Mi & Yu Noodle Bar will close on February 15th after almost eight years in Federal Hill. Owner Edward Kim said he is ready to retire after a long career as a chef and restaurant owner.
At one point Mi & Yu Noodle Bar had four locations. Kim sold The Rotunda location, which is now under new ownership. The location at Mount Vernon Marketplace closed in June of last year. There was also a location in Arlington, Virginia.
Kim told SouthBMore.com he tried selling the Federal Hill location, but he could not find a buyer. He noted The Rotunda location has 100 percent more in sales than the Federal Hill location.
Kim said the Federal Hill location, which was the original location, experienced growth in 2015 to 2017 and was stagnant in 2018 and 2019, before it “really fell off” in 2020 during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that ramen is more seasonal and tougher to sell in the summer.
Mi & Yu sells customizable noodle bowls including ramen, as well as bao, sandwiches, and Korean wings.
Kim will spend the next year wrapping things up in Baltimore before moving to Mexico for a few years. After that he plans on traveling the world.
