What Happened to Al's Seafood After Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?
Current status
As of September 2026, Al's Seafood has closed — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.
Last verified
What the source shows: Yelp's listing for Al's Seafood in Essex is marked CLOSED with an 'Updated July 2026' tag, and Google Places lists the Dundalk carry-out location at German Hill Road as CLOSED_PERMANENTLY as of the 2026-09-08 packet compile; no fresher source was found showing either location currently operating.
- Season / episode Season 15, Episode 11
- Original air date
- Address 7458 German Hill Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222
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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?
Al's Seafood, a seafood restaurant in Essex, Maryland, was first opened in 1961 by the grandmother of siblings Chad and Cara, who were running the business as third-generation owners when Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) featured it in the episode 'Saving a Family's Legacy' (S15E11), which aired 2019-08-24. According to coverage of the episode, Robert Irvine found a dim dining room with a sinking ceiling and no windows, along with unsettled finances and friction between the owners and staff. His team's makeover brightened the space with a nautical theme, including murals and a family portrait, and the two-day turnaround also addressed the restaurant's back-office finances.
The Baltimore Sun ran a follow-up piece on 2019-07-10 describing a visit to the refreshed restaurant shortly after the episode aired. The Essex location later closed after a fire, and Al's Seafood reopened as a carry-out and delivery operation at a Dundalk address on German Hill Road, an opening the Dundalk Eagle covered as the business's return to the area. Food Network also revisited the business for a segment titled 'Back in Business: Al's Seafood,' according to an Apple TV episode listing for the show.
By 2026, both addresses associated with the business showed as closed: Yelp's listing for the original Essex location, at 1551 Eastern Blvd, carries a 'CLOSED' label with an 'Updated July 2026' tag, and Google Places lists the Dundalk carry-out location at 7458 German Hill Road as CLOSED_PERMANENTLY, per a 2026-09-08 check. An attempt to view the business's Facebook page during the same check returned a browser error and could not be used to confirm current status. No source was found describing the business operating at either address more recently than these closure notices. The Baltimore Sun's 2019 follow-up had described a bright, nautical-themed dining room and a menu still built around the family's original seafood recipes, a contrast with the closures reported at both addresses seven years later.
Featured on Restaurant: Impossible
- Season / episode
- Season 15, Episode 11
- Original air date
- Episode title
- Saving a Family's Legacy
- What was featured
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Al's Seafood
Frequently asked questions
Is Al's Seafood still open in 2026?
As of September 2026, Al's Seafood has closed — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.
What happened to Al's Seafood after Restaurant: Impossible?
Al's Seafood, a seafood restaurant in Essex, Maryland, was first opened in 1961 by the grandmother of siblings Chad and Cara, who were running the business as third-generation owners when Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) featured it in the episode 'Saving a Family's Legacy' (S15E11), which aired 2019-08-24. As of September 2026, Al's Seafood has closed — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.
Is Al's Seafood permanently closed?
As of September 2026, Al's Seafood has closed — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.
Where is Al's Seafood located?
7458 German Hill Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.
What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Al's Seafood?
Season 15, Episode 11 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired August 24, 2019. The episode is titled “Saving a Family's Legacy”.
Did the makeover last at Al's Seafood?
The episode first aired August 24, 2019. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 7 years later —: As of September 2026, Al's Seafood has closed — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.
Is Al's Seafood still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?
The Baltimore Sun's 2019 follow-up had described a bright, nautical-themed dining room and a menu still built around the family's original seafood recipes, a contrast with the closures reported at both addresses seven years later. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.
Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.
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Visit info
- Address
- 7458 German Hill Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222
- Venue type
- restaurant
- Official website
- State hub
- TV restaurants in Maryland
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Sources
- Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/als-seafood-essex
- dundalkeagle.com — https://www.dundalkeagle.com/news/local/als-seafood-makes-triumphant-return-in-dundalk/article_81008616-3426-5ee7-978b-ae8c28d55647.html
- baltimoresun.com — https://www.baltimoresun.com/2019/07/10/following-a-food-network-makeover-a-quick-bite-at-als-seafood/
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Record ri-162 · last verified .