Pinch Dumplings

Set in a large warehouse market place of other starter restaurants/​cafes, super cool idea and concept for a space.
We enjoyed the mushroom dumplings and hubby enjoyed pork cabbage dumplings. 6 for $ 8, 9 for $ 11. We for them pan fried and ate with «pinch» special sauce (Tasted like soy with vinegar). Dumplings are satisfying but like Everyone says, heavy on the dough and fried nature. 6 can fill a small Asian girl like me.
Enjoyed this as a quick Asian American dumpling fix.

Okay, I’ll get straight to the point.
The dumplings are too expensive for what you get.
Now, let me explain. I got about 12 fried dumplings for like $ 14. Okay, I obviously saw the price before ordering and agreeing to pay, but I just assumed that the high price was going to be justified by some outstandingly awesome dumplings. In reality, they were nothing necessarily special.
The dumplings are heavy on the dough while light on the filling. After a while, I just pulled some of the dough off just to eat the filling. Also, a tad of the dipping sauce goes a long way, in my opinion, because it’s pretty salty and… I don’t know… vinegary?
So, the positives? The fillings, in particular the Veggie and the Beef Cilantro ones, are good. They’re both seasoned well and the ingredients mesh nicely. The dumplings were prepped to order, so they came out fresh and piping hot. The service was also friendly, too.
I’d say try them out for the sake of: 1) Trying someplace new, and 2) Drawing your own opinion about their dumplings.

The skin of the dumpling is too thick. Filling and sides are okay. Probably won’t come back.

I just came to the DC Beer and Wine Fwstival. A couple of minutes ago my friend and I ordered some dumplings. I would like to say that I love the dumplings. However, my friends dumplings never came. The guy who was taking the orders was really rude to us. He was a good salesman but bad on customer service. He basically was with a bad attitude and was really disrespectful to me and my friend. Not only that we waited over 20 minutes for our dumplings. I would like to report your employee’s attitude as really disrespectful and not representative of your business. You should not let employees like this one ruin your business. I would be happy to talk to you guys about what happened.

It’s a shame because the dumpling fillings are great (I tried both the pork and the beef dumplings), but the skin is way too thick. After a few, I started eating just the filling part and throwing away the dumpling skins. Also, $ 8 for 6 dumplings is a lot, especially if they don’t impress.

I really wanted to like this place but it is SUPER disappointing how bad these dumplings are. They use empanada-​like wrappers and basically deep fry the dumplings for an outrageous price. I wouldn’t even call this place Chinese. I do like their creative filler ideas and that is why I am giving 2 stars but GOD DAMN you can get way better dumplings at your local corner carry out store for a fraction of the price.

AMAZING and worth the hype. Even my boo-​thang who, admittedly, is not a big dumpling fan devoured them. Everything is super fresh, the fillings are innovative and plentiful, the wait is minimal (and they give you a cool buzzer so you know when your order is ready), and the staff is super nice and knowledgeable.
We had the pork/​cabbage and beef cilantro dumplings with the Asian slaw, and I’m definitely hooked!

I came around noon on a Saturday and it was not crowded at all. It was a great time to come especially if you don’t like crowds. Ended up getting the pork and cabbage fried dumplings with 3 sides: the spicy green peppers, cucumbers, and Asian slaw. The beer selection is decent, but if you really want beer you can head over to Taps. You basically order what you’d like and you’re given a buzzer so you can grab a seat. I didn’t try the ping pong table… maybe next time.

I guess it’s all about expectations. Having high hopes that they could satisfy a niche that Baltimore severely lacks we went for lunch. Service is friendly, but the execution of the food is lacking. I presume their goal is to mimic dumplings you’d find in a real asian store or even Asia itself. But, the skin is too thick and I think it would be petter if they only pan fried the bottom as opposed to frying the entire dumpling. The filling was good, but way too little compared to the thickness of the dumpling. The sauces– lacked the balance of soy sauce to vinegar and their special sauce wasn’t very good at all. The pickled daikon salad was way too soggy.
A great idea but a disappointing experience.

So far I’ve tried all of the dumplings steamed and pan fried and I think the pan fried ones taste better. As for the sides, the daikon salad and the Asian slaw are both very flavorful. The home-​style peppers were way too spicy for me to enjoy, and I really like spicy food. The serving size is a little small, so it’s a good deal to get the three sides for $ 5. Pinch also sells some Asian snacks and grocery. And there’s a ping pong table you can use for free.
The service is very friendly and they give you a buzzer thing so you can explore the rest of Mt. Vernon and it’ll alert you when your food is ready. My only complaint is that it’s a bit pricy for the amount of dumplings you get. But, if you have the City Dining Cards app there is a discount available.

Always savory and good, Pinch is my go to in a pinch. LOL.
With their seasonal dumplings, they always have a flavor profile for everyone.
Fried or steam, both styles of dumplings are tasty.
Their service is always friendly and timely.
I love that they offer a nice selection of adult beverages.
If you find yourself in the area, stop in for a brew and some dumplings.

In Mount Vernon, a new food hall opened up aptly named, Mount Vernon Marketplace. There’s currently about ten vendors including, a charcuterie bar, a pastry shop, an oyster bar, some crepes, and more. Of all the vendors, the one that I’ve heard the most buzz about is Pinch Dumplings. Hailing from DC, they make everything from scratch daily. Knowing I needed to try Pinch ASAP, I made plans with a friend to head over to Mount Vernon Marketplace.
When we entered Mount Vernon Marketplace, everything looked great! But we were both in the mood for dumplings and knew we would be back to try the other vendors at a later date.
After looking over the menu, we decided on two orders of dumplings. One with beef, onion, and cilantro, and the other order with chicken and celery. We ordered both dumplings pan fried because that seemed like the better option.
When the dumplings arrived, we were thrilled. Everything looked great.
First, I tried the Beef Dumplings. Of the two varieties we ordered, my friend preferred this one. I thought it was great. The dumplings were aptly filled and the beef was flavorful, I would order these again.
My personal favorite, were the Chicken Dumplings. I preferred the seasoning blend slightly more. But ultimately, picking a favorite comes down to splitting hairs between the two.
We also ordered sides. The first side we chose were the Home-​Style Peppers. There may have been a disclaimer on the menu that these were spicy, I did not think much of that disclaimer. These were a little too spicy for me. They were very good, but I would not be able to finish an order of these without chugging a gallon of water.
The other side we ordered was the Asian Slaw. This was very good on its own, but even better when I mixed it with the peppers and used it as a cooling agent.
My friend and I throughly enjoyed everything at Pinch and can’t wait to return to Mount Vernon Marketplace to sample some of the other vendors.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS a delight. Service is exactly what you need, take my food order quickly and don’t hover. But the staff is always engaging and up for a casual convo. The beer selection is 23 bottle options and 6 on tap PLUS on tap knob creek and other liquor. What? Who else does that?
Food:
Vegan dumplings are satisfying
Pork juicy delish
Beef full of flavor
Sides:
New favorite is the peanuts (order them first with a beer for a perfect pairing)
Daikon (if you’re gonna share — don’t!) sweet tangy perfect to cut the dumplings
Asian slaw: crisp and full of great flavor (to confront a negative Unilocaler– rustic and not evenly chopped)
Rice… Duh a must.
At – boywiththebluebeard is the man make sure you tag him on IG
It’s a great market and We keep coming back. AMEN

Dumpling sampler with three sides was a perfect size lunch for two (left room for a cupcake at another shop in the market…). The steamed dumplings were soft and easy to eat but not sticky or too chewy. I also felt like the filling stayed inside pretty well, allowing for two daintier bites. I liked all three sides we had: Asian slaw, garlic cucumbers, and steamed rice, but the rice was a little tricky to eat with chopsticks. Wasn’t sticky enough to clump together. Overall, I enjoyed it, the prices were good, and the environment is great. Love the Mt. Vernon Marketplace.

I love that there’s a vendor specializing in dumplings at the Mount Vernon Marketplace. It’s probably the only joint that does this in all of Baltimore.
Pinch Dumplings offers a variety of dumplings (either fried or steamed), combos, as well sides. The dumplings are pretty average in my opinion. Some taste better than others. But when all is said and done, the dumplings are way too pricey for what it’s worth.

I like pinch dumplings as a matter of fact i get it a lot, the only drawback, this thing is expensive and that is that. However, i wont be deterred. I will still come, when i look at my wallet and see that its always empty, i will know the reason.

Excellent. Not only is Mt Vernon Marketplace a great addition to Baltimore (you don’t really feel like you’re in Baltimore while in the building), but Pinch is a great surprise. My wife and I went on a Friday night and were met promptly at the bar where we ordered two beers, a large order of dumplings each, and a side of sauteed snow peas. We didn’t have to wait too long despite it being a bit busy, and our pan-​seared dumplings were wonderful. Hot, crisp, and flavorful, we gladly devoured the entire dish with options of soy sauce, sriracha, etc.
The man tending the stand was great: friendly, inviting, and accommodating. This will be a new favorite spot of ours and I definitely recommend checking it out.

I was brought takeout from Pinch Dumplings last Friday, and while they were out of several flavors, I did enjoy the ones that were available.
I opted for steamed instead of pan fried, and thought that they had quite a good dough considering our other local options. I had the pork and the seasonal — chicken with celery dumplings. Both were very oniony, and the sauce was a bit sharply acidic — could use with a contrast of either spicy or sweet-​citrusy instead to go with something that oniony.
I’d definitely try the other flavors, and I think since they’re a bit small, 6 is not quite enough for an _​entire_​meal. We’ll be back — very glad to support another local option and much better than frozen!

(10/​19/​2015) So glad to see the Mount Vernon Marketplace has finally opened up! Pinch Dumplings was one of the first at the grand opening on Oct. 14. The dumplings are Northern-​style Chinese. Skins are thick, wheat flour based, hand rolled and hand pleated (I’m adverse to the word «pinch,» reminds me of my overzealous aunties and chubby cheeks, besides, my mom pleated, she didn’t pinch). Pinch is a DC-​based operation, prior to this venture, mostly a farmer’s market vendor. The food is made near DC then hauled up to Bawlmre. The website has a misleading number of varieties. When we were there, there were only 4 kinds listed: Pork and Cabbage, Beef and Cilantro, Cabbage and Carrot and the seasonal Pork and Pumpkin (which they were already out of at lunchtime).
I got mine pan-​fried, I like a crust exterior and they did have that. The non-​crusted parts were chewy and springy (in a good way, but the skins a little thick for my Southern tastes). Fillings are well-​seasoned; meat was very finely minced (almost mushy). Pork filling had faint odd metallic aftertaste, and thereafter, I would taste it in other bites. Thinking possibly cooking in aluminum pans or excess iodine in some ingredient like soy or fish sauce.
I also did the 3 side dish sampler for $ 5; got the Asian Slaw (gingery, tart, pretty colors), Pickled Daikon (crisp, cool, acetic), Cucumber and Garlic (heavy soy, unevenly marinated pieces, like they kept adding new cucumbers to a vat of old cucumbers and scooped them all out together for you).
Chinese food in Baltimore is a total joke, so I’m glad to see something like authentic and decent Chinese food in the downtown area. Overall, they were just good (and pretty pricey for what it was), not great. If I lived at 520 Park, I’d probably get a pack of dumplings after work all the time, but I don’t, so likely they’ll be relegated to the «if I happen to be walking by category.»
NOTE: there is a ping pong table next to the dumpling stand and one of the tables (the one we were unfortunately sitting at) is in direct firing range, when it comes to seating, choose wisely.

Pinch is quite possibly the most inefficiently run food stand I’ve ever patronized. They have one guy alternating between manning the cashier and serving orders as they come out, resulting in me waiting in line for 15 minutes despite there only being five people in front of me. The «service» consists of yelling out order numbers – which they do not bother to tell you if you pay in cash – and then just repeating the same number over and over in an increasingly angsty, frustrated tone because no one has any idea who the fuck’s food is ready. It’s like dumplings as envisioned by Kafka.
On top of that, it was $ 11 for six pork dumplings and a tiny order of daikon slaw, and the dumplings were greasy, underfilled, and barely appetizing. I had high hopes for the new Mt. Vernon Marketplace but they’ll be dashed if the rest is like this, because Pinch is a total disaster. Stay away!