Seafood Restaurant Led By Award-Winning Chef Opens With Gluten-Free Crab Cakes

FALLSTON, MD — A seafood restaurant will open in Fallston in May, bringing gluten-free crab cakes, an indoor tiki bar and live fish tanks.

Chef Zack Trabbold and Evolved Hospitality Group are behind the new restaurant called Natalie's Seafood Kitchen, which is named for Trabbold's wife, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. Trabbold also helps run The Local On The Avenue in White Marsh and The Local in Fallston, according to The Baltimore Banner.

Trabbold has earned several culinary accolades, including the 2023 Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland. Trabbold trained at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia and worked his way through the ranks to eventually open his own restaurant, The Local, which celebrates its second anniversary in August 2023, Patch reported previously.

"Natalie's Seafood Kitchen celebrates Chesapeake fare while honoring Maryland’s rich, culinary roots. Enjoy a casual, inviting atmosphere—perfect for date nights, family dinners, game day gatherings and more," according to its website.

The new seafood restaurant will boast a nautical themed decor with buoys hanging from the ceiling and stuffed fish in the dining area, reported the Baltimore Business Journal. The tiki bar, named Nat's Hut, will sport a thatched roof with bar rails in the shape of anchors, The Baltimore Banner reported.

“People there are hungry for independently owned restaurants,” Trabbold told The Baltimore Banner. “Ours isn’t on the water, but it feels like it ... We’re promising the perfect gluten-free crab cake. I’d put ours up against anybody.”

Also on the menu will be fusion foods like a soft-shell crab bao bun, conch fritters and blue catfish.

Trabbold hopes to hold a grand opening May 1 with celebrations running through May 4. The eatery will offer live music and the kitchen will be open with a limited menu until 1 a.m. on weekends and a limited menu until midnight on weekdays.

Natalie's Seafood Kitchen is located at 2315 Belair Road, Unit B2, Fallston.