A Canton bar that was once a stop on the campaign trail for local politicians — and that served former President Bill Clinton a beer during his first presidential run — will be resurrected under new ownership.
The neighborhood watering hole at 623-625 S. Luzerne Ave. was called American Joe’s when Clinton paid a visit during a 1992 stop in Baltimore. It later became Harry’s American Bar and was most recently King Fish on the Rocks.
The bar’s next name will be Savoy’s Spot, after new owners Donald and Dominique Savoy, a brother-and-sister duo who took over the lease last year. The road to reopening has been a long one, Donald Savoy said: failed inspections led to a lapsed liquor license, which had to be reinstated by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this year.
After a round of improvements, the bar is almost ready for its next chapter. Savoy’s was granted approval for a liquor license on Thursday, with support from the Canton Community Association, and the siblings hope to have it open by Labor Day.
Donald Savoy already owns several nightclubs on The Block in Downtown Baltimore, including Club Pussycat and Club Indulge, but said he plans for Savoy’s Spot to be a neighborhood place with a focus on pub grub and finger food. The bar will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a selection of beer and cocktails, and “a lot of party shots” on the weekends.
When Clinton was in town 30 years ago, he stopped there “to quaff a draft, have a coddie and shoot a game of eight-ball (which he won),” The Sun reported. No word yet on whether the new bar will serve coddies, though Donald Savoy said it will have a pool table.
