Yum's Asian Bistro in Baltimore: Cantonese and dim sum with weekday lunch carts

Yum's Asian Bistro is a full-service Cantonese restaurant in Fells Point that anchors its menu on dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, and clay-pot braises. Unlike casual dim sum carts or fast-casual Chinese chains, Yum's operates a seated dining room where servers push carts of dumplings and small plates during lunch service and takes orders from the menu at dinner. It draws both longtime Cantonese speakers and diners newer to the cuisine, with pricing that sits between takeout counters and upscale Cantonese dining.

What Yum's serves

The dim sum cart service runs during lunch hours (typically 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, with extended hours on weekends; confirm the current schedule before visiting). Carts circulate with har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), chicken feet in black bean sauce, and custard tarts. Dishes are priced individually, from roughly $3 to $6 per small plate. At dinner, the kitchen prepares full entrees: beef chow fun, chow mein with shrimp or chicken, salt-and-pepper squid, and braised items like pork belly in clay pots. Entrees range from $12 to $18.

The noodle soups include wonton noodles, beef brisket noodles, and egg noodles with barbecue pork. Rice plates with braised proteins over jasmine rice run $10 to $14. A family-style meal for four can be built for $40 to $60 before tax and tip, depending on whether you add dim sum plates to an entree order.

How Yum's compares to other Baltimore Cantonese options

Yum's dim sum cart service distinguishes it from dim sum takeout counters scattered across Northeast Baltimore and Canton, where you order at the counter and eat at plastic tables. It also differs from Lau's Asian Cuisine (Canton), which serves dim sum but specializes more broadly in Szechuan and other regional styles. If you want cart service specifically, Yum's is one of the more consistent options in the city proper. For sit-down Cantonese dining without the dim sum focus, Orient Pearl in Canton offers a larger menu of braised and stir-fried dishes but no cart service. Choose Yum's if you want the full dim sum experience with table service; choose a takeout counter if you are eating alone or want maximum speed and lower per-plate costs.

Who suits Yum's, and who does not

Yum's works well for groups of two or more ordering dim sum, since the cart experience and family-style eating are built for sharing. Lunch timing matters: arrive between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on a weekday if you want the full cart rotation. Solo diners and those seeking a quieter, less social meal may prefer dinner service, when you order from the menu. Vegetarians have options (vegetable dumplings, bean curd dishes, vegetable lo mein), though the menu skews heavily toward seafood and pork. Diners seeking spicy Szechuan food or Hunan styles should note that Cantonese cooking is gentler; heat is minimal unless specifically requested.

What your first visit looks like

Arrive before noon on a weekday for the fullest cart selection. Tell the host how many are in your party. Servers will seat you, bring tea (jasmine or pu-erh; there may be a small charge), and carts will begin circulating. Point to dishes you want, and servers mark a card at your table; you'll be charged per item at the end. Order at least three to four dim sum plates per person if that's your main meal, or combine 5 to 6 small plates with one entree for a fuller experience. Pace yourself: carts keep circulating for 90 minutes or longer, so you can keep ordering. At dinner, flag down a server or flag the table and order from the laminated menu.

Hours, parking, and location

Yum's is located at 1218 Eastern Avenue in Fells Point. Lunch is 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends; dinner is 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. (Confirm hours on the phone, as holiday and seasonal adjustments occur.) Street parking on Eastern Avenue and side streets fills quickly at lunch; a paid lot is one block south. The restaurant does not have a dedicated lot, and on-street spots are unreliable during peak lunch hours.

Yum's fills a practical gap for Baltimoreans who want Cantonese dim sum with table service and cart tradition without traveling to distant suburbs. It is reliable enough to plan around and distinctive enough to justify a trip from other neighborhoods.