Developers of Baltimore Peninsula aren’t shy about touting the waterfront neighborhood as the city’s up-and-coming foodie district. They point to new arrivals like Slutty Vegan and Bar Vegan, as well as Clyde Restaurant Group’s takeover of Rye Street Tavern last year.

There’s plenty more in the works, according to MaryAnne Gilmartin, whose New York-based MAG Partners took over as lead developer on the project in 2022. “I don’t think I’m overstating it to say this is one of the most exciting food districts to emerge on the East Coast,” she said.

On Wednesday morning, her company announced plans for Blü Cā, a 4,600-square-foot Jamaican restaurant from Jazz and Sandy Tucker, who also own KŌNŌKŌ in White Marsh. The Tuckers, who own the One Love Restaurant Group, also run Island Spice Grille & Lounge in Harford County. Blü Cā will be their first eatery in the city.

“We had a vision for what would ultimately become Blü Cā for quite some time now,” Sandy Tucker said in a statement, “but when we found the perfect space at Baltimore Peninsula, that’s really when it came together.”

The new restaurant (pronounced “blue kay”) will incorporate island and aquatic themes in its décor, building on an important draw for the neighborhood, and one of Gilmartin’s best marketing tools: the view of the water.

In Gilmartin’s hometown of New York City, waterfront access can be relatively hard to come by. Not so in Baltimore Peninsula. “We have water everywhere we look,” she said. ”It’s about leveraging what we have, which is rare — and valued.”

The waterfront focus appears to have paid off for Gilmartin, who took over the project two years ago after the previous developer departed without signing a single lease. “I don’t know that I believed two years ago that we could have been so successful, but we are oversubscribed,” she said, with many new tenants in the food and drink sphere. If Gilmartin has her way, the entire project will be fully leased by the end of this year.

While diners will have to wait until 2026 to book a reservation at Blü Cā, foodies should have more reason to visit the area before then. Later this year, look out for Urbano Tex Mex, Live-K Karaoke, Slurp Noodle Bar, The Daily Grind and a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop to join the neighborhood.