Bo Brooks was founded in 1964 by Howard “Bo” Brooks and two partners. This answers the commonly asked question, “Is there really a ‘Bo Brooks’?” In reality, Mr. Brooks hasn’t owned the business for over thirty years, is in no way related to Brooks Robinson, and is unable to get a table for even his “closest” friends on a busy Saturday night. The restaurant’s original location was in the East Baltimore neighborhood of Gardenville. During the early years, the steam room consisted of only two burners and newspaper was used to cover the tables. Because Bo’s was one of the only crab houses in Baltimore at the time, business thrived and the restaurant quickly earned a reputation and strong following for excellent steamed crabs.
