A new restaurant from the former owner of the famous Matthew’s Pizza in Baltimore is set to open this fall in Forest Hill.
Chris Maler is bringing authentic Italian pizza and cuisine to Harford County via a new pizza restaurant called Matthew’s L3 Pizzeria at 1517 Rock Spring Road. Matthew’s will be located between The Celebree School and MedStar Health Primary Care facility at its Forest Hill location.
Maler was co-owner of Matthew’s Pizza, at 3131 Eastern Ave., in Baltimore for 25 years before selling it in 2020. The Highlandtown restaurant is known as Baltimore’s first pizzeria and is where Maler helped invent the crab pie.
The 54-year-old restaurateur, and his longtime friend and business partner, Henry Tiburzi, are looking to make a splash in the Harford County dining scene. Matthew’s L3 Pizzeria will be entering a market with neighboring eateries like Sushi restaurant Chopstix, Italian restaurant Tutto Fresco and Mexican restaurant Echo Fresco.
“It’s a nice fit and I enjoy the culinary aspects surrounding where we plan on going into,” Maler said in an interview.
Maler and Tiburzi spent the last two years looking at locations for their restaurant before settling on a 3,800-square-foot space in Forest Hill. According to Maler, the pair is currently seeking a permit to convert the space into a restaurant, a move that will take about three months.
Maler says he “fell in love with Harford County,” while Tiburzi looks at the location as an “untapped area” for residents to order authentic pizza pies.
“I want to be in Harford County,” Maler said. “There’s something about Harford County.”
According to Maler, Matthew’s L3 Pizzeria will prepare everything homemade, making pizza dough fresh twice a day, crafting authentic pasta and sauce, as well as house dressings for salads.
“Everything is handcrafted,” Tiburzi said. “There’s nothing coming in from an outsider.”
The pair also acquired a liquor license from the Harford County Liquor Control Board last month. Matthew’s L3 Pizzeria will include a 30-foot bar, as well as 20 tables for customers to dine in.
Maler said Matthew’s L3 Pizzeria is named after his three children, Luca, Lola and Lena. With a target of opening the restaurant in the fall, both restaurant owners want customers to feel like they are “walking into our Italian home.”
“It just seems like a real Italian familial area, family friendly and I like that part,” Maler said.
