Seppia, a coastal Italian newcomer from the family behind long-running Woodberry favorite La Cuchara, has quietly slipped onto The Avenue in Hampden, trading Basque pintxos for seafood-forward pastas, a nearly 300-bottle wine program and a dramatic dining room tucked inside a restored early-20th-century five-and-dime.
According to Seppia's website, the menu follows a seasonal, regional Italian arc that leans hard into seafood and fresh pasta. The restaurant's About page notes that the team behind Seppia also runs La Cuchara and that Seppia opened in April 2026 in the historic Murphy building on The Avenue.
Inside the Five & Dime
Details on the renovation and interior come from Baltimore Magazine, which reports that the Lefenfelds rebuilt the staircase, exposed a restored terra-cotta wall and carved a wine cave into the building's lower level. The magazine says the once-humble retail space was reworked to create soaring 50-foot ceilings and seating for roughly 250 guests across two floors, anchored by a long marble bar and flanked by private dining rooms. Designers leaned into a sea-green, gold and chestnut palette meant to evoke the Italian coast.
Menu and service
The restaurant's food leans heavily on pasta and seafood, with dishes like mafaldine al nero di seppia and a crispy artichoke lasagna featured during early service, according to The Baltimore Banner. The Banner also reports that Seppia's "choose-your-own-adventure" pasta plates will be priced in the $22–$24 range and that roughly 40 La Cuchara staffers have moved over to the new restaurant. General manager Michael Farace is leading a wine program that the Banner says will include bottles from Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.
Local outlets have noted that the opening followed a hood fire that temporarily closed La Cuchara earlier this year and that the Lefenfelds used that pause to focus energy on Seppia's buildout, per reporting by Baltimore Fishbowl. Fishbowl's preview also highlights the team's plan for rotating sommeliers, a five-martini cocktail list and Sunday bottle discounts carried over from La Cuchara. The site puts Seppia's soft opening in early April and confirms that reservations are handled via Resy.
CBS Baltimore's on-air segment visited the restaurant this week, noting that Seppia "serves regional Italian cuisines curated by the owners of La Cuchara" and showing guests at tables during dinner service, as seen in the station's video coverage. For readers wanting a quick look, WJZ's piece captures the dining room vibe and the owners on the floor during service, per CBS Baltimore.
