Could the long lines of dedicated Café Dear Leon fans finally see some relief?
The popular Canton cafe and bakery is expanding to Remington this fall, according to a news release. The eatery’s second location, scheduled to open in October, will be located at 2600 N. Howard St., which currently houses Equitea’s pop-up matcha cafe and was previously home to JBGB’s.
Opened in July 2020 by Cheolsoo Lee, Sungae Lee and Min Kim, Café Dear Leon has established itself as a bakery with offerings its patrons are willing to wait for, including crab tamago sandwiches, croissants and the viral crab dip bagel. On many mornings, lines snake down Canton’s O’Donnell Street; the tiny eatery has just three counter seats.
The Remington location will provide much more room. The space, which many Baltimore restaurant-goers will also remember as the restaurant and butchery Parts & Labor, is roughly 5,000 square feet. The new cafe’s menu will be similar to Canton’s, the release said.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Co-owner Cheolsoo Lee, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, said in a statement that Café Dear Leon has been eyeing a Remington location for years.
After seeing the Howard Street building, “we felt it was a perfect place to expand our operations in a thriving community,” Lee said. “The space will allow us to grow our bakery options and have the type of seating for our guests that we haven’t been able to provide in Canton — an important part of the café experience that we are excited to be able to explore.”
Read More
The bakery’s Remington storefront will be open six days per week, Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and plans to host soft opening events and collaborations in the lead-up to its full opening. The business, which has also applied for a liquor license, aims to expand its hours and menu to include dinner and bar service.
The owners is are already familiar with running a full-service restaurant: In April 2024, they opened the Italian spot Love, Pomelo on the same O’Donnell Square block of Café Dear Leon.
Meanwhile, Equitea won’t be going far. Owner Quentin Vennie told The Banner last month he was signing a two-year lease to remain in Remington at 311 W. 28th St.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.