The long-vacant Canton Square storefront once home to Nacho Mama's is finally getting a new tenant, and it's a dramatic departure from Tex-Mex nachos and margaritas. Restaurateur Montree “Jack” Wongchalee plans to open Ubon, a restaurant centered on the cuisine of Thailand's Isan region, at 2907 O'Donnell St. in early 2027, with room for 60 to 70 diners.
The announcement fills a space that sat empty for about eight months after Nacho Mama's shuttered its 30-year-old Canton location in early 2025. Wongchalee is already known in Baltimore's dining scene for Bodhi Corner in Hampden and The Dara in Fells Point, and he sees potential for a late-night menu at the new spot, possibly including noodle bowls aimed at the bar crowds who fill Canton Square after dark.
A Different Kind of Thai Food Arrives in Canton
Ubon's menu will lean into Isan cuisine, a regional Thai cooking style distinct from the pad thai and green curry most Americans associate with Thai restaurants. Isan food originates in northeastern Thailand along the Mekong River and relies on bold spiciness, sour lime profiles, fermented fish sauce, and fresh herbs, with far less emphasis on sweetness than central Thai cooking, according to Simply Suwanee. Traditional dishes pair grilled meats and papaya salad with sticky rice meant to be eaten by hand.
The station's report indicates Ubon plans to serve sticky rice, green papaya salad, and charcoal-grilled chicken alongside other traditional Thai dishes. Wongchalee has built a track record of introducing specialized regional Thai concepts to different Baltimore neighborhoods rather than repeating a single formula. Beyond Bodhi Corner and The Dara, his portfolio includes Bodhi Federal Hill on Light Street and Charm Thai Corner in Stoneleigh, which emphasizes Northern Thai dishes like khao soi and launched in late 2025, according to Baltimore Magazine.
The End of a 31-Year Canton Square Anchor
Nacho Mama's had been a fixture of O'Donnell Square since Patrick “Scunny” McCusker opened it in 1994, initially as a carryout pizza and wing shop before expanding next door into the Tex-Mex venue known for its slogan “Where East Bawmer meets Mexico,” as reported by Patch. After McCusker died in a bicycle accident in August 2012, his wife Jackie McCusker and children Darby and Finn later issued the restaurant group's closure statement.
The restaurant weathered a high-profile lease dispute with building owner John Koukides in 2015, ultimately agreeing to a new lease that began in August 2016, per Baltimore Magazine. But the operation closed for good at both its Canton and Towson locations on January 12, 2025, ending a 30-year run. Sister restaurant Mama's on the Half Shell, which opened in 2003 and has locations in Canton and Owings Mills, remains open, a sign that the Mama's Restaurant Group kept its seafood concept even as it wound down the Tex-Mex brand.
Part of a Bigger Shake-Up Around O'Donnell Square
Ubon's arrival fits into a broader wave of turnover along the commercial corridor this year. The neighborhood saw the August closure of 15-year breakfast spot Simply Marie's, as Hoodline previously reported.
Even as legacy tenants have departed, the surrounding residential market has stayed strong. Canton neighborhood real estate recorded a median sale price of $385,000 and a median market time of just 18 days during the first quarter of 2026, underscoring the dense residential base that continues to support new dining ventures in the neighborhood. Whether Ubon can turn that demand into another decades-long anchor tenancy, the way Nacho Mama's once did, remains to be seen as build-out progresses toward the early 2027 opening.
