Baltimore's Café Dear Leon Ranks Second Among World's Best Bakeries
The Canton neighborhood spot beats out bakeries in San Francisco and New York on a list based on 140 million user ratings.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
Café Dear Leon, a small bakery in Baltimore's Canton neighborhood, just secured the second-highest ranking for bakeries worldwide. The business took the No. 2 spot on Beli’s 2026 global list, placing it directly behind JUNO the bakery in Copenhagen. This achievement makes Café Dear Leon the highest-ranked American bakery on the international scale.
The list features 12 locations total. Arsicault Bakery in San Francisco finished third, while Butter & Crumble in San Francisco and Kasama in Chicago also made the cut. The ranking puts the Baltimore establishment ahead of other celebrated spots in New York and major culinary hubs across the United States.
Beli compiles these rankings using data from its restaurant discovery application. The platform allows diners to compare establishments they have visited. According to the company, the 2026 list relies on more than 140 million user ratings to determine standing.
This global recognition follows a strong year for the bakery. Earlier in 2026, Café Dear Leon became a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category of the James Beard Awards. The nomination is listed on the James Beard Foundation’s official semifinalist list. The business is well known locally for its crab dip bagel and has expanded operations beyond its original Canton location.
The bakery's rise reflects a wider trend in Baltimore's food scene. The city is gaining a reputation as a destination for distinctive neighborhood bakeries. For local customers, the international ranking adds another layer of recognition for a shop that was previously known mostly to residents of the surrounding neighborhood.
