Future of home of Nana, from Chef Raba
Carlos Raba, co-owner and chef at the highly regarded Clavel, is opening a new spot in Towson at the northeast corner of York Road and Regester Avenue. He's modeling the restaurant after the taquerias he frequented while growing up in Sinaloa, Mexico. In honor of his great-grandmother, it will be called Nana.
He's hoping for an April 2022 opening, but he said it's slow going because the building has landmark status and all his updates need multiple approvals. "We're going to keep it the same structurally," he said. "It's one of the most beautiful buildings in the neighborhood."
The updated building will have high ceilings and lots of big windows, but the building has been through "a lot of abuse" in the past few years, he said, and bringing it back to life is "challenging." The color scheme will be white with lots of pink, like the bugambelia flowers his great-grandmother loved.
Raba said they'll serve coffee -- "we'll have a better drip than Starbucks," he said with a laugh -- and breakfast tacos in the morning, and in the evening it will be things like tacos, carne asada, quesadillas, and rotisserie chicken, plus one of his favorite dishes: breaded and fried cauliflower.
Carlos Raba
There will be seating for about 15 inside, and he plans to eventually offer outdoor seating in the back. The hours will likely be 8am to noon and 3pm to 10pm, he said, though that is not written in stone. Nana will be a place to grab some good food to go or to eat it on-site, but it won't offer long sit-down meals with a waitstaff.
Raba, who lives with his wife, Claudia, and two young kids, and a dog in Lake Walker not far from Nana, is also the founder of a nonprofit Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gym in Remington that teaches both adults and kids -- kids can learn at no charge. (Read more about the gym and Raba's harrowing journey from Mexico in Baltimore Magazine.)
Several years ago, Jeremy Landsman bought the property, along with a stretch of buildings further south from True Balance to Stoneleigh Lanes, and rents were raised. Some businesses left. Raba said he hopes Nana will be a vital part of Towson's new phase of growth.
"I want to help improve the community," he said. "With Whole Foods coming to Towson and so much happening on York Road, it really seems things are starting bloom this way."