When the Hamilton Tavern closed for good in 2021, large swaths of the city were sorry to see it go. The cozy Harford Road watering hole, part of the renaissance for the larger Northeast Baltimore neighborhood, offered whimsical food specials and one of the best burgers in town.

Hamilton Spice, which opened in its space late last month, is decidedly not the Hamilton Tavern. The freshly renovated restaurant features spare walls and the harsh overhead lighting of an interrogation room. A modern wooden bar running the length of the room displays shelves of liquor for sale. The menu includes staples of Indian and Nepali cuisine and some traditional American bar food.

Previous owner Tom Creegan took to Facebook last week to declare that “Hamilton Tavern as you knew it is DEAD,” alleging the new incarnation looked like “more of a carry out liquor store than a tavern.”

Others in the community who had been excited about plans to reopen the much-loved local spot were similarly disappointed with the result, according to consultant Al Barry. “What they thought they were getting was not what’s there,” he said.

“It’s such a gut punch for anyone who spent any time in the original Hamilton Tavern,” said Marisa Dobson, a publicist who works with restaurants and lives in the area. Its predecessor “had so much personality” and its owners lived nearby. She worries that the addition of a booze-focused operation like Hamilton Spice could have an overall negative impact on local businesses. “They said they were going to give us an Indian restaurant, and everyone was thrilled. We get this instead.”

On Google, one one-star review said the new owners “ruined the beautiful space that had been around forever.” Another called it a “travesty” and a “low quality packaged goods store,” adding that the vibe was comparable to “a Scandinavian prison.” Barry said friends complained to him and requested he reach out to the city’s liquor board on their behalf expressing concerns about the operation.

Matt Achhammer, community liaison for Baltimore’s liquor board, said the agency investigated complaints about the business, but found Hamilton Spice to be aboveboard. The business has a sought-after BD7 tavern license, which does not require the owners to serve food.

In a memorandum of understanding signed this year with the community, the Hamilton Spice owners did say a restaurant will be part of their operations. But unlike typical eateries in the city, they don’t need to have food sales make up a certain percentage of revenue. The MOU also requires the owners to offer meeting space to the Hamilton Community Association “whenever requested.”

Despite the drab decor, the building’s owner, Binod “Milo” Uprety, maintains that Hamilton Spice was fundamentally what he and restaurant owner Sushma Karki promised it would be: a menu of Indian, Nepali and American food as well as a bar. He conceded that the new restaurant’s ambiance was lacking in charm — the tenant opted not to preserve the tavern’s historic interior — but he pointed out the eatery was still in its soft opening phase and improvements would happen over time.

Uprety has offered a helping hand to Karki, who could not be reached for comment, as the business gets up and running. One of the cooks from another Uprety eatery, Namaste Baltimore, is now in the kitchen at Hamilton Spice. (Uprety also owns Alonso’s and is working on a new concept in the former Evergreen Cafe. All three businesses are neighbors on Cold Spring Lane.)

But Uprety said he hopes customers will give the food a chance before complaining about Hamilton Spice.

Personally, I recommend the chicken momo with a side of sesame sauce.

Correction: This article was update to correct that Hamilton Spice, which was previously Hamilton Tavern, is located in Northeast Baltimore.