Once old rock quarries are filled and local children refuse to forfeit their stranglehold on playground equipment, the need for a new hangout venue becomes apparent. Relax free from preteen dictators with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of bar fare and drinks at the Fish Head Cantina in Arbutus.
Fish Head Cantina serves up a menu of traditional bar fare and seafood to fuel nightly blowouts. Eaters ease dormant chompers into activity with half-pound orders of Old Bay steamed shrimp ($9) or a jumbo crab pretzel ($10) and rev up taste buds for a satiating sprint with a bowl of Maryland-style crab soup ($4.50) or Greek salad ($7, $12 with shrimp added). Fingers flex around the chicken Chesapeake sandwich ($9), topped with a mini crab cake and provolone cheese, or cradle guacamole gilded Mexican veggie wraps ($5). Entrée platters of fresh jumbo lump crab cakes ($14) and pub style fish and chips ($10) present more ways to assuage local waterways choked with sea life looking for a stomach to call home.
The bustling cantina caters to all crowds with domestic and import beers to fit any mood and entertainment endeavors to keep pool sharks and football fanatics engaged. The bar doubles as a concert venue with live rock shows scheduled Friday and Saturday nights, Tuesday night open mics, and live DJs spinning selections on Thursdays. The expansive outdoor pavilion serves drinks and subpoenas to parched music monitors from a fully stocked tiki bar.
Reviews
The Baltimore City Paper reviewed Fish Head Cantina:
- If you've ever wondered where young people in the greater Halethorpe/Arbutus area go to drink, this is probably it. Located up on a hill on Benson Avenue, commanding a view of a sprawling industrial park, Fish Head Cantina's patrons are unobtrusively rocking, beer ponging, and bikini contesting the nights away. – Erin Sullivan, Baltimore City Paper
Fish Head Cantina
With a diverse mix of events, a roster of live music, a pool league, and a full kitchen—plus a new sushi bar—it's hard not to find something to like about Fish Head Cantina. The back patio houses a two-stage venue accommodates up to 1,000 music lovers, as well as a full tiki bar and koi pond. Inside, patrons can sidle up to a table to peruse the enormous menu, which ranges from wings to tacos to more than 20 maki rolls on a sushi menu.