Peking Court in Baltimore: Dim Sum and Cantonese Cooking in Fells Point

Peking Court is a sit-down Cantonese restaurant in Fells Point that specializes in dim sum service and traditional wok-fired dishes, anchoring a part of Baltimore where Chinese dining leans toward casual takeout or high-end hotel restaurants elsewhere. The restaurant operates as a full-service dining room with a cart-based dim sum program during lunch and a standard Cantonese menu at dinner, positioning it as the closest equivalent in the city to the dim sum service model common in larger East Coast Chinatowns.

What Peking Court Actually Is

Peking Court occupies a street-level storefront on Eastern Avenue with a dining room that seats roughly 80 people across tables built for groups and pairs. The space reads as traditionally decorated without ornament: dark wood framing, red cloth napkins, and the operational setup of a mid-sized Cantonese kitchen. The restaurant draws a mixed crowd of long-standing neighborhood residents, families making dim sum trips, and diners crossing from nearby Canton and other inner-harbor restaurants to compare offerings.

Dim Sum Service and Pricing

Dim sum runs daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with carts wheeled through the dining room offering steamed, fried, and braised items. Prices are marked per plate: small plates (dumplings, buns, rolls) typically run $2.50 to $4.00, while larger items like spare ribs and chicken feet climb to $5.00 to $6.50. A moderate dim sum lunch for one person costs $15 to $25 depending on portion and selectivity. The cart service allows diners to see items before ordering, reducing guesswork. Tea is complimentary with dim sum and dinner service. Peking Court does not offer dim sum during dinner hours; evening service begins at 5 p.m. and switches entirely to a full-page Cantonese menu.

Cantonese Dinner Menu and Price Range

Dinner entrees include whole steamed fish (market price, typically $16 to $24 for a medium fish), beef in black bean sauce ($12 to $14), shrimp with lobster sauce ($13 to $15), and wok-fried greens ($6 to $8). Roasted meats are available by weight: roasted duck and roasted pork belly range from $12 to $18 per half-pound portion, served with steamed rice. Soups and congee start at $4 for individual bowls. Dinner entrees come with rice; appetizers and sides are ordered separately. Most diners spend $18 to $35 per person at dinner.

How Peking Court Compares to Other Baltimore Chinese Options

Peking Court's dim sum service is Baltimore's most consistent cart-based offering and distinguishes it from Canton in Canton, which emphasizes dim sum but operates in a smaller space on the same street, and from Szechwan House in Fells Point, which focuses on spiced Szechuan cooking without dim sum. For purely Cantonese wok cooking and roasted meats, Peking Court sits between the banquet-oriented Peking Duck House and the more casual takeout-heavy spots on Eastern Avenue. Choose Peking Court for a structured dim sum lunch with table service and wide exposure to small plates; choose Canton if you want dim sum in a tighter, livelier environment; choose Szechwan House if spiced, mouth-tingling heat is your draw.

Who Peking Court Suits

Dim sum service attracts first-time dim sum eaters who benefit from seeing items on carts, families with children (carts move continuously, so service feels interactive), and groups of four or more where multiple dishes can be ordered and shared. Dinner service works well for diners seeking traditional Cantonese cooking without the Americanized heavy sauces or wok hei smokiness that some regional Chinese restaurants emphasize. The restaurant is less suited to diners seeking Sichuan spice, Hunan braising styles, or adventurous offal preparations; the menu emphasizes familiar Cantonese classics. Solitary diners at dinner may find the table sizes and group-oriented pricing slightly awkward, though dim sum at lunch accommodates singles easily.

What Your First Visit Involves

Arrive for dim sum between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a weekend for the widest cart selection; weekday dim sum (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) runs quieter. A hostess will seat you, pour tea, and carts will begin circulating within five minutes. Flag down a cart when items interest you; servers mark your check with a pencil. You pay at the end based on the marked plate count. At dinner, order from the menu, choose a protein and sauce combination, confirm portion size with your server, and expect food in 15 to 20 minutes. Water is not automatically provided; ask for it. The restaurant does not take reservations for dim sum but does for dinner parties of six or more; call ahead for large groups.

Hours, Parking, and Logistics

Peking Court operates Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays. Street parking on Eastern Avenue is metered and unreliable during lunch hours; the Fells Point parking garage one block south is a safer option for dim sum visits. The restaurant takes cash and card. Phone reservations for dim sum are not taken; walk-ins are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Peking Court fills a specific gap in Baltimore's Chinese dining: cart-based dim sum with Cantonese cooking in a table-service setting without the ceremonial pricing of hotel dim sum rooms or the density of Hong Kong-style dim sum houses in larger cities.