Twenty-three years after buying the Curb Shoppe Bar & Grill, owner Paul Schiffbauer has sold the 82-year-old Mount Washington establishment.

“It has been a good run,” said Schiffbauer, 49, who purchased the bar and property when he was 26.

Schiffbauer plans to relocate to North Carolina with his wife and take a year off until he figures out his next move. He calls the Curb Shoppe a Mount Washington landmark. “We’ve had birthday parties, celebrated kids turning 21 and even weddings,” he said. “Coming here has been a right-of-passage for many people.”

Curb Shoppe LLC acquired the bar and property on Nov. 19, 2016.

“Paul has done an incredible job building the Curb Shoppe into one of north Baltimore’s favorite establishments,” said Tommy Hawkins, part of the investor group and the bar and grill’s new head. “When he put the bar up for sale we were immediately interested.”

As a youngster Hawkins used to come to the Curb Shoppe with his family and remembers eating chicken nuggets there when he was five years old. “I grew up here,” Hawkins said. “This is my neighborhood bar. When I was 13 I told Paul, I was going to come here to work someday.”

Eighteen years later, he got his wish. “We plan to make upgrades, but the Curb Shoppe’s atmosphere will remain the same. This place is an institution, so of course we will respect that.”

Located at 5736 Falls Road, the Curb Shoppe is known for its laid-back ambiance where regulars, including judges, lawyers, laborers, law enforcement and Mount Washington neighbors gather to chat and shoot a game or two of pool. This year, Baltimore Magazine ranked the Curb Shoppe’s burger as one of the best in the state and in years past it called it one of the best bars in Baltimore.

In addition to burgers, the Curb Shoppe features subs, salads, sandwiches and wings.

Quality in the kitchen will continue with Hawkins running the day-to-day operations. A former chef and kitchen manager at Slainte Irish Pub and Restaurant, Hawkins, 31, has been in the restaurant industry his entire adult life. He has worked closely with his uncle, Patrick Russell, who is owner and president of Kooper’s Tavern Inc., Slainte and other area restaurants.

Hawkins was kitchen manager at Kooper’s North and sous chef at The Oregon Grille. He left Slainte in mid-September to join Curb Shoppe.