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Zekiah Juliusson

yum! Kitchen and Bakery recently opened a new location in St. Paul serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for reasonable prices.

Following the closing of classic Irish Pub O’Gara’s two years ago, there has been much speculation as to what would take its infamous place. Officially opened on Dec. 14, yum! Kitchen and Bakery offers a variety of baked goods and delicious meals. This is the third branch of yum!, which was originally founded in St. Louis Park, and has expanded after its local success. Located at the corner of Snelling and Selby, it is the perfect place to meet a friend for lunch, or grab a treat.

Walking into the building, one is greeted by modern, bustling decor, with many white tables, plants and upbeat music playing. Walking up to the two counters, there are six menu boards, each focusing on a different part of the meal. There is also a glass display with a wide variety of tempting desserts.

Most meals are around $10-12, making them very affordable for their quality. They serve breakfast from 8-11 a.m., having every type of egg dish imaginable as well as avocado toast. For lunch, they mainly serve the traditional soup, sandwich and salads, but also offer many dinner entrees during the day. Surprisingly, on top of all of these options, they also offer pizzas, and most notably, roasted chicken. With an abundance of dishes to choose from, there is something for everyone.

yum! also offers a wide variety of drinks, including coffees, mochas and teas. I tried the caramel mocha, which came in a clear glass where you could see the caramel foam and rich mocha underneath. It wasn’t too sweet and was a great warm beverage on a cold day.

I ordered the Steak Sandwich and the Reuben. The Steak Sandwich was a grilled tenderloin, with greens and a delicious sauce on top of the focaccia bun. My food came very fast, only 10 minutes after I had ordered it. It was delicious and tender, and came with a side of salted potato chips and a pickle. The Reuben sandwich was a corned beef sandwich with sauerkraut on two slices of caraway rye. It was a highly tender and salty meal, a perfect Reuben, and it also came with the salted potato chips and a pickle.

While both sandwiches were delicious, the real treat came when I tasted their desserts, ordering a Death by Chocolate cupcake, and a Sinkicker bar. Both were around five dollars, which is reasonable for their size. The Death by Chocolate cupcake was exactly what it sounds like, a rich chocolate cupcake with a delicious chocolate creme inside. The Sinkicker bar was the highlight of the meal. As their version of a Snickers bar, it was a delicious chocolate, caramel and nougat bar that melted in your mouth.

Overall, yum! Kitchen and Bakery was a great experience, the food and atmosphere were perfect, and with short wait times, it is a great option for getting a bite to eat. The food was full of flavor, and they set themselves apart with their large menu and specialty desserts.

Rating: ★★★★★