."

Priced Out Of Annapolis

Last October, Pusser's announced its forthcoming move to Baltimore by shining a spotlight message on the side of its building. Pusser's chose to share the news during its Annapolis Sailboat Show party, when many regulars were at the bar and employees were contemplating their next moves.

Townsend hopes his Annapolis regulars will make the trip to Baltimore. Workers were invited to transfer to the new location, so Townsend expects the family atmosphere at Pusser's to live on.

"We knew a lot of our customers on a first-name basis," Townsend said. "The restaurant, it is a little bit farther away, but when you create relationships like we created in Annapolis, those people are still going to come see you."

With an expiring lease, Pusser's announced in October 2023 that it was outbid for the space at 80 Compromise St. on the ground floor of the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel.

The hotel didn't renew the Pusser's lease, instead bringing in Atlas Restaurant Group.

Townsend didn't take the negotiations personally. He understood that the hotel had to make a business decision and sign the highest bidder.

"I don't have a problem with Atlas. They've got a lot of money," Culp said. "Whether the restaurant fits what should go in here for the market, I don't know, but they sure as hell are going to make nice restaurants."

Known for its high-end dining, Atlas will replace Pusser's Annapolis with an upscale Italian chophouse named Marmo and a Mexican cantina called Armada in summer 2025. Atlas will additionally renovate and expand the site's banquet room to welcome 350 guests. Construction is underway.

Atlas also owns The Choptank, a waterfront seafood restaurant a few doors down from the old Pusser's. Atlas recently took over the historic Stevens Hardware building, which housed Mission BBQ until it closed in January 2024. Atlas is converting that property into the second location of The Admiral's Cup, a tavern whose flagship bar is in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood.

History Of Pusser's

Pusser's is known for its Painkillers. The iced cocktail is a mixture of Pusser's Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut topped with freshly grated nutmeg.

The Painkiller originated on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands at the Soggy Dollar Bar, which didn't have a dock. Customers had to swim to shore, leaving their cash wet and inspiring the waterfront bar's name.

Pusser's was the name of the British Navy's rum distributed from 1655 until 1970. Entrepreneur and global sailor Charles Tobias resurrected Pusser's rum as a commercial brand in 1979, launching distilling in the British Virgin Islands.

The original Pusser's on Tortola then adopted the Soggy Dollar's Painkiller recipe and used Pusser's-branded rum. A symbol of the Caribbean, the Painkiller became a celebrated summery drink for sailors worldwide.

Pusser's now has locations in the British Virgin Islands, Germany and Florida.

Customers can learn more at pusserslanding.com.

Related:

• The Admiral's Cup Opening In Annapolis' Stevens Hardware Building
• Iconic MD Dock Bar Sold To 2 Employees With Big Plans For New Site
• Pusser's Opening Baltimore Dock Bar After Annapolis Restaurant Closes
• Pusser's Selling Decorations Before Closing Annapolis Dock Bar
• Atlas Replacing Pusser's With Marmo, Armada At City Dock's Ego Alley
• 2 New Restaurants Will Replace Pusser's When It Closes In Annapolis
• Pusser's Closing Annapolis Restaurant Next Year: Report