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My friend just moved right across the street so we checked it out a few times. Really unique. The bar tender everyone is talking about is very sweet, just not a boisterous person. Very nice though.
The beer & $$$? How can you beat this. They have 4 of my favorite import beer at prices that are insanely affordable. For that reason alone, combined with the atmosphere, we love this place.
One thing - not really a complaint but a suggestion - Try serving food before 6pm. We came it at 4 pm one day to fill up and then have some beers and were told that no food was available prior to 6pm.
The food and the food $$$ are great- just need to be offered in the day too.
The pro: Thursdays is $3 Bass night.
The cons: The rest of it.
Besides the fact that some big drunk Romanian dude tried to bone my friend and I the last time I was there, this place is kind of werid.
There is never anyone here. Whether its a Tuesday or Friday there will be the same amount of people here and they are always people who can walk here...And no one else!
A few decent beer on tap and the atmosphere is ok and they have a wrap around outdoor patio so there is that but this place is anything but happening or the place to be unless of course you are a Romanian power lifter looking for dudes...even though this isn't even remotely a gay bar.
Never had the food but I can't imagine it is good.
The Leadway is the joint.
My brother and I just moved into the neighborhood, and the Leadway is something of a hidden gem. It is nestled nicely in between a firefighter's bar (do not diss "Rescue Me" at this bar) and a sports bar whose bartender was recently stabbed in the face (did not check my facts for this).
And then we have the Leadway.
Pros: (1) low-key, relaxing bar
(2) awesome art all over the walls)
(3) Friendly bartenders (Valentina all the way)
(4) Point--the most delicious beer that sells for $2. Holy fuck!
(5) board games, arts and crafts, free pool, piranhas, and once a month a local "Fiddle Club" meets to play fiddle music from around the world.
Cons: (1) The music: sometimes you don't want to hear Mambo #5 and all the hits the 90s had to offer (although sometimes you get "Kissed By a Rose," which is always good).
(2) Even when it's busy, it's pretty empty.
Leadway, I know you have your flaws, but I still LOVE you. What's that Leadway? You don't want to sleep on the couch? It hurts your neck? Well come on and sleep in my room. YEAAAAAAH
I went here for a friend's b.day party and I liked the place. Sat. night with $2 PBR's isn't bad. And I actually liked that it wasn't crowded. Never had to wait for a drink. Plus it has an artsy vibe to it and you can fingerpaint if you want (I saw some people painting when I walked in). Good place to go with a few friends and just chill out and chat.
Okay, let me say up front: Leadway is NOT for everyone. But the Boy and I love it and it is our bar of choice.
In some aspects, the place is kind of divey. It's dark, lousy rickety tables, and what passes as a cushioned bench up front is totally atrocious and no fun to sit on at all.
But it has the most amazing quirky charm I have yet to find at any other bar in the city - or just about anywhere else.
There are these elaborate semi-abstract metal sculptures that hang from the ceiling - they have always kind of reminded me of the art Catharine O'Hara does in Beetlejuice that comes alive and attacks the party guests...
And there is a Piranha tank mounted on the wall. If that's not punk rock, I don't know what is.
And the other decoration is just as quirky and mismatched - the front of car with working headlights over the bar, black and white stills of Scorcese films and more, a totally out-of-place neon Homer Simpson sign.
The music is totally unpredictable - sometimes it's super poppy dance, sometimes more toward classic rock. Seems pretty random.
We've never had a problem with the TVs, really - we've watched the Cubbies and the soccer games there.
Beer selection is decent, and prices are average. The cocktail prices are kind of outrageous, but to be fair, they are really good. I suggest the Key Lime Pie.
As for service.... I can see where some people would think the bartender was "icy" - I have never thought she was, but I can see someone misinterpreting her attitude that way. She just seems to need to warm up to you before she gets really friendly. If you're a regular, she'll give you stellar treatment. We think she's great.
If you're looking for a laidback place with a Tim Burton feel as a home base bar, this might be for you. We find it to be scrumtrulescent.
10/21/08 - They got rid of the scary bench up front! But they replaced it with these booths that, while, more comfortable, look like they were leased from Pleasantville. Very weird, LOL.
Leadway oh Leadway, I hate you, you stink. I wish you were on Montrose so you'd wash down a sink (hole). The Leadway is a tease. The Leadway advertises itself as many things that it is not.
1. I have never been able to make art here. Ask the bartender about fingerpainting and she will icily glare at you.
2. Banners outside encourage you to watch your professional and college football games at the Leadway. Banner should read: listen to the XFM station that only plays music from 1990-1994... there will be no football here. In fact, our icy bartendress does not know what football is.
3. Here is a short list of other things the bartendresses don't know:
- What a Tom Collins is (unable to order here)
- What a vodka & lemonade is (served as vodka & soda)
- What a gin & tonic is (served as vodka tonic)
My 12-year-old cousin mixes better drinks, and doesn't argue when you tell him he served you Smirnoff instead of Beefeater.
4. Another banner reads: This Month's Special: $5 Jack & Coke. Not only has that sign been up for a year, is that really a special? Here's another banner they should post: "This Year's Special: $8 Yellow Tail Glass of Wine!"
I know that I sound unduly angry and bitter. But I have good reason. This bar is across the street from my house. By default, it must serve as my neighborhood watering hole. So not only does it have bad service, expensive drinks and won't play the Bears game (even though they promise to), they're taking up the space of a perfectly fine bar that WOULD if only the Leadway weren't there.
Not a bad place to call your corner bar, very laid back and chill. They have a really good selection of beer and enough different wines to keep me happy (although I don't think Little Penguin should be $8 a glass). It's a very artsy place with tons of paintings on the wall and interesting sculptures in the second room. I've even fingerpainted here before. There's a piano you can play (needs tuning though) and a stack of board games to choose from. The pool is free, but it's probably the most warped table I've ever played on.
The bartenders are sweet, and the food is good. Try the quesadillas or the burgers. The bathrooms are a little cramped and could use a facelift. They have a very nice patio in the summer.
This seems to be the place for my little group to throw birthday parties. The bartenders are extremely accomodating and genuinely happy to see a crowd of people here. When I had my birthday celebration here in January, Valentina gave me a bottle of champagne to share with everyone and turned down the music so we could toast. When another friend had a birthday party here, they set out trays of food for us and let him hook up his mp3 player to their sound system. Tres cool.
All in all, this is a great little place in between Lincoln Square and Andersonville. Even on busy nights, it still feels like a quiet neighborhood bar to me. It's an easy pick when I can't think of anywhere else I want to go.
Oh, I love Leadway, let me count the ways:
1) It's an artsy bar that a white bread girl like me can fit in at. Or I'm more artsy than I realized. They have poster paints and paper in the back that you can do your own artwork! I brought my own pastels and Ellie brought the canvas.
2) The food is good! $2 for a chicken sandwich? What?! And it came with the best fries EV-AR. So nice and crunchy and tasty.
3) The neighborhood is quiet. I liked that. I can't remember the last time I sat somewhere in the city and I didn't hear the drone of everything going by. But given that, we'd get the occasional semi/big truck noisily going by. But that's it!
4) The people who go there are friendly!
5) The beer specials are good - $3 for a Blue Moon?! $5 for a moijito? And it was far tastier than the one I had had at the Yelp event last week!
Leadway, I *heart* you. Can we go out?
I discovered this little neighborhood treasure within days of moving here.
The cute Romanian bartenders are friendly and make rounds to the tables often, especially when its slow.
The space next door to the bar is an art gallery (where they sometimes teach FREE art classes!!) and the artwork and vibe kind of spill over into the bar itself.
They serve standard bar food too, but I come here to drink and play games, encouraged by their good drink specials and the numerous boardgames. They also have a pool table and rolls of blank paper in case you feel like creating.
If you haven't already noticed, I'm a northsider, tried and true. This is another treasure slightly off the beaten path that the Northside has to offer. My friends used to frequent this bar about two or three years ago for a summer, but I hadn't been back since.
First of all, they get three stars for making a better mojito than Landmark - even though they used what seemed to be like regular sugar or sugar in the raw. Still not enough to turn me off!
The staff was very friendly and the patrons that were there were equally amusing.
They have board games and art supplies. The man who owns the bar is a plumber by trade but he did all the awesome metal sculptures in the bar as well as the really cool looking booths. The chairs at the tables inside, however, are not too comfortable. Oh well!
They do offer art classes, but there's nothing set in stone. The bartender working that night said the owner had been really busy, but they're going to start up classes again eventually. Whatever that means.
EDIT (6/4/2008): I'm revising my opinion, as originally stated below three months ago. I went back two weeks ago, and the place has changed. The service was bossy, the coziness gone, the food options have grown smaller and pricier, and the fries have changed. This last part is a tragedy, as they had the best fries EVER. Not any more. Sorry, Leadway - you get three stars.
********
One of my favorite after-work drink holes. I'm hesitant to write a review to draw any more attention to this hidden secret of Andersonville, but the place deserves some praise.
The bar staff is friendly, and the drinks are decently priced. Love the interior with the strange, and slightly upsetting, metal sculptures and chalk etchings. Recently, the place underwent a makeover to open the space, and some of the quirky charm was lost, but we still love it.
You can get the world's cheapest chicken wings, fajitas, tacos, etc there - and it's a ton of food! Great fries, too. They've recently added "fancier" choices to the menu like fried calamari.
I guess if you're the artsy-fartsy type, you'll dig this place. Not exactly what I would call a "comfortable" bar. Definitely a kid's hangout, and since I am severely lacking on body piercings I walk around the corner to K's Dugout on Foster and drink cheap beer and shots and watch sports and play pool and listen to the juke box. Oh, and have a bartender who says "hi" and "what cannigetcha?"
Great bar to grab a few, catch up with friends, shoot some pool, etc...
Leadway is a real local hangout and that suits me just fine. They have tons of art plastered all over (all from local customers). The wait staff is friendly and there is tons of room in the place! I don't know what it is, but even on crowded nights, I never feel jammed in at all.
Don't try and get fancy with the drink orders here, cause that ain't gonna fly.
One of the coolest little spots in the city, hands down. The Leadway is a really unique place in the it is a bar and grill that doubles as an art gallery. The floors are covered in handmade mosaics, the lighting fixtures are all copper sculptures and the walls of the bar are covered in patron art work. The bar has a second room attached, the X Gallery, which usually has paintings or photography by local artists up for sale. That rooms also doubles as a great party space.
The service at Leadway is always quick and friendly, and I've never had a bad mixed drink. Special range from $2 beers ($2 Point every night) to $5 mojitos, white russians and margaritas. The food menu has a decent array of food and a good price. The quesadillas and french fries here are some of my favorites.
As for entertainment, there are a ton or board games, and old piano, art supplies and a really "broken in" pool table. Recently the bar has had some money pumped into it and been rearranged, making it a cooler and more friendly spot.
The larger room can be booked, free of charge, for parties. I've had two birthday parties here, and everything has been excellent. They put out a couple deli trays for you and allow you to play whatever music you want, via either cd's or your mp3 player. I can't say enough about how hospitable the staff is for the parties. The owner always makes an appearance, and last time bought my group a couple bottles of champagne to celebrate.
A+. Really. A+.
I've been told that Leadway is a local favorite with great atmosphere, so my g/f and I decided to take the drive from Ukranian Village to the north north side. The atmosphere is artsy and has a great 'local bar' feel, and the drinks are priced very reasonably. When I went to pay with my credit card, I had to wait 30 minutes for the owner to figure out why his phone line wasn't working. He then proceeded to get a bit lippy with me for using a cc in the first place.
Worth a 15 min. car ride? No.
If it was local? Sure, but I would not make it first on my list.
I don't go here as often as I should. Leadway serves too much bar food. They serve gigantic portions of food. The beer is inexpensive, they have free pool and if I had an artistic bone in me the art classes are free.
In the summer Leadway has a patio that allows my dogs to go out drinking with me. Actually, when the kitchen is closed I think they would probably let them in. That's how friendly this bar is.
Writing this, makes me rack my brain why I have visited it so infrequently.
Oh yeah. Leadway is a jukebox away from being perfect. :-) Now I just need to go there more often.
I really want to give this place 4 stars but I just can't. I have been here twice on a Saturday night and it's just kinda dead. Maybe it's just the neighborhood, but I'd figure in an 5 block radius of Leadway, this might be the best option for somewhat of a crowd on a weekend. No such luck. The bar has some interesting decor and a super sweet bartender. I could see myself really enjoying Leadway with just some random people to banter with - it's just not there.
Ok- this place is so crazy you have to love it. Last time I was there a band in NASA outfits with fencing masks were playing some crazy electronica / futuristic music. This was on a Sunday.
The artwork/decor inside is pretty neat- from the front of a Buick (?) to the metal sculpture to the fish tank of piranhas - the place is decked out. All this will free pool and board games, great beers on tap, and a diverse crowd. I'm in.
At the behest of my pal, and because I've given Leadway a second chance, I will up my rating another star. I've actually come here twice in the past week, once after closing down Bobbie's and not wanting to go home (maybe I should sign up for AA...) and last night after a pig roast. Last night's events featured a birthday party, some hilarious karaoke including great hits such as Particle Man and a painfully screechy version of "You Oughta Know" and the embarrassing antics of the drunkest, sluttiest, yet most forgettable girl I've ever seen. We enjoyed giant $4 Hoegaardens, met some new pals, and watched a 65 year old birthday boy belt out "All the Girls I've Loved Before". Good times.
This is a very generous three. Very. We stopped by after my opening at Morpho because some of my… Read more »
7 years ago this place was:
dark
divey
arty (i WAS able to make art there and put it on the wall. it seems some patrons haven't had that luxury)
hidden
small
punk
currently leadway is:
small
hidden
bright with brushed steel (no art really. just trash on the wall for decor)
a spot for loud, ethnic birthday/dance parties
not sure what happened, but it's a strange place that i usually end up at to solve the fried food craving. they will give you enough fries on the sample plate to feed 8 people for 5 dollars. their outdoor seating is decent, too.
somehow stumbled onto this place some years back..and i find myself making the drive north to come here on occasion.
pretty much everything on the menu comes with their tasty fries. even the salad comes with a side of fries and if you order just fries you'll get a side of fries with that too.
there's a little gallery attached to the bar which is pretty cool and if you are so inclined, get drunk on their 3 dollar beer specials and get in touch with your inner pollock.
(that reminds me, i need to buy some more crayons)
Service and atmosphere are good (4*). The drinks are a bit pricey for this neighborhood, even the specials(3*). I used to think it was impossible to have bad bar food until I ate here, it is truly horrible (1*). The sideroom doubles as a polling place for government elections!
This is a neighborhood joint that is located near some friends of mine. I visited for the first time this weekend and quite enjoyed myself. They make a nice martini and the drink prices are reasonable. They have a nice outside area where we sat with a big boxer puppy and talked and drank the night away. The owner even grilled us some chicken wings! Cool place.
A jack of all trades, a master of none is my opinion of the Leadway. From the outside it looks like an Irish bar that could be called something like Flannigan's, or O'leary's. Inside the decor is brushed stainless steel against what probably used to be a very nice vintage bar setting. They offer food, drinks and art classes. The food and the drinks were just so-so, maybe they really knock em dead with the art classes. I had a cheeseburger for my meal. They only offer American cheese, fine. Upon receiving the burger you can immediately tell that it is one of those burgers out of a box, and it definitely tastes like that too. At least they cook it to order. Our server also overcharged for my drinks, she was nice enough to remove the charges. I won't go out of my way to come here.
geez... from what the other patrons are telling me, i shoulda stayed inside. however, against our better judgement, my friend and i decided on sitting outside and gettin some fresh air.
within minutes, my friend the ornithophobe, spotted two large birds sitting on the opposite side of the patio. she was ultra excited to watch them poo and squak (sp?) at a small child. (stubborn chick would not move!!) then, a local driver tried to manuver his gigantic hoop-dee out of his parking space and down the street. he succeeded after about 17 tries, and narrowly missing the fence that was next to us. this, she said gave the dinner a certain 'david lynch'-ian feel. she still wouldn't move!
k... back on track. should've stayed inside, because the drink specials are inexpensive and laid-back feel is welcoming.
2 for 1
Chicago, IL
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Neighborhood: Lakeview
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Bars
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