Café Dear Leon - Baltimore, Maryland

Howard Dai

Came highly recommended by a local friend. Small line on Thursday & Friday mornings around 10/11am. Apparently the line gets long on weekends but well worth it! They publish their menu on their website daily. First day we got their butternut squash sandwich (v good), Korean Kalby short rib croissant (unreal!!), quiche, and coffee cake. Second day I got an almond croissant. Absolutely will line up again for this place. Great bake and the savoury things are amazing!

Phillip Clark

I got a salmon lox sandwich which has a dill and chive spread, pickled onions, egg yolk patty, cucumbers with it, it came on some really good bread, too.

I also ordered a salted caramel coffee. All in all, a 20 minute wait, everything was really, really good.. it was worth it for a “once in a while” moment.

I will say, the prices are steep. $20 for those two items.

Though, from the little experience I have in the food industry, I can tell everyone in this shop is a hard worker, managing to come in at early hours to serve people. The place is really, really clean and well maintained.. they are really good at their craft and I appreciate seeing the quality in their food.

If you’re not interested in the line, go on a weekday or right after they open.

Beb

Absolutely delightful small café located in Canton. Please make sure to arrive early before your desired food because it will run out quickly! We arrived at 10:30 for the sandwiches and there was a line. Highly recommend checking it out! Very delicious and worth the price

Samuel Shiao

Amazing bakery - definitely recommend if you're in the area. The staff is so friendly and everything we had was perfectly baked. My favorite was the creme brulee tart, but I also really enjoyed the financier and ham & cheese croissant. Would absolutely go back! A quick warning though: there can be quite a long line, so I would normally recommend going early but their menu (at least in November 2023) is time-based so they don't have all of the items available at any given time.

Richard W

Possibly one of the best bakeries in the entire country? Forget crab cakes; when you’re in Baltimore, you must visit Café Dear Leon, like how a foodie trip to SF is not complete without Tartine.

I was struck by how much better CDL is than even the top bakeries in NYC. They’ve mastered the art of the laminated dough—croissants, kouign amanns, danishes, quiches. Also, their scones are the best I’ve ever had.

CDL releases baked goods on a strict schedule. Check their website. Once an item has sold out for the day, that’s it. The most popular items are completely gone in less than an hour on a weekend. During the colder months, CDL doesn’t have any seating as they need the space to keep guests warm while queueing.

The pastries do retain their crispness throughout the day, but obviously they’re much better when fresh out of the oven.

I’ll be haunted by the fact that I can’t just hop over to CDL whenever I have a craving for pastries.

Maria Battle

Full stop, you must experience this equisitely fresh baked food. There is limited outdoor seating but the beautiful park across the street has benches. At peak hours the line wraps around the building, so come early or tag-team your order if you have limited time. They do process orders quickly and have a very clean public restroom. The staff were very kind and attentive.

Rich Clev

This place is a not so secret hidden gem on the canton square. Be prepared to wait in line but the wait is well worth it. I haven’t had a pastry there that I haven’t really enjoyed but currently my favorite is the tiramisu croissant that they come out with at 9am and I heard it sells out fast. If you haven’t had the chance to visit cafe dear Leon I would highly recommend trying it at least once.

Lee Jin

Hands down THE BEST baked goods. I got lucky with no line due to bad weather but would definitely be back for lunch items! A must stop if you are in the area.