The club is named after a cat. Otto belonged to co-founder Michael Bowen, and the bar that took his name in September 1997 grew into what Rolling Stone ranked in 2018 among the ten best live music venues in America. The Ottobar, at 2549 North Howard Street in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood, is the city's definitive indie and punk room. The origin was a 125-person dive at 203 East Davis Street downtown, in the former Chambers nightclub near the courthouse - a tree fort, as one owner put it - that nonetheless pulled national acts: the White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, Bright Eyes and Lamb of God all played the tiny original room. The move came in November 2001, when the operation relocated to the current corner of 26th and Howard: a proper stage a few feet off the floor, a balcony with people hanging over the rails, a capacity in the mid-hundreds, and an upstairs bar that carries on the old anything-goes spirit with DJ nights, comedy, films and theme parties. The numbers tell the story of a working club: more than 12,000 acts booked since 1997, seven nights a week in the early years, with longtime booker Todd Lesser rarely turning anyone away - a policy that made the room the default first Baltimore stop for loud, artsy touring bands and the launching pad for the local scene. The ownership stayed in the family: in 2019 longtime bartender Tecla Tesnau bought the club from the founding group, keeping the staff, the booking philosophy and the multiple Best of Baltimore awards for its dance parties and punk programming. Practical notes: shows split between the downstairs main room and the upstairs lounge - check which floor before you go; most nights are all-ages unless marked, the pit gets genuinely physical for hardcore bills, and Remington's food-and-brewery strip along Howard Street handles pre-show plans.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 2549 North Howard Street, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21218

Website: https://theottobar.com

Cover Charge: 1

DJ: 1

Capacity: 450

Opening Date: 01/09/1997

Serves Food