The Inner Harbor is getting a new Chinese restaurant but no noodles

The Inner Harbor is getting a Sichuan restaurant.

Eastern Gourmet, a Chinese eatery based in College Park, is opening a location at 414 Light St. early next year, co-owner Sean Li said.

The restaurant, to open tentatively in January, will offer diners a range of Sichuan staples, along with options that originate from beyond that province of Southwestern China. “We specialize in Sichuan style, but we still want to give a variety,” Li said.

Homemade soup dumplings and pot stickers will be on the menu, along with Peking duck. Customers can also expect to see Chinese American classics such as General Tso’s chicken, beloved in the U.S. but rarely found in China.

But don’t expect to see dan dan noodles or any type of noodle at all. Li said his tenant agreement forbids that because it would compete with Ramen Utsuke next door.

“If you like, you can come to our College Park store to try” those dishes, Li said.

The restaurant will open at around 11 a.m., serving lunch and dinner, and Li hopes to get a liquor license. He is managing the business side of the operation, while his friend and chef Shaoguo Li will oversee the kitchen.

Baltimore was an appealing location for Eastern Gourmet to expand because of the relative lack of Chinese restaurants operating in the city, Sean Li said. “I think people need more choices,” he said.

Although the overall number of Chinese restaurants may be relatively small, the scene has grown over the past six years. Restaurateur Peter Chang opened NiHao, his first restaurant in Baltimore, in 2020, following up with another branch near Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2023.

The area surrounding the Johns Hopkins University has welcomed Lao Sze Chuan and Mahjong. And it’s continuing to expand. This past weekend, Pepper House, a popular destination in Ellicott City, opened a stall inside Remington’s R. House.