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Leona's Restaurant
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Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village1936 W Augusta Blvd
(between Damen Ave & Winchester Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 292-4300
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
64 reviews for Leona's Restaurant
First had dinner here earlier this summer. Quite a few friends and family were in from out of town and they were good about accommodating all of us and splitting the check amongst the three parties. Pizza was easiest for all of us at the time, and it was fine, but didn't send me over the moon.
Their drink menu prominently featured Old Fashioneds and I thought I might try something new. After I ordered on the server returned to tell me they were out of oranges and cherries and asked if would I like something else instead. I settled for a Diet Coke.
One thing I did rather enjoy was a mozzarella cheese log. It's basically a huge mozzarella stick that you have to cut with a knife and fork.
I didn't get a chance to see the bill, but each additional topping seems to be rather expensive. I suppose when you're splitting a pizza among so many people it isn't a big deal. I will say there was a good variety of toppings available, but I'm a boring pepperoni and sausage guy, though we tried some garlic and it was fine.
The atmosphere was bad, but I certainly won't go out of my way to go back here. I'd go if someone else really wanted to or we just couldn't find anywhere else to go, but it just didn't do much for me.
I love their italian food!
Greasy and cheesy.
I got the ravioli and was NOT disappointed.
My boyfriend got the veggie burger, he was also very satisfied.(I took a bite too)
When we got there, we were seated right away.
Our server was excellent and very cheerful.
Alright, now that I'm a vegan I have to absolutely flag Leona's for their menu lies.
That Big Fat Vegan Burger that I've been ordering for years, turns out the SOY cheese on it has Casein (dairy), and the bun is an EGG bun.
What the hell Leonas. I actually have health problems caused by dairy.
Why would you say, Vegan on the menu, and then serve a dairy infused sandwich? I'm never coming back.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/9/2008
Not a great Leona's to dine at, but a great one for delivery.
The chain seems to have gone down hill… Read more »
Around November 8th 2009, I was extremely busy with family matters. I read the Yelp reviews but decided to go against them and give Leona's another try for my daughters birthday lunch. About 20 family members showed up for the lunch party. The server was A+. We had appetizers, drinks and pizzas.
The food was delicious. Going to Leona's definitely took a great big weight of my shoulders at this time in my life. I would highly recommend Leona's to anyone who needs to take a little rest, have great service and eat good food.
I've had meals at three Leona's and this is the worst of the bunch. I'll spare you the gory details and just say that this branch desparately needs a new manager. Hey Leona's Corporate types - read your Yelp reviews! People aren't happy!! Customers are leaving!! Do something before the whole chain sinks like Titanic 2010!!
If you're a big party, GO HERE. Because you'll get lots of attention because you are where the bigger tip is. If you're just a nice easy 2 -top, aka just you and your boyfriend, i suggest a different leona's... like the one in lakeview.
It took us 20 minutes to get drinks. DRINKS. just get us drinks and we'll be happy waiting for 30 minutes for you to come back to take our order. I can't stand people who are waiters or waitresses who don't get the fundamentals of the job. I've been one, it's standard to greet your table more than twice the whole visit. Food's good, good prices, just expect to wait a little longer. Or better yet, get it delivered!
Very annoyed with leonas right now. 2 stars only because the food isn't that bad. Due to the delievery man I had to review this place. The guy rang the door bell 3 times in a row. That is my biggest pet peve, ring it one time I get the hint. So he asked for my debit card, I told him I had to run up to get my wallet... a minute later door bell is ringing again in a very annoying manner. He then argued with me accusing me of not having a credit card when I specificly told him "I have to grab my wallet and ill be right down"...well as I grabbed my wallet less then a minute after this the door bell rang. Overall the food was way over priced too and the delievery guy made me not want to order from there again.
We chose this Leona's to host our wedding rehearsal dinner. Why? My sister in-law was paying... she requested Italian... this Leona's has a private room...
Done.
I'm actually really glad we did go with this venue. The private party space is really cute. There was plenty of space for us to "rehearse" (our venue wasn't open to us so we had to do it there).
We had one waitress assigned to our 40ish person dinner which I thought was a little skimpy. I felt bad for her... as soon as she brought back a drink order, she was running off with a new one. Another complaint was that they don't have a bar package option... everything was done per drink.
The food was really good and plentiful. The private room charge was not outrageous (10% of your total food bill).
I would recommend this as a great venue for any private party!
The veggie burgers here are HUGE. I'm not even joking. They're also pretty much awesome. If you're ordering for delivery, which we were, pay the extra buck to get lasagna as your side. The serving is big enough to be a meal by itself, which is exactly what we did. Veggie burgers for dinner and lasagna for lunch the next day. Awesome. The jalapeno fried ravioli is freaking amazing and I could eat it every day if it didn't cost so darned much.
Speaking of which, the prices are a little high but the portions are, as I said, huge, so I think balances out.
The delivery itself can be kind of crap, we've had drivers get sassy at us because THEY went to the wrong address. That sucks, because I try to be a nice, open minded, laid back person and so I tip online when I order, so if delivery gets snappy at me, I have no control over their tip. Oh well.
We scheduled a last minute birthday party at this location and they could not have been more helpful. From adding pitchers (for lemonade; for kids) to allowing us to de-compress in the room afterwards, the staff was constantly helpful. I am so pleased we were able to book this party room and recommend this spot to everyone (psst - they often have party rooms available at the last minute!).
I would have given this a 4 star review for the burger I had, but my gf is a vegan and she got the vegan burger, which is actually called something like "big fat vegan burger" and they served it w/ swiss cheese. Really folks?
I got the mgr to comp it, but then the waitress had the gall to get up in our face about it afterward and tried to say the mistake was our fault. I was stunned that she is willing to throw her tips away so easily. I tipped her a little more than the change. I'd go back for the burger, but not at this location...
I used to like Leona's, but it has sadly declined. Service is slow here, the pizza isn't very good, and overall, there are better places to get cheap Italian food in the city. No free refills on soda is a big killer for me, too. I mean, c'mon!
I still pop in once in a while for the Wheel of Fortune pinball table, but it's starting to be kinda buggy, and when it dies, so long, Leona's.
leona's has charming decor.looks like you are seated outside with streetlights and rooftops etc.. i like the fact that plates, glassware, fountain drinks and iced tea are visible from the dining area. (i know the conditions are clean) I read alot about slow service; however, each time i have eaten in( three times) my server was punctual and professional. I have also sat at the bar. Can't recall the bartender's name (tall with spikey black hair) but i do remember he was personable and took good care of my friends and i. When i order carryout, everything is well wrapped. delivery has always been timely and accurate. i have ordered after midnight on a weeknight and gotten my order by one. no beef there. The lasagnas are top notch. they fry a good calamari. orders come with a complimentary cheesecake brownie which is delicious. Prices are not out of line on entrees and sandwiches. i would argue the pizza is a bit high. that said, in uk village it is one of the better pizza options.
I ordered take out from this Leona's last week and the host/server decided they were entitled to add their own gratuity on to the check. This was TAKE OUT. I called to have the problem corrected, and they are giving me the run around.
Adding gratuity on to a check is stealing. Best part- They added more than a 20% gratuity on to the take out order, so somehow my $42 take out cost me $53.
I'm sure Leona's pizza might be really delicious if I ever got to try it...but I haven't.
My sister and I decided to order a za for dinner. About an hour and a half went by and I checked my phone where I had a missed call from the delivery guy saying that he was outside with the pizza but he would leave in the next minute if I didn't come out. Um...I thought delivery meant actually coming to the door???
When I called Leona's to find out how what happened etc, they tried to tell me that the driver had come to the door (this is after putting me on hold about 4 different times and forgetting what I was asking about). I live in a house, not a huge condo building, and have 3 dogs. I think if someone had knocked on the door, considering that I was sitting right there, that even if I had been hard of hearing at least 1 of the 3 dogs would not have been.
I definitely will never be ordering from Leona's again.
I've been here 3 times purely because of proximity - and because Greek Corner wasn't open.
Last time I came, it was late and I was starving. We were seated right away but it took a good while to get our menus. Then it took a good while to get our drinks. Then it took a good while to get our bread. Then it took a good while to get our food - at which point I already finished off the loaf of bread and wasn't hungry any more. I was sad about that... for a good while.
I guess I can't complain too much. They did take one glass of wine and a beer off the bill. Thanks! +1 star!
OH no! I am surprised at the bad ratings!!!
I had a fabulous time at Leonas today for lunch. It wasn't packed but we still went in. They have a very large menu and I treated myself to the half buffalo chicken sandwich with wedge fries! The service was great and we got our food pretty quickly. The place was very large and bright, and very clean!
The buffalo sandwich wasn't the best I've ever had but def NOT the worst! The wedge fries were great and it came with a little chocolate raspberry muffin that was very moist.
I will have to review these other reviews, and see what not to order...hmm
all in all it was great, and a pretty good price!
If I could give no stars, I would. I have had Leona's quite a few times in the last five years and thought it was just okay, nothing I'd go out of my way to get. Last week, we were at a friend's place and they ordered a pretty decent pizza from Leona's, so the boy and I reconsidered our opinions of Leona's and decided to order it tonight.
He called to make sure they were still delivering. They said yes (at 10:29 - the website says they're open until 11:00.) He called back at 10:31 to place our order...and they refused to deliver.
F you, Leona's. You've lost me for good this time.
What happened to you Leona's??!
Leona's in Roger's Park used to be my go-to for great food delivered or eaten in. Then they redesigned their menu gradually...and it was only OK, at best. I stuck with them in Lakeview for awhile, anyway. Then I moved to Bucktown and ate in--and it was just NOT good. They have been slipping for awhile, but it seems that all of the restaurants have fallen. I have eaten at others & had the same mediocre-to-gross experience.
If I could give it zero stars, I most certainly would.
I used to live in Hyde Park and that Leona's was well-run. The service was great. THIS Leona's is a f**king nightmare, and the service is terrible. The manager that they have running the place is a moron that doesn't know the meaning of customer service at all. Every time I call with an issue (often), he makes up a lot of excuses and YELLS INTO THE PHONE. He doesn't resolve anything and hangs up on you-and I'm not talking about simply disconnecting the call. No way. He slams that mf down to let you know he's pissed. **BEWARE**they have shady billing practices. I bought some lasagne for $13.23 (with delivery) and my credit card was charged $15.87. I kept telling him that, and he kept telling me I was wrong-even as I was looking at my bank balance on the computer while I was on the phone with him. Save your time and your money-hit up another location, but don't go to this one.
I really do not like this place, so why do I continue to order from here? Well there would be a few reasons. First, they deliver and are close to me. Second, they are open late. If it weren't for the psychedelic salad, which honestly is there saving grace, I would *never* order from here. I haven't had one other item from here that is worth the money or the calories.
Unless it's late and you're hungry, I would tell you to go to a different place.
I'm a fan. I've eaten here a million times (not really) because it's in my neighborhood. I love the calamari and lasagna. They have really great salads, nice fresh lettuce and veggies. Yummy French dressing. I always have left overs for the next day.
Takeout isn't that great because depending what you get it gets soggy the way they deliver and case it up.
This is an interesting Leona's location and not quite sure how they make any money (gotta be delivery). In about the 8 years i've been coming here, I've never, ever seen more than maybe a half dozen tables/booths filled at any given time; either for carry out or dine in.
So, it's a Leona's and there are a few things that you sorta just stick with. Maybe, just maybe, a pizza is in order, but there are far too many other pizza joints in Chicago to really do that. If you do, opt for the Italian Herb thin crust and definitely forgo the deep dish.
The pasta is really pretty average too, Lasagna is probably their top draw, but even that's a modest 3/5 imo. Good thing is you can get a pasta as a side to any entree or sandwich choice....actually, come to think of it, that's why Leona's even stays on my radar screen: Choice. You get a lot of variety just on any one visit/order (fresh baked bread w garlic butter and marinara, choice of 2 sides, an apple crisp garnish and your main).
For me, the two main attractions here are the Chicken (they do an very tasty buffalo chicken sandwich!) and their ground Steak Burgers. Appetizer notables are the toasted ravs, calamari and wings. They have a boatload of other menu items but frankly they try to do too much of everything and end up doing nothing "very well"; save for the few items mentioned above.
If I could think up what a fart would taste like, I would probably liken it to the chicken alfredo at Leona's.
$32 for a chicken alfredo dish and a baked ravioli appetizer dish and two cans of pop for delivery.
I bite my thumb at you Leona's.
The one star is for the nice[creepy] delivery man.
I know I've written this review before.
Look, I loved Leona's. It was the first place we ate after relocating here from Detroit. Yummy bread, calamari = crack, excellent service, and the hostess is from Livonia. We were on our way to a great love affair.
That was two years ago. I'll never be back to this location, if any of them. It's been a downward spiral and I never know what kind of treatment I am going to be subjected to.
I took my parents here and I was so embarassed. The food came out in batches. By the time the last person was served, half the table was finished eating. I took my almosthusband's parents here and had a fantastic experience. I took them back - and we saw our waitress exactly twice. She took our order, she brought us the check. That was it. It was like a slap in the face.
The last few times we went, there was always "we have new management" as the excuse. The bread recipe was different every time.
Leona's, I want to love you again. I gave you two stars for nostalgia and excellent calamari, not to mention your once-upon-a-time addictive pasta bowl. I just can't take the abuse and neglect anymore. It takes two people to make a healthy relationship. I wish I could say it was me and not you.
i think we both know, it's all you.
"AHAHAHAAHAH I used to work here and EVERYONE hated it! I worked at this location about 7 years ago. My floor manager was doing coke in the third floor banquet area and the kitcen ALWAYS smelled like rancid ass. One of the 15 year old phone girls was dating a 30 year old manager and I got harassed constantly by both customers AND staff and once a customer wouldn't leave me alone and my manager wouldn't do anything about it.
This is low class date night heaven. "Yo baby I take u out to a nice place cuz u my baby momma U NO!?"
The food is really hit or miss, but that creamy garlic dressing is good enough to just eat on it's own with a spoon. One night the same pizza will taste totally different than it did on a different night. Everything is REALLY over priced too.
WATCH OUT is all I have to say."
Oh, Leona's! How I apologize for neglecting thee. After a breakup, the closest Leona's was off limits since it was across the street from the ex's place. Well, enough time has passed and I'm back on the Leona's saddle again. They dole out hearty portions of salad, wraps, and pizza. I love their minestrone, but their pay by the piece cheese bricks are, hands down, the best thing on the menu. I have discovered that the perfect number to eat is 1.5, so go there with a friend and order 3 to split.
The one downside to Leona's is that their red sauces are made with beef stock, which I think is inconsiderate not to point out to vegetarian diners. I am not 100% sure about this, but the two waitresses I asked said that the marinara and spicy arribata sauces were made with beef stock. With all the dietary/religious concerns, I think that all restaurants should point out if a sauce contains any kind of animal stock, especially when their menu says that they cater to the closeted vegetarians.
The Augusta location. My 'home' away from home.
Pasta and burgers and wraps, OH MY!
Salads and pizza and ribs, DOUBLE OH MY!
Huge sodas and red zinger lemonade and frozen alcoholic beverages, HOLY SHIT, GIVE ME ADVIL! :)
The portions and sides will make you full to the max, and you might even have some left to take home.
Augusta Leona's -- I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU!!!!!
I used to have friends that love coming here all of the time.
we are no longer friends.
I'm sure at some point in time this place was quaint and cute, and even the food was delicious, maybe...or not, but it still seems to pull people into it and stays in business for years...this speaks volumes.
just so many other italian pizza joints so much better is all I'm saying.
Never been good once! My friends love this horrible bland food for some reason. I am glad that a restaurant can make me long for the tasteless and gross food of London once again. I have probably have had most things on the menu without being able to find one item I like. This is impressive because I love food. They have many dishes that I adore and they are still bad. How can you make pizza, chicken parmigiana, Italian beef, buffalo chicken and hamburgers taste like cardboard? One day I would like to ask the chef this secret. The only redeeming part of the meal is the little bit of apple crumble at the end.
Every time we order, my friend asks for the bacon to be crispy. Every time it is cooked soggy.
This place is terrible.
Let me start by saying that I'm the most laid-back person in the world when it comes to dining. I never complain, never send anything back, understand slow service, never ask to be comped, and tip ridiculously well. It would take a series of horrible offenses for me to bat an eye.
With that out of the way: I joined Yelp for the sole purpose of recounting the insultingly awful service at the Wicker Park Leona's.
Never, ever, ever order from this Leona's unless you have the foresight to place the order two hours before you feel hungry. Or if you don't mind having your order show up completely wrong - or not at all.
This Leona's took a nosedive over the past year and frankly should be shut down.
I just waited an hour and a half for food. I am still waiting. I called to check on the order and was informed that they had no record of my order.
I'm sorry, what?
"I'm looking at the computer and I don't have any record that you ordered."
(stunned silence.)
"I promise you I ordered food from you an hour and a half ago and am sitting here starving."
So, they comped my order and promised to have it out "as soon as it comes out of the oven."
Uh, isn't that the way it's normally supposed to go? Out of the oven, into the car, to my apartment a short six blocks away. It's not hard, Leona's.
Anyway, I wish I could say this was the first offense. Over the past couple of months, I've had a number of terrible delivery-related incidents - real cheese coming on a vegan burger when not even soy cheese was ordered, sides not coming, stale ingredients. (That was a winner, by the way. I ordered the tofu wrap, it came on time for once, but was addled with gashes and the second I picked it up, it melted all over the place thanks to a rotting, prehistoric tortilla. They comped it, and the next time I ordered it - two weeks later - the exact same thing happened. And this time, they forgot my side and the dressing - and the person who answered the phone denied that the tofu wrap is even supposed to have dressing.)
Prices vary depending on who takes your order. (Seriously.)
And then there's the lateness. Ladies and gentlemen, for a restaurant that so proudly touts its 50+ years of dedicated service, one would think they'd be on top of their game enough to realize that the Wicker Park location is mostly a delivery operation. So why wouldn't they hire ten more delivery drivers and save themselves what is sure to be a nightly ambush of angry "where's-my-food" phone calls?
Oh, and there was the summertime weekday afternoon when my boyfriend and I sat on our front stoop for an hour waiting for our food because it was a nice day out. When the food didn't come, we were informed that the delivery driver left after ten minutes because we didn't come to the door. Yeah. Seriously. We got the same story from the delivery driver 20 minutes later when he barked at us to answer our door next time. When we'd been out front since about 15 seconds after making the phone call.
I'll admit I don't know what everyone else is saying about the food being bland. When it's right and on time (and not an exploding supernova of veggies), the food is just as good as the other locations!
Yelp should allow zero-star reviews, but until that glorious day we'll just say the one star can be split between the one manager whose name I can never remember, who is unfailingly sweet and totally on top of his game, and the waitstaff for when I actually dine in. But I guess now I know why they're so attentive - they never have more than five tables full.
SO much better.
I know this location has taken a lot of flack with the reviews, and I think they've noticed, because they have REALLY stepped it up at this location.
The service was great! They even came by to give us free samples of different types of pizzas.
The food was amaaazing. The portions are HUGE, so you can be sure you'll never leave hungry.
Everyone was very nice. They're obviously going out of their way to improve the image of this particular location. I suggest everyone give them another chance. I will DEFINITELY be back! :)
There's never any parking, it took 15 minutes before the door person acknowledged me, the waitress took 30 minutes to finally greet me, and another 15 minutes before she took my order. Then the pizza finally got to my table an hour later and it was cold. I'd never go there again even if was the last pizza place left in the city.
Really a bad experience.
Best part of the night was the bartender carding me. The beer was fine at the bar. Once my party arrived, we were quickly seated (the place was 75% empty) and given menus. We ordered up our drinks, and some appetizers.
So we're enjoying our evening, and I notice something in my water glass. The place is pretty dark, so I say, "ew, there's something in my water glass" to my co-worker.
"What is it?"
(I grab the candle on the table and hold it over my glass so I can see)
"It's a roach. Ew." No shit, it was a roach. Legs, antenae, and grossness.
So i inform our waitress that there is a roach in my glass. Not that big a deal, and she is rightfully embarrassed. She gets me another glass of water.
The food comes, it was fine, not memorable.
This place could have been a 3 star review that night. But I was expecting at least a visit from a manager, asking me if everything else was ok. I mean, I don't expect a comp on my Moz sticks, or a free round at the table, but they would have for sure at least gotten the place back to a 3 star review. All I got was another glass of water.
I should have checked Yelp before we went to this place. I will not be back.
I rarely have an order here that comes without some complications. They forgot one thing - or something else is cold. We had ravioli one day that took a half hour to prepare and still came out partially cold in the center.
I still find myself ordering from here pretty regularly because I can walk to it and get back to my house in less than a minute (dealing with the staff is another issue). The pizza is pretty good most of the time and they have some good mozzarella sticks.
What I love most about this location, though, is the pool hall. $10/hr for decently maintained 9 foot tables. Not too shabby.
You go to Leona's when your parents are in town because you're not sure where else to bring them and you don't want to deal with having to drag them around the Mile more since they just spent the day there.
Big selection, good prices, good service, and an easy time. This location is a comfortable neighborhood stroll without having to deal with the evils of Wicker Park.
Oh, it's classy.... for some reason there's valet...
I've been less and less impressed with the Sheffield location as time wore on, so you'd think I would have/should have known better than to order delivery from this location, closer to my 'hood. Not so much.
In the 2 times we ordered, the food has come soggy and cold. I'm not saying 'we ordered fried food and it should be crispy, dammit,' I'm saying we ordered some fairly benign fare - a meatball sub (which is so absurdly disproportionate you can't even eat it like a real sandwich) and some adult chicken tenders and they were rubbery and nasty. Probably didn't help matters that it was over an hour for delivery on a weeknight. Just kinda...yeah. No more, I think.
Man, people must've had some horrible experiences here, because I always love it and have good food and cool servers. I unapologetically dig Leona's! In addition, I left my credit card there once and they kept it for me safely and were quite helpful.
If you are a vegan, they will make you a SOY CHEESE PIZZA! If they have it that night, that is. Be sure to ask first.
stop ordering leona's
you're never happy.
what? beer? call right now.
Chain restaurant serving American and Italian American dishes.
This was a place that I used to go to often but they've gotten so sketchy with their ingredients that I can't any longer. If you don't eat meat or dairy it's hard to put faith in a place that advertises a vegan burger with a non-vegan bun or marinara that may or may not have cheese depending on who you ask.
This is a decent place to take visiting family if they want a 'big portion + crazy crap on the walls' sort of experience like "Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag."
They can accomodate groups and they have decent service.
If you have allergies or are vegan/vegetarian you could do better or you should order the safest thing you can think of. All vegetable salad, or the like.
If they waiter who looks like Don Ho still works there they should get an extra star. "Heyyyy guyssss!"
