Popular artisan bakery Scéal is to open a bakery and cafe in Wilton Park, the new city quarter on the Grand Canal between Leeson Street and Baggot Street in Dublin.
The expansion of Greystones-based Scéal will help to build a cluster of food and beverage offerings at Iput Real Estate’s multi-use development.
Scéal says it is on track for a summer opening, while chef Mark Moriarty’s private dining and event space is already slated to open there in late spring. Iput is expected to announce further details of a casual dining offering plus a wine bar and small plates outlet in the early months of 2026. A restaurant with 80-100 seats across an indoor and outdoor space, led by an Irish chef, will follow later in the year.
The Scéal bakery and cafe will mark one step in the business’s return to Dublin, where it was founded in 2016 by Charlotte Leonard-Kane and Shane Palmer. It subsequently moved to Greystones in Co Wicklow, with Charlotte’s brother, shareholder Ben Leonard-Kane, describing the team’s “delight” at the move back to the capital. He said there had been “a layer of guilt” about leaving behind a loyal customer base when Scéal relocated to Greystones.
As well as Wilton Park, Scéal plans to open another cafe in Dublin city next year as it seeks to grow via a “hub and spoke” model, where a bakery acts as a hub and cafe outlets both on-site and in a secondary location as the spokes. As part of this, it is also seeking a further premises in south Dublin to act as a spoke off Greystones, Leonard-Kane said.
“This is the way we want to grow the business,” he said, acknowledging that bakeries are “having a moment” as people drink less alcohol and seek alternative ways to socialise.
At Wilton Park, which includes headquarter offices for LinkedIn, Stripe and EY as well as Mary Lavin Place, Scéal will occupy a glass-fronted premises that opens directly on to the development’s restored one-acre public park, with views across a Victorian fountain. Leonard-Kane said the location, with its natural light and outdoor space, had been chosen with the bakery’s team in mind, with some starting work as early as 3.30am.
Scéal founders Shane Palmer and Charlotte Leonard-Kane. Photograph: Shantanu Starick 
Mary Lavin Place at Wilton Park. Photograph: Tom Honan
“We want to bring the outside in and the inside out,” Leonard-Kane said, noting the “very extensive design process” that was going into the project, helped by specialist firm Kaneco. Their goal is to make exterior seating just as good as interior seating, aided by an overhang and canopy. Scéal would also like to provide space for the work of artists who will have studios in Wilton Park as part of the project’s cultural programme.
When open, Scéal with operate seven days a week from 7am, offering a seasonal lunch menu with sandwiches and salad. Over time, it will look to replicate its Greystones model offering evening pizza and wine, possibly up to three nights per week. The Mark Moriarty private dining and event space, which aims to have the feel of “a private home with restaurant features”, will also operate as a more traditional restaurant on Friday evenings, with booking there to open early in the new year.
Iput chief executive Niall Gaffney said the company had sought with Wilton Park to create “a public space that feels welcoming, human and grounded in design”. He said Scéal’s commitment to provenance, care and community exactly reflected what the company wants Wilton Park to be known for.