Connolly's Seafood Restaurant
Dear Evan,
Here it is: Connolly's Seafood Restaurant, in all its glory.
The caption to this photo from 1991 is a sad one though:
"William Owens, A Connolly's Seafood Restaurant employee, arrived for work Wed. afternoon, only to discover the "closed" sign."
Digging even deeper in our archives, I found this gem from 1980 ...
That's right folks -- Willie Don himself!
With fish, of course.
(Top photo by Amy Davis/Sun Photographer. Second photo from Sun archives)

Comments
Sam Sessa - journalist AND researcher. The ever-expanding resume.
Poor Willie Don and this city's tyranny in keeping us from a proper Inner Harbor statue.
Posted by: JTK | April 8, 2008 12:30 PM
Apparently the problem was that this was the only photo they could find to model the statue after...
Posted by: Mather | April 8, 2008 12:51 PM
ahnabuvhrtwbpihrwbriptughrtwiu!!!!!
Dude i owe you like ten pints
Disclosure: I've been working on a sort of extensive history project regarding my father, who passed away some years ago, detailing his haunts, traditions, that sort of thing. During this process Connolly's was one of the very first and very loudest things to pop into my head, a place where our family unit would go for dinner or Sunday lunch with total consistency. It's where I learned to eat blue crabs.
I even met Willie Don as a 4-year old at that restaurant, my dad pushed me up to him and said 'say hi to the mayor!' like I knew what that even meant. God, that place was awesome. I don't (want to) think it changed one bit from whenever it opened in the 20s or something until 1991.
They even had a big parrot in the front. I'm going to start crying now.
Posted by: Evan | April 8, 2008 2:00 PM
Now don't go all soft on us Evan ...
Posted by: Sam Sessa | April 8, 2008 2:13 PM
WAAAAAAAAAH
I mean naw I'm cool, I just got back from riding my motorcycle while shoulder pressing a chick and a keg of beer.
Posted by: Evan | April 8, 2008 3:30 PM
Evan, it's okay. You don't have to overcompensate here. You are with friends. Come in here for a hug.
Posted by: JTK | April 8, 2008 4:13 PM
dude. I just talked to the Epicurious LIZ about this post and BOY is she TICKED!!! I'm talkin' 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule ticked. look out for flying lead. word.
Posted by: J.M. Giordano | April 8, 2008 5:07 PM
Seafood is a boon to us, it's enriched with full of minerals and vitamins. Eating seafood’s reduces risks of heart attacks, stroke, obesity, and hypertension. As I came to know while reading yesterday an article on Seafood for Good Health
Posted by: phill joan | April 9, 2008 5:08 AM
Right on, 'phill joan', right on...
Posted by: JTK | April 9, 2008 10:25 AM
Wow... i remember that place. I used to take a friend who moved here from the left coast and show him what real seafood was like. although i always suspected that some of the seafood came from someone out back with a fishing line.
Posted by: Fairfax | April 9, 2008 12:36 PM