Leona’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant
1504 Miner St, Des Plaines, IL, 60016
Leona’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant Menu
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Address :
1504 Miner St
Des Plaines, IL, 60016 - Phone (847) 759-0800
- Website https://www.leonas.com/location/des-plaines/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 11
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Pizza
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
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Lori R.
I wish there was a minus stars because that would be my rating 5 minus stars havent been here in years and will never come back again EVER. New menu wait this used to be a Italian resturant umm 4 pasta dishes and the rest just burgers eww is all I have to say . ordered the kick ass garlic bread gross stale and soggy and the cheese wasn't even melted can we have some marinara to dip this in The waiter acted like we were crazy , the soup was cold and tasted so bland like it was from a week ago my daughter ordered the Spag / meatballs after waiting 30 min it came out as a sub sandwich Really ! Gets worse came back in 5 minutes with the spag / meatballs the pasta was staeming and so hot like it had been in the micriwave for 10 minutes and the meatballs were cold and gross. Just saying NEVER EAT HERE
(1)Steve L.
The restaurant was quiet, understandable on a Monday night. First negative? There was no hostess up front; we waited for a minute and a half until our waitress came to serve us. Later, I saw someone come in and wait longer. I asked our server, and she said they only have a hostess on weekends and they were short a waitress, so she apologized for the wait. She (I think it was Nadya) was friendly and helpful. We got some complimentary fresh bread and delicious house made herbed garlic butter. Leona's recently closed restaurants in the Chicago area, and I was under the impression this was one of them. Glad to find out I was wrong. I've been there in the past, and they had a surprisingly talented balloon artist going table-to-table, on a Friday night. He was working a packed house. We got the pot roast sandwich and the meatball sandwich. The pot roast sandwich lacked flavor, it appeared to be finished under a salamander broiler, so some of the meat was a little crisp on the outside. The consistency and flavor of the meat inside made me think a bit of chipped beef. I appreciate that someone was trying to do a creative take on Italian. What I got wasn't it. The meatball, however, was perfect. Great texture and flavor, and the sauce worked well. The bread on both sandwiches felt like it came from a commercial supplier, like Gonnella, which was a shame. I would have preferred something a little heartier. One nicety Leona's is known for are their little complimentary cakes at the end of a meal. Best described as a micro-cupcake (sans frosting) they're complex, containing both white and a rich chocolate cake, and a hint of raspberry. Although I haven't had one in years, Leona's had a unique crust on their pan pizzas. I will have to go back and give it a try. For this reviewing, I'm rounding up from 3 1/2 to four stars. I might ask to taste their pot roast mix on a weekend to see if the Monday crew just botched the preparation. If you're thinking of ordering it, I'd ask to do the same.
(4)Josh W.
I really liked this place! During my recent business trip to Chicago, I found myself in an unfamiliar area and hungry. After consulting yelp, I opted to try this place. I ordered the wings because I was in the mood for some, along with the chicken pesto pasta with bacon(which apparently also came with salad and bread). The wings were HUGE! I was definitely not expecting that much. They were also delicious! I ended up(barely) eating all of them and my salad, and taking my pasta and bread(which was also really good) to go. I was also surprised to see that they had Downtown Brown. There are lots of places in Cali that don't have it, so I never expected to see it in a spot in Chicago. I sat at the bar and watched TV, and a few different servers periodically checked on me. Everyone seemed friendly. If I ever find myself in this area again, I will definitely be back here!
(4)David N.
Last night, my wife and I ordered a fish dinner and hamburger for carry out. The person that took the order advised it would be one half hour. We arrived in 30 minutes and was advised by one hostess that the order was a "bit" behind but would be up "soon". After 15 minutes this hostess advised she was leaving but her replacement would handle us. After other 10 minutes, this hostess, Vera, I think, advised it would be 2 minutes. After another 10, now being over one hour since the order was placed, I pressed her to get our order or walk. Finally, the order came out. Oh, this was after Vera brought us the wrong order and we had to advise her for the 3rd time our names and the order items. When she brought out the bag, I was so upset I advised her she was going to give me one of the items free, her choice. She did one better and gave me both for free, so she said. Once we got home, we were missing out soups and a salad. I thought, "why call, it was free after all" Well, this morning I looked at my bank acct on line and there was the full charge. I was livid. I called back and Vera was still there, or again, and all I got was, "the kitchen was behind, I didn't check the bag, they should have not charged my card etc. I had enough so I requested the owner call me. I am still waiting for the call. I would tell a dying, starving man to go here.
(1)Laura N.
Today was my first day back to school for the fall for meetings (I'm an educator), and we had an hour lunch break. A friend and I decided to meet up during this hour lunch break at Leona's (ironically, another co-worker was meeting her friends there too). Aside from us, there were only about three other tables occupied in the whole restaurant. An hour for lunch should be enough time to get some food, eat, and have quick conversation, right? Not here. We both ordered lunch off the 'quick lunch' menu which advertises that it will be available in 12 minutes. Perfect. That would leave us with about a half hour to eat. She ordered a salad and I ordered pasta with pesto, which comes with a salad. Our bread arrived right away. The bread was yummy. My salad arrived about ten minutes later. The salad was... normal. Minutes passed. Minutes turned into a half hour. Half hour turned into "oh my gosh, I really have to go, where is our food!?" At this point, I told the waitress that I needed to leave to get back to work - therefore, pack up the food and hope that I have time to eat it at work! My friend was in no hurry, so she stayed to wait for her food and pay our bill since it wasn't ready yet. A couple minutes later (after a few light stares from me) the waitress hands me my lunch in a brown paper bag and I rush out the door back to work. My friend later informed me that her salad arrived about five minutes later and it wasn't even that good. What in the world took the salad nearly an hour to arrive!? 12 minutes? Yeah, right. Plus, $7.95 for a mediocre salad at lunch after already waiting nearly an hour for it to arrive? What a rip-off. (I also had my pasta later at work, and it was OK.) You're not seeing me again.
(1)Hyrax D.
Treats their servers like crap, food is subpar, the owner Sam Toia is rude, always talking loudly on his cell phone which upsets customers, and unable to accept responsibly for mistakes blaming them instead on waitstaff. I used to be a regular here only because my disabled father would not eat at many places and the turnover rate I've witnessed for employees and even general managers is unbelievable. Seen too many good people screwed over by this establishment. They have no bartender or busboy and expect the servers to pull far more slack than they are being paid for, I know because I've talked to more than a few of them and try and gave them a good tip while spending as little as possible on food which was fairly easy as my father didn't eat much and I'd eat somewhere else beforehand. The young girl who takes delivery orders and constantly screws them up appears to be a manager named Yanelli (sp?) with more company connections because she never seems to lose her job like others and I've seen her treating many employees like crap. If you have more of an option than I do, give your money to more decent and honest people.
(1)Aj V.
Food is always good. This time we had a slight problem with our dish not being fully cooked, the manager took great care and resolved the issue. Great service is key which is why we'll keep coming back!
(5)Greg V.
Never going back. Super slow service, bad food, and everyone in our party left hungry including the kids. Meatball sandwich is comically small.
(1)William T.
People have been giving this place a lot of heat. I never ordered from this place before they "changed" or came into new ownership or whatever. I ordered a pizza today and it took like 90 minutes to get here which totally sucked, but the pizza was still warm (not hot) at least. The one thing this place has over others is good crust. It's not doughy or bland, and has the perfect consistency when you bite into it. Not bad pizza, just took a long time. Good crust is hard to pull off.
(3)Vincent S.
Went on a Sunday night at 6pm. We had 6 adults and 3 children. I only saw two other tables with 6 people the whole time. Everything we ordered was ok, but nothing special. I had the spaghetti and meatballs with marinara. It was pretty standard, but decent. Everyone else had burgers, pizza, chicken fingers, etc. No one really said anything was good. Mostly just ate half of what they got and left. The service was really good. Pretty much the only reason I gave 3 stars.
(3)Lisa R.
So disappointed. Ive been going to Leonas for 20 years even worked at the original Lakeview location. This place is going down. There was nothing special about the bland food I had today in an empty restaurant. It was actually sad. I order a pizza off the kids menu for my son who wanted pineapples on his pizza for the waitress to tell me only cheese sausage or peperoni. What? You cant order what you want on a pizza at a pizza restaurant. Wow.
(1)Beth M.
My sister had her family birthday dinner here and it was a Wednesday night at 6:30. No one was in this restaurant, we got a table right away. There were a total of 12 of us. It took the waitress a long time to come over and take the drink order, and the entire night moved like this. I'm not sure if the wait staff was the cooking staff, but no one seemed to be around. No one really came into this restaurant even after we began to eat. I can see why now. The mozzerlla sticks were ordered as an appetizer and everyone was wondering what they were? They were really big and had no flavor. I shared a cheese pizza with 4 others and I thought the pizza was good. We got our bill and one of us had ordered 2 budweiser beers. The Bill read 1 for $4.95 and 1 for $7.95. Same bottle of beer different price? They fixed the bill. We brought in some cupcakes and they wouldn't even serve individual ice cream in a cup, you had to order a huge piece of cake or another dessert to get the ice cream. It's not like they were busy? To accommodate this large table of patrons, but ok.....I wish they would have asked, "why are you here tonight?" what are you celebrating? We didn't get anything like that paid our bill and left. We will not be returning, I'm thinking because they will not be in business anymore.
(1)Rita M.
Wish I can rate this place no stars. Ordered two large pizzas from here last night at 9:56PM. They close at 11:00PM. My total wasn't cheap neither, it was $60+!!! (Including tax, delivery charge, and tip) Kept checking my email for updates. Received my first email saying estimated delivery at 10:46...cool. 10:46 rolls around, recheck my email, updated delivery time 11:05-11:15. Ok, cool still, I understand I ordered so close to their closing time. 11:15 rolls around...then 11:20, 11:25, 11:30... I unfortunately can't call because they are closed for the night. Midnight rolls around and I have given up. VERY disappointed in the delivery service of this Leona's. Will NEVER order delivery here. If they deducted the full amount from my account, and I received an email saying it's on its way, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THOSE PIZZAS?! BUYER BEWARE WHEN ORDERING VIA DELIVERY HERE. They have no problem deducting money from your credit card, but fail to deliver your order!!! First and last time I'll order here. Forget about dining here as well. 2.5 stars total on yelp should have alarmed/alerted me before I ordered. Oh well, you live and you learn, I guess. Ill stick to my Leona's in Old Irving on Elston from now on.
(1)Nick E.
I see where all of the 1 star reviews come from. I called this location to try to book a 40 person party at their location. The staff there is clueless when their manager isn't there, who books the parties. I spoke to the hostess who passed me off to the night time manager. He continually cut me off and was extremely rude when taking down my info. Well it's their loss. Guess they don't need the business of 40+ people after all.
(1)Terri L.
This was awful for customer service, quality of food, wait time, and atmosphere. When we were there, they were only two other tables that were occupied. I ordered the macaroni and cheese lasagna, which was oily and tasteless. Secondly, the background music was playing so loud, I felt like I was at a bar. I did ask them to turn it down, and they did. I had ordered an appetizer which did not come after a while and I had to ask for it to avoid it being served at the same time our meal was. When we got the bill, there were 2 significant overcharges on the bill. We brought them to their attention, and when they return the bill to us, one error had been adjusted but the other had not. We called the waiter over again and explained the second adjustment had not been made, and he took the bill again, and the second time he returned the bill, it was still wrong! By this time we were fairly certain we were there over the allotted time for parking on the street. We waited about 10 more minutes and they still didn't return. Because we didn't want to get tickets, we left enough money to cover the bill, the tax, and a small tip. This was an awful experience. I am not going back. I paid $15 for tasteless, greasy food that made me feel sick to my stomach. The worst part of it however, was that the waiter was so rude about having to adjust the bill. I don't think I have ever encountered such a negative attitude from a server before.
(1)Thomas C.
Everything changed from the original Leona's. Garlic bread and mozzarella sticks were completely different. Pizza was decent, but changed in thickness, cheese and sauce. Judge the restaurant on its own merit. You might like it. But don't go there thinking it will be the Leona's you've had in the past. Service was very good. I was deeply disappointed in the food and won't be returning.
(2)Keith E.
After a movie in another town we were heading home and wanted to get some dinner. Knowing we love the wings at Leona's we stopped there. Being on dietary changes and becoming Gluten Free, finding Leona's has Gluten Free pizzas was a welcome find. Being Lactose intolerant, it was a great option to have personal, Gluten Free so My wife could have a regular cheese & me Soy Cheese pizzas. I have had the soy cheese pizza there prior to our Going to Leona's Saturday night. The soy cheese took me back at first look. The last time I had the Soy Cheese it was like slices, this time it had a "Puffy appearance. I found it good. Though after the the wings, 1/2 of each pizzas we Take aways. This morning (Sun) I was PLEASANTLY surprised. Being a cold pizza the Cold Cheese Pizza was FANTASTIC!! If you are lactose intolerant &/or Gluten free you have to try the Leonas' Gluten Free, Soy Cheese Pizza will win you over !
(5)Gin M.
Unfortunately, Leona's is not what I remember. It's been quite a while since I was here and it used to be one of my favs. The food is not good and the service was horrible. We waited 20 minutes just for someone to take our order. I ordered a Caesar salad and they brought me a house salad with Caesar dressing on the side. Additionally, we had to ask someone to bring our drinks after eating our salad for over 5 minutes. My boyfriend ordered the fried catfish and they brought him blackened catfish that was so greasy and over seasoned he couldn't even eat it. What used to be my favorite dish (alfredo) was nothing more than something I could buy in a jar at the grocery store. The manager did comp the catfish but that will not be enough for me to return. Very disappointing.
(1)Kimberly D.
Not impressed with the food. It was my first visit to Leona's and probably my last. Their signature chicken dish was just lightly breaded chicken with a few parmesan sprinkles on top. The cheese pizza was OK but there wasn't much flavor. The service was quick and friendly but the food was nothing to write home about.
(2)Mindy G.
What a big disappointment. I didn't know that the food had gone downhill since we hadn't been there for a while. We started with lemonade, which was nothing like the lemonade they used to serve with the sugar on the top. It tasted like some lemonade mix from a can. We ordered the kick ass garlic bread. It was a tiny slice of bread with little taste. I was expecting the large garlic slices with the dipping sauces. I was looking forward to the homemade veggie burger, but was brought a Boca patty for eleven dollars. Most restaurants let you know if they are just throwing a Boca on a bun. I have ordered the burger many times in the past and it was nothing like this. The meal was over 80 for the four of us. What a waste. We won't return.
(1)Linda N.
So right after I get this delivery from Leona's I read that this location is closing its doors. I really did enjoy the REAL chicken strips and they have a tasty burger (this time with Avocado and really huge mushrooms). I like that they take care to keep your toppings separate from the burger and that the delivery boxes are sturdy. I can say, we were not pleased with the quality of the sides. the Mac n cheese, pesto and Lasagna seemed re-heated over a few times and had an ugly film on the bottom of em. Quite a contrast to the rest of the meal. Should have gotten the psychedelic salad or the soup. I'd like to think that the quality would be consistent. Love those little dessert cakes that are included with your meal. Hopefully I can get those chicken strips again before they shut their doors for good at this location. Posting pics
(3)Roxy L.
Been going here since I was a kid, albeit not very often. My favorite dish was the portobello wrap when they revamped themselves about a year or two ago, but I went there today and the menu has completely changed. Not a great selection and mediocre taste. Got the veal and mushroom ravioli. The cheesy garlic bread app was doable, but nothing special. Will give it another chance for pizza since they now call themselves a pizzeria, but hopes are not high.
(2)Craig-Jason R.
Ownership changed. So did the food and menu. Everything was given a cheap makeover except the pricing. Garbage!
(1)Doug R.
I'm surprised this place is still in existence. While I haven't been to this location in many years, Leona's overall is the epitome of overpriced and overrated. Not worth going to. I'm sure there are other places nearby that offer better quality food at better quality prices.
(2)Dominic M.
The hostess was very courteous and politely sat my wife and I away from the open dining atmosphere in favor of a private feel near the partitioned bar area. It felt more cramped then private. The waitress was very nice with an upbeat attitude...and then came the wait times... Now, despite the warm family dining atmosphere, the cozy spirited bar area, and friendly staff... The pasta struggles to find a taste. Thus, the 45 minutes to prepare it wore down my expectations even further. I really wanted to give this place a better review, but I could not find a 4th star hidden anywhere in the food. I recommend you try once, and then move along.
(3)Simone G.
When we moved to Des Plaines two years ago, Leona's was the first food we ordered, and it was awesome! Enough for three meals, tasty, free little cheesecakes (score for my kids). Tonight we went to Leona's for dinner. I had Spaghetti Marinara with a side salad and ordered without any cheese. The portion was tiny! half of the tiny portion, was the sauce and a big scoop of cheese on top, the bread stick was smaller than what I've had before. My husband ordered the veggie burger, which was fine, but he got 3 (THREE) wedge fries with it as a side. My kids each got the kids pizza. The pizza was reheated slices, too over baked to actually cut and also three wedge fries. The menu has been cut down big time (all the good stuff is gone). We were charged for the kids' drinks (should have come with the meals, I noticed too late, my bad). No cheese cake desserts, no free bread like it was before. I don't think we'll ever be back, sadly. Edit Jan 14 Met a friend there, who insisted on this location (not anymore after today). I had the veggie burger. What a disappointment, the formerly yummy veggie patty (big and homemade) is now a simple frozen and reheated patty. If you thought it couldn't get worse, I guess it did.
(1)Christina G.
I came here with some friends for half price pizza night (Mondays). We were seated immediately and our server came over right away. We quickly ordered the mozzarella sticks, a salad, and a pizza to share. Mozz sticks: Don't waste your money. $4.95 for 6 sticks, which wouldn't be bad at all, except the sticks are tasteless. The coated breading wasn't crispy, and there was no trace of spices in the it - just some oregano sprinkled on top. Definitely a frozen to stove food. Salad: This was actually pretty tasty, but then again, it's salad. We had the vinaigrette dressing on the side, and I really liked it. There were some olives, tomatoes, and a stray cucumber circle or two in a salad that we were told would feed at least 2. The real bummer was that even though the server knew we planned to split it, we only received one breadstick for all of us. I would have given an extra star if he had brought out 3! Pizza: We ordered the thin crust with pepperoni and mushrooms. There was plenty of cheese and enough topping ingredients, but again, where is the seasoning? It was so bland, especially the sauce which was more like watered down pasta sauce. The original total for the pizza was over $20! I'm glad we only shelled out $10 for it. Definitely not worth $20. With tip, it ended up a little north of $12/person. Reasonable price, but I'd rather spend it elsewhere. I probably won't be back. Such a shame, I read such great reviews from last year. I guess the change of ownership hasn't been for the better.
(2)Bina P.
This review is based on 2 visits, a day apart. Service is a hit or miss, First night, everyone from hostess to server to manager gave us amazing customer service. I was very impressed! The complimentary bread was amazing! The rest of the food was mediocre, the complimentary mini desserts was a pleasant surprise as we headed out! Next night, a friend & I got rudest server...having to get a hold of her since she didn't refill our waters, bring ketchup for burger, crushed red pepper for pasta and even the complimentary mini desserts I was raving to my friend about. We had to ask for them. Our server made a face at each request. Manager was nice still but he could choose some friendlier staff who like their job and serving people. Also, they are discontinuing some amazing bread. I do enjoy their Trivia set on the tables!
(3)B W.
What can I say...it's been fun while it lasted, but all good things come to an end. Good things like: Mac n cheese lasagna, Leona cakes, amazing bread when seated, friendly faces, great blends of music videos...all gone. What remains? A quality burger, and homemade sauces. But one must ask, will these soon follow the fate of the Erika Badu videos I had last seen played here? The last few times I've come, I've not known what to expect. Each time something was new. New menu. New staff. New interest in sports on every screen. I just don't recognize Leona's today to be the same as I reviewed it in the past. As that's a sad, sad thing.
(3)Terrie o.
One star is too many, this was probably the worst meal I've had and what a waste of time and $13.00. I met a friend there at 4 pm on Sunday and the place was empty, not one diner, not a good sign. I ordered the Cajun shrimp appetizer, the picture made them look plump and luscious... They arrived and I was shocked these flimsy shrimp were $9.95. Biggest mistake I made was not sending it back but I was starving. I mentioned this to server and he commented yeah I get that a lot... as I was speaking to him he walked away in the middle of my sentence, WOW. My friends pasta and sauce was also flavorless , was no bread served and definitely the Leona's I remember is long gone. $13.00 wasted on 6 tiny shrimp and a beverage. When I left I headed nearby for $3.00 got an amazing Hot Dog and fries ! What a shame, I had special memories at Leona's.
(1)Lindsey S.
Leona's is my favorite thin crust pizza in Chicago. After a weekend trip, my fiancé and I made the trip 30 min out of our way to have dinner at Leona's. Over the past 3 times something was different every time we've visited. This time it was too far. The sauce, crust, and even sausage were different and we were told it was because the old crust was frozen and this is fresher. I hope all the other locations haven't made these changes because we will definitely not be visiting this one again. My advice is if they are going to change everything else, menu, ingredients, etc. -- change the name too!
(1)Jennifer H.
My mother and I were truly disappointed as we've been going to Leonas at various locations since 1997 and things have changed. A LOT! I don't live very close so I haven't been here in probably 2+ years, but the menu is almost non-existent compared to the past. The quantity of food is about half of what we used to get, the little extras like sugar rim on my lemonade are gone. The little wafer cookies that used to be served with your check...are gone and not replaced with anything like mint even. Prices are about same as they used to be buy half the amount of food and the soup or salad used to also be included. My mom got no refills on her 2.50 cup of coffee that she felt was very bitter. I had to ask 3 times for ice water to be served. The kick ass garlic bread is now far from kick ass. I used to rave about that to my family 550 miles away. The frozen garlic bread at my own house was better the other day. Mom asked for a strawberry Margarita and the waitress hadn't been even trained on how to take alcoholic orders, so they missed that sale. We were asked if wanted desert but didn't see a menu ANYWHERE that gave the choices. Overall don't think I will ever return. Sad sad day.
(1)Erin P.
Disappointed. I just moved into the neighborhood so trying the local spots out and Leona's really disappointed me. Ordered the lasagna, cannoli, and a pop for lunch on a weekday. Got a text at 11:59am that my food was on its way. Thought that was neat, but then 12:40 rolled around and I started thinking where's my food. Called over to the store, a girl picked up and only said can you wait a second, click hold. I never even got a word out. Stayed on hold for almost 10 minutes and was hung up on. Never got to talk to anyone. So I called back, same girl answered, I quickly said please don't put me on hold you hung up on me and I'm just checking to see where my food is. Girl panicked said she wanted to talk to her manager and just put the phone down. I could hear them talking but no one ever came back on the phone. Finally my food came just after 1:00 and cold let me add. I didn't even bother calling after my first two calls. What a joke and how unprofessional.
(1)Nancy L.
Great food and drinks. Service is great too. Another visit and more great food Cesar salad was yummy and my niece says lasagna was delicious as well.
(5)Elizabeth W.
After a few adjustments to the menu and what appears to be a new manager, Leona's is once again becoming a favorite dinner stop for me and my family. Here are some highlights I have come to enjoy. --Pan pizzas, never with mushy crust. --Lasagna-style mac & cheese --They pour a good Chianti. --Delicious , customizable veggie burger. --Lenacakes! --Nice selection of beer. --Large variety of sides with entrees. The service ranges from excellent to meh, depending on who you get, but it's never awful. The trivia cards at the table will keep you entertained if you do end up having to wait for the check. Also, the new-ish kids menu is great, and children under 8 eat free with an adult.
(4)Rachel G.
Ordered a thin crust pepperoni pizza to go. Cheese and sauce were bland. The crust was really weird. The crust didn't taste like pizza crust...it tasted almost like a cracker. Yuck. Never again.
(1)Arletta C.
I went here for the first time this past Sunday for dinner! I honestly did not know that one Leona's was Italian and two that there was an Italian restaurant in Downtown Des Plaines. I frequently visit Miner Street Tavern down the street and never thought to try this place. I'm really glad I did! They have a big menu selection. I had their Four Cheese Ravioli with TOmato Cream Sauce and it was yummy! I had their Georgia Peach and Spirited Strawberry Long Islands. Both were yummy and "loaded" Definitely coming back!
(4)JoAnne L.
Leona's Changed new owners.... !!!!! Nothing good has remained!!!! except the name..will not return!!! How very sad for Des Plaines...
(1)Caren L.
Wow. I'm in shock. I visited this chain from the time I was a teen and I did not realize that they changed ownership. The only thing that remains is the name and the logo. Please note that I did give my feedback to management and they acknowledged my concerns.
(1)Ana M.
I love coming here! My husband and I have made it our tradition to stop here when returning from a vacation and flying into O'hare. The ambiance is perfect and the food is better. I almost get filled up on the salad and bread alone so that means I always get yummy leftovers. You won't find a dinner salad that can compare to Leona's.
(5)William T.
People have been giving this place a lot of heat. I never ordered from this place before they "changed" or came into new ownership or whatever. I ordered a pizza today and it took like 90 minutes to get here which totally sucked, but the pizza was still warm (not hot) at least. The one thing this place has over others is good crust. It's not doughy or bland, and has the perfect consistency when you bite into it. Not bad pizza, just took a long time. Good crust is hard to pull off.
(3)Lisa R.
So disappointed. Ive been going to Leonas for 20 years even worked at the original Lakeview location. This place is going down. There was nothing special about the bland food I had today in an empty restaurant. It was actually sad. I order a pizza off the kids menu for my son who wanted pineapples on his pizza for the waitress to tell me only cheese sausage or peperoni. What? You cant order what you want on a pizza at a pizza restaurant. Wow.
(1)Nick E.
I see where all of the 1 star reviews come from. I called this location to try to book a 40 person party at their location. The staff there is clueless when their manager isn't there, who books the parties. I spoke to the hostess who passed me off to the night time manager. He continually cut me off and was extremely rude when taking down my info. Well it's their loss. Guess they don't need the business of 40+ people after all.
(1)Beth M.
My sister had her family birthday dinner here and it was a Wednesday night at 6:30. No one was in this restaurant, we got a table right away. There were a total of 12 of us. It took the waitress a long time to come over and take the drink order, and the entire night moved like this. I'm not sure if the wait staff was the cooking staff, but no one seemed to be around. No one really came into this restaurant even after we began to eat. I can see why now. The mozzerlla sticks were ordered as an appetizer and everyone was wondering what they were? They were really big and had no flavor. I shared a cheese pizza with 4 others and I thought the pizza was good. We got our bill and one of us had ordered 2 budweiser beers. The Bill read 1 for $4.95 and 1 for $7.95. Same bottle of beer different price? They fixed the bill. We brought in some cupcakes and they wouldn't even serve individual ice cream in a cup, you had to order a huge piece of cake or another dessert to get the ice cream. It's not like they were busy? To accommodate this large table of patrons, but ok.....I wish they would have asked, "why are you here tonight?" what are you celebrating? We didn't get anything like that paid our bill and left. We will not be returning, I'm thinking because they will not be in business anymore.
(1)Thomas C.
Everything changed from the original Leona's. Garlic bread and mozzarella sticks were completely different. Pizza was decent, but changed in thickness, cheese and sauce. Judge the restaurant on its own merit. You might like it. But don't go there thinking it will be the Leona's you've had in the past. Service was very good. I was deeply disappointed in the food and won't be returning.
(2)Rita M.
Wish I can rate this place no stars. Ordered two large pizzas from here last night at 9:56PM. They close at 11:00PM. My total wasn't cheap neither, it was $60+!!! (Including tax, delivery charge, and tip) Kept checking my email for updates. Received my first email saying estimated delivery at 10:46...cool. 10:46 rolls around, recheck my email, updated delivery time 11:05-11:15. Ok, cool still, I understand I ordered so close to their closing time. 11:15 rolls around...then 11:20, 11:25, 11:30... I unfortunately can't call because they are closed for the night. Midnight rolls around and I have given up. VERY disappointed in the delivery service of this Leona's. Will NEVER order delivery here. If they deducted the full amount from my account, and I received an email saying it's on its way, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THOSE PIZZAS?! BUYER BEWARE WHEN ORDERING VIA DELIVERY HERE. They have no problem deducting money from your credit card, but fail to deliver your order!!! First and last time I'll order here. Forget about dining here as well. 2.5 stars total on yelp should have alarmed/alerted me before I ordered. Oh well, you live and you learn, I guess. Ill stick to my Leona's in Old Irving on Elston from now on.
(1)Lindsey S.
Leona's is my favorite thin crust pizza in Chicago. After a weekend trip, my fiancé and I made the trip 30 min out of our way to have dinner at Leona's. Over the past 3 times something was different every time we've visited. This time it was too far. The sauce, crust, and even sausage were different and we were told it was because the old crust was frozen and this is fresher. I hope all the other locations haven't made these changes because we will definitely not be visiting this one again. My advice is if they are going to change everything else, menu, ingredients, etc. -- change the name too!
(1)Terri L.
This was awful for customer service, quality of food, wait time, and atmosphere. When we were there, they were only two other tables that were occupied. I ordered the macaroni and cheese lasagna, which was oily and tasteless. Secondly, the background music was playing so loud, I felt like I was at a bar. I did ask them to turn it down, and they did. I had ordered an appetizer which did not come after a while and I had to ask for it to avoid it being served at the same time our meal was. When we got the bill, there were 2 significant overcharges on the bill. We brought them to their attention, and when they return the bill to us, one error had been adjusted but the other had not. We called the waiter over again and explained the second adjustment had not been made, and he took the bill again, and the second time he returned the bill, it was still wrong! By this time we were fairly certain we were there over the allotted time for parking on the street. We waited about 10 more minutes and they still didn't return. Because we didn't want to get tickets, we left enough money to cover the bill, the tax, and a small tip. This was an awful experience. I am not going back. I paid $15 for tasteless, greasy food that made me feel sick to my stomach. The worst part of it however, was that the waiter was so rude about having to adjust the bill. I don't think I have ever encountered such a negative attitude from a server before.
(1)Christina G.
I came here with some friends for half price pizza night (Mondays). We were seated immediately and our server came over right away. We quickly ordered the mozzarella sticks, a salad, and a pizza to share. Mozz sticks: Don't waste your money. $4.95 for 6 sticks, which wouldn't be bad at all, except the sticks are tasteless. The coated breading wasn't crispy, and there was no trace of spices in the it - just some oregano sprinkled on top. Definitely a frozen to stove food. Salad: This was actually pretty tasty, but then again, it's salad. We had the vinaigrette dressing on the side, and I really liked it. There were some olives, tomatoes, and a stray cucumber circle or two in a salad that we were told would feed at least 2. The real bummer was that even though the server knew we planned to split it, we only received one breadstick for all of us. I would have given an extra star if he had brought out 3! Pizza: We ordered the thin crust with pepperoni and mushrooms. There was plenty of cheese and enough topping ingredients, but again, where is the seasoning? It was so bland, especially the sauce which was more like watered down pasta sauce. The original total for the pizza was over $20! I'm glad we only shelled out $10 for it. Definitely not worth $20. With tip, it ended up a little north of $12/person. Reasonable price, but I'd rather spend it elsewhere. I probably won't be back. Such a shame, I read such great reviews from last year. I guess the change of ownership hasn't been for the better.
(2)Bina P.
This review is based on 2 visits, a day apart. Service is a hit or miss, First night, everyone from hostess to server to manager gave us amazing customer service. I was very impressed! The complimentary bread was amazing! The rest of the food was mediocre, the complimentary mini desserts was a pleasant surprise as we headed out! Next night, a friend & I got rudest server...having to get a hold of her since she didn't refill our waters, bring ketchup for burger, crushed red pepper for pasta and even the complimentary mini desserts I was raving to my friend about. We had to ask for them. Our server made a face at each request. Manager was nice still but he could choose some friendlier staff who like their job and serving people. Also, they are discontinuing some amazing bread. I do enjoy their Trivia set on the tables!
(3)B W.
What can I say...it's been fun while it lasted, but all good things come to an end. Good things like: Mac n cheese lasagna, Leona cakes, amazing bread when seated, friendly faces, great blends of music videos...all gone. What remains? A quality burger, and homemade sauces. But one must ask, will these soon follow the fate of the Erika Badu videos I had last seen played here? The last few times I've come, I've not known what to expect. Each time something was new. New menu. New staff. New interest in sports on every screen. I just don't recognize Leona's today to be the same as I reviewed it in the past. As that's a sad, sad thing.
(3)Roxy L.
Been going here since I was a kid, albeit not very often. My favorite dish was the portobello wrap when they revamped themselves about a year or two ago, but I went there today and the menu has completely changed. Not a great selection and mediocre taste. Got the veal and mushroom ravioli. The cheesy garlic bread app was doable, but nothing special. Will give it another chance for pizza since they now call themselves a pizzeria, but hopes are not high.
(2)Craig-Jason R.
Ownership changed. So did the food and menu. Everything was given a cheap makeover except the pricing. Garbage!
(1)Doug R.
I'm surprised this place is still in existence. While I haven't been to this location in many years, Leona's overall is the epitome of overpriced and overrated. Not worth going to. I'm sure there are other places nearby that offer better quality food at better quality prices.
(2)Nancy L.
Great food and drinks. Service is great too. Another visit and more great food Cesar salad was yummy and my niece says lasagna was delicious as well.
(5)Terrie o.
One star is too many, this was probably the worst meal I've had and what a waste of time and $13.00. I met a friend there at 4 pm on Sunday and the place was empty, not one diner, not a good sign. I ordered the Cajun shrimp appetizer, the picture made them look plump and luscious... They arrived and I was shocked these flimsy shrimp were $9.95. Biggest mistake I made was not sending it back but I was starving. I mentioned this to server and he commented yeah I get that a lot... as I was speaking to him he walked away in the middle of my sentence, WOW. My friends pasta and sauce was also flavorless , was no bread served and definitely the Leona's I remember is long gone. $13.00 wasted on 6 tiny shrimp and a beverage. When I left I headed nearby for $3.00 got an amazing Hot Dog and fries ! What a shame, I had special memories at Leona's.
(1)Arletta C.
I went here for the first time this past Sunday for dinner! I honestly did not know that one Leona's was Italian and two that there was an Italian restaurant in Downtown Des Plaines. I frequently visit Miner Street Tavern down the street and never thought to try this place. I'm really glad I did! They have a big menu selection. I had their Four Cheese Ravioli with TOmato Cream Sauce and it was yummy! I had their Georgia Peach and Spirited Strawberry Long Islands. Both were yummy and "loaded" Definitely coming back!
(4)JoAnne L.
Leona's Changed new owners.... !!!!! Nothing good has remained!!!! except the name..will not return!!! How very sad for Des Plaines...
(1)Jennifer H.
My mother and I were truly disappointed as we've been going to Leonas at various locations since 1997 and things have changed. A LOT! I don't live very close so I haven't been here in probably 2+ years, but the menu is almost non-existent compared to the past. The quantity of food is about half of what we used to get, the little extras like sugar rim on my lemonade are gone. The little wafer cookies that used to be served with your check...are gone and not replaced with anything like mint even. Prices are about same as they used to be buy half the amount of food and the soup or salad used to also be included. My mom got no refills on her 2.50 cup of coffee that she felt was very bitter. I had to ask 3 times for ice water to be served. The kick ass garlic bread is now far from kick ass. I used to rave about that to my family 550 miles away. The frozen garlic bread at my own house was better the other day. Mom asked for a strawberry Margarita and the waitress hadn't been even trained on how to take alcoholic orders, so they missed that sale. We were asked if wanted desert but didn't see a menu ANYWHERE that gave the choices. Overall don't think I will ever return. Sad sad day.
(1)Erin P.
Disappointed. I just moved into the neighborhood so trying the local spots out and Leona's really disappointed me. Ordered the lasagna, cannoli, and a pop for lunch on a weekday. Got a text at 11:59am that my food was on its way. Thought that was neat, but then 12:40 rolled around and I started thinking where's my food. Called over to the store, a girl picked up and only said can you wait a second, click hold. I never even got a word out. Stayed on hold for almost 10 minutes and was hung up on. Never got to talk to anyone. So I called back, same girl answered, I quickly said please don't put me on hold you hung up on me and I'm just checking to see where my food is. Girl panicked said she wanted to talk to her manager and just put the phone down. I could hear them talking but no one ever came back on the phone. Finally my food came just after 1:00 and cold let me add. I didn't even bother calling after my first two calls. What a joke and how unprofessional.
(1)Kimberly D.
Not impressed with the food. It was my first visit to Leona's and probably my last. Their signature chicken dish was just lightly breaded chicken with a few parmesan sprinkles on top. The cheese pizza was OK but there wasn't much flavor. The service was quick and friendly but the food was nothing to write home about.
(2)Mindy G.
What a big disappointment. I didn't know that the food had gone downhill since we hadn't been there for a while. We started with lemonade, which was nothing like the lemonade they used to serve with the sugar on the top. It tasted like some lemonade mix from a can. We ordered the kick ass garlic bread. It was a tiny slice of bread with little taste. I was expecting the large garlic slices with the dipping sauces. I was looking forward to the homemade veggie burger, but was brought a Boca patty for eleven dollars. Most restaurants let you know if they are just throwing a Boca on a bun. I have ordered the burger many times in the past and it was nothing like this. The meal was over 80 for the four of us. What a waste. We won't return.
(1)Linda N.
So right after I get this delivery from Leona's I read that this location is closing its doors. I really did enjoy the REAL chicken strips and they have a tasty burger (this time with Avocado and really huge mushrooms). I like that they take care to keep your toppings separate from the burger and that the delivery boxes are sturdy. I can say, we were not pleased with the quality of the sides. the Mac n cheese, pesto and Lasagna seemed re-heated over a few times and had an ugly film on the bottom of em. Quite a contrast to the rest of the meal. Should have gotten the psychedelic salad or the soup. I'd like to think that the quality would be consistent. Love those little dessert cakes that are included with your meal. Hopefully I can get those chicken strips again before they shut their doors for good at this location. Posting pics
(3)Elizabeth W.
After a few adjustments to the menu and what appears to be a new manager, Leona's is once again becoming a favorite dinner stop for me and my family. Here are some highlights I have come to enjoy. --Pan pizzas, never with mushy crust. --Lasagna-style mac & cheese --They pour a good Chianti. --Delicious , customizable veggie burger. --Lenacakes! --Nice selection of beer. --Large variety of sides with entrees. The service ranges from excellent to meh, depending on who you get, but it's never awful. The trivia cards at the table will keep you entertained if you do end up having to wait for the check. Also, the new-ish kids menu is great, and children under 8 eat free with an adult.
(4)Rachel G.
Ordered a thin crust pepperoni pizza to go. Cheese and sauce were bland. The crust was really weird. The crust didn't taste like pizza crust...it tasted almost like a cracker. Yuck. Never again.
(1)Caren L.
Wow. I'm in shock. I visited this chain from the time I was a teen and I did not realize that they changed ownership. The only thing that remains is the name and the logo. Please note that I did give my feedback to management and they acknowledged my concerns.
(1)Aj V.
Food is always good. This time we had a slight problem with our dish not being fully cooked, the manager took great care and resolved the issue. Great service is key which is why we'll keep coming back!
(5)Hyrax D.
Treats their servers like crap, food is subpar, the owner Sam Toia is rude, always talking loudly on his cell phone which upsets customers, and unable to accept responsibly for mistakes blaming them instead on waitstaff. I used to be a regular here only because my disabled father would not eat at many places and the turnover rate I've witnessed for employees and even general managers is unbelievable. Seen too many good people screwed over by this establishment. They have no bartender or busboy and expect the servers to pull far more slack than they are being paid for, I know because I've talked to more than a few of them and try and gave them a good tip while spending as little as possible on food which was fairly easy as my father didn't eat much and I'd eat somewhere else beforehand. The young girl who takes delivery orders and constantly screws them up appears to be a manager named Yanelli (sp?) with more company connections because she never seems to lose her job like others and I've seen her treating many employees like crap. If you have more of an option than I do, give your money to more decent and honest people.
(1)Greg V.
Never going back. Super slow service, bad food, and everyone in our party left hungry including the kids. Meatball sandwich is comically small.
(1)Keith E.
After a movie in another town we were heading home and wanted to get some dinner. Knowing we love the wings at Leona's we stopped there. Being on dietary changes and becoming Gluten Free, finding Leona's has Gluten Free pizzas was a welcome find. Being Lactose intolerant, it was a great option to have personal, Gluten Free so My wife could have a regular cheese & me Soy Cheese pizzas. I have had the soy cheese pizza there prior to our Going to Leona's Saturday night. The soy cheese took me back at first look. The last time I had the Soy Cheese it was like slices, this time it had a "Puffy appearance. I found it good. Though after the the wings, 1/2 of each pizzas we Take aways. This morning (Sun) I was PLEASANTLY surprised. Being a cold pizza the Cold Cheese Pizza was FANTASTIC!! If you are lactose intolerant &/or Gluten free you have to try the Leonas' Gluten Free, Soy Cheese Pizza will win you over !
(5)Gin M.
Unfortunately, Leona's is not what I remember. It's been quite a while since I was here and it used to be one of my favs. The food is not good and the service was horrible. We waited 20 minutes just for someone to take our order. I ordered a Caesar salad and they brought me a house salad with Caesar dressing on the side. Additionally, we had to ask someone to bring our drinks after eating our salad for over 5 minutes. My boyfriend ordered the fried catfish and they brought him blackened catfish that was so greasy and over seasoned he couldn't even eat it. What used to be my favorite dish (alfredo) was nothing more than something I could buy in a jar at the grocery store. The manager did comp the catfish but that will not be enough for me to return. Very disappointing.
(1)Lori R.
I wish there was a minus stars because that would be my rating 5 minus stars havent been here in years and will never come back again EVER. New menu wait this used to be a Italian resturant umm 4 pasta dishes and the rest just burgers eww is all I have to say . ordered the kick ass garlic bread gross stale and soggy and the cheese wasn't even melted can we have some marinara to dip this in The waiter acted like we were crazy , the soup was cold and tasted so bland like it was from a week ago my daughter ordered the Spag / meatballs after waiting 30 min it came out as a sub sandwich Really ! Gets worse came back in 5 minutes with the spag / meatballs the pasta was staeming and so hot like it had been in the micriwave for 10 minutes and the meatballs were cold and gross. Just saying NEVER EAT HERE
(1)Ana M.
I love coming here! My husband and I have made it our tradition to stop here when returning from a vacation and flying into O'hare. The ambiance is perfect and the food is better. I almost get filled up on the salad and bread alone so that means I always get yummy leftovers. You won't find a dinner salad that can compare to Leona's.
(5)Matt M.
The staff, to their credit, quite make up for this overly pretentious and run-of-the-mill place. It aspires to be a mixture of classy cocktail lounge and chic dining establishment that touts family ownership and eclectic dishes. However, the dishes are so "racey" that its difficult to find anything worth eating. Not impressed. Worth 1/2 of what they are charging. You are paying 100% for overhyped atmosphere. Enjoy!
(2)Richard K.
It is nice to be able to find a restaurant with high quality food in the Des Plaines area. Everything from food (high quality Italian food) to service is good. My wife is a heritage Italian cook and my entire family is composed of foodies so we know good Italian food when we encounter it. My only complaint is the coffee which is definitely sub-par. That is a shame in a restaurant with such good Italian food.
(4)Cat D.
Beyond terrible service. I understand things get busy but twenty minutes to get a drink order...come on. It gets worse. Salads came two miinutes before our entrees and to top it off my baked garlic chicken was raw inside and the five cheese lasagna was slimy and tasteless. Such a disappointment. Will never go back to this location.
(1)Jeff W.
Wife and I were looking for an easy place to take two little kids on a Friday evening. I've driven by this place many times and heard it was "just OK." I knew it was a chain with several locations around Chicago, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. I came in with low expectations, and they were not met. Friday night at 7 and the place had maybe 6 tables full. The menu was a beat-up, laminated tri-fold deal that looked like something you would find for lunch at a roadhouse. I thought the place was more Italian, but there were not many Italian dishes on the menu (maybe I should have taken the hint and gone with a burger). No separate kids menu (I've grown to really appreciate places that have menus that kids can color). Instead, kids get to pick one of 3 options on the kids' section of the main menu. Wine was $8 a glass. Beer prices were cheap. Waitress was very nice, but service (the kitchen) seemed pretty slow. The food was just not good. Wife's pasta dish was OK. Meatball sandwich was very bland. Kid's chicken tenders were also bland and just not good at all (the kids agreed). Salad was OK. I think a basic family Italian place should be easy to pull off. I've been to a bunch of them -- the kind of places where you eat plenty, enjoy it well enough, and then forget about it later. Simple, but nothing exciting, and not too expensive. This place just didn't deliver. The food was just not good. It's too bad. It's a nice enough looking room with a decent location. I wish it was better. I really do. But I have no desire to go back.
(2)Peridot ..
Greasy food and lousy service.
(1)Jim B.
Leona's is what it is, and sometimes I like to get their mac and cheese and tasty raspberry lemonade. However, do not order from them for delivery. The food always comes SUPER late, a couple nights ago on a Sunday night it took 1hr45mins for my food, and it was cold. I ordered off of grubhub and called them, to which the manager responded that he would take "half off" my veggie burger, when my order was $36 in total. I told them no way, I wanted a full refund as all the food was inedible. They finally relented, but Im done ordering from here.
(1)Jennifer C.
Went to Leona's on Sunday for Father's day. I joined their email club so I had a 1/2 off Father's meal coupon on Father's day. I love coupons so I was sold. The food was extremely good, definitely 4 stars. The bread and herb butter were tasty. I had the mac & cheese lasagna (yummy!) and the italian meat lasagna (also yummy!), it came with soup or salad and I got salad with garlic parmesan dressing which was very enjoyable (even though I ordered it without tomato and it came with tomato on it). My husband had the romano chicken with sides of penne with meat sauce and red & white lasagna. His food was pretty good too and he said the red & white lasagna was especially yummy as leftovers the next day. My hubby got one of the Lenacakes with his meal and I got one for like 89 cents. For the price they were very good. The reason I'm not giving 4 stars though is because of the menu and service. My husband's menu was absolutely filthy even our waiter was pretty shocked by it. Our waiter was very odd and creepy. Some people are meant to be in the service industry and others aren't. He was fairly nice, but he seemed uncomfortable interacting with others. I would probably go back to another Leona's before this one, but if I was in the area I would come back.
(3)Dining Bunny G.
Why is it so hard to get good, quick service at this place? The pizza is always awesome but the last time we were there - we waited for our salads and everything came at once. Nice waiter - service isn't cutting it!
(2)Stacy S.
I'm not sure why Leona's got bad reviews. I really like this place! Meals are delicious and for a great price! I usually get the Macaroni and Cheese Lasagna, which comes with a fresh salad, and garlic bread. I actually stopped by here the other day with some friends. My boyfriend got the little cheeseburgers which are a perfect portion. It came with seasoned fries, and it also came with the Lenacake--which is a chocolate cupcake with cheesecake on top. Delicious. My other friend got the Duo. He couldn't decide between two types of lasagna, and this option is a perfect way to get the best of both worlds. Leona's is the finest restaurant in downtown Des Plaines, and I've never left disappointed. Service was quick and waiter was attentive. Definitely will be back again.
(4)Matthew B.
I really do like Leonas restaurant, just not the one in Des Plaines. The food is overpriced for the service you get there, and it is not the same taste at this establishment. Some of the glaring issues I have had with the food was that the macaroni and cheese lasagna was cold and stale, the cheese lasagna was nasty, the pizza was tough and cold. The quality of it seems less intriguing as at other locations. Another service issue I had on one particular experience was when I was completed with our meal we sat (My wife and I) and waited for 15 minutes, I had to get up and speak with another gentleman who was not our server and he punched us out, he was very rude as if he was angry. No class. The waitress seemed lost as she was not perceptive to our needs. The only reason I gave it "2" stars is because I really like the Lotza Cheeseburger! Please consult with other locations and take some lessons because this place has gone downhill!
(2)Dhaivat A.
Really nice place.. loved the food. but just a little pricey considering the competition in the italian cuisine. But i would still receommend it as the food was great. Try their brushetta.
(4)Princess G.
I have been to their location in Rogers Park so I know this place has potential, HOWEVER, the food was not so fresh. I could see a heat lamp film on my marinara sauce. The prices don't reflect the casual feel and quality of the food. The waitress helping us was fine. I could hear other customers complaining about waiting too long for services.
(2)Omar S.
Unfortunately, not on the top of my list to visit back to dine in at this location =( I was excited to try some italian cuisine and dont get me wrong the food was really good from our appetizer (calamari), bread service was great with the parmesan compound butter, and entree (got the Duo famous baked mac and cheese and 4 cheese lasagna with a side of meatball (huge piece of meat) lol...then the disappointment dessert...the turtle cheesecake...it was definitely from the freezer and nuked in the microwave...some of it was hot..some of it was warm, some cold and middle still frozen...Nicole...your turtle cheesecake is still #1 on my list! The 2 stars are for the awesome food, definitely great portions for the price and great flavors on the palate. However, the service was pretty horrible, no drink refills in time, entrees came out while just having a bite of the calamari, grr i dislike when someone drops the entree when the appz just came out! Then the Cheesecake issues...Oh I forgot to mention, the manager was not dressed appropriately unless it was casual friday for them...seriously...khakis and a bright colored polo? also when he collected dishes he dropped them into the bus pans and created loud clanking noises, making it uncomfortable to hold a conversation...The lighting was good, not too bright...food is really good and that what the 2 stars are for. Not a repeat restaurant for me, possibly makes for great carryout?? Looking around, other people seemed to enjoy the food at least...
(2)Michael A.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant. The service is poor, the food is mediocre, and obviously the management does not care. Instead of filling up their menu with cute anecdotes about all the colorful characters that make up Leona's "family", they should try getting the food out while it's still warm and to the right person. Absolutely, pathetic!
(1)Debbie M.
My favorite Italian restaurant! They have a BIG menu. Love their lasagnas. Pizzas good too. I've always experienced great service and great food. Took my husbands family there and we all left happy!
(4)Stella N.
never again.
(1)Roberto F.
This place is hit or miss with the food and quality of service. The first time I went here, I would have given it a three because my burger was huge and delicious and we had decent service. But the last two times my co-workers and I have come here somethings been missing. Either our waiter/waitress was slow at getting our orders put in, didn't come back to check on us or the food had to much sauce. Two our dishes were swimming in Tomato basil and Alfredo. More then likely I will be coming back. Why you ask, well some co-workers are pickier then other and this tends to limit choices on places to go. I'll update if anything changes.
(2)Jay V.
been eating at the chain for over 20 years now. food is still good. i had a nice lunch after the lunch crowd one weekday at this location and it was enjoyable.
(4)Patty V.
HUGE menu-makes it difficult to decide! I would not recommend the pizza,much better items on the menu.You have to get the Kick-Ass Garlic Bread!!Great stuff!I really like the Fusili with Pesto,almost as good as mine.I have also had the Spinach Lasagna and was happy with that as well. This is not a cheap eats place,but you do get GINORMOUS portions-have half wrapped before you get it and have lunch for the next day.
(4)Laura N.
Today was my first day back to school for the fall for meetings (I'm an educator), and we had an hour lunch break. A friend and I decided to meet up during this hour lunch break at Leona's (ironically, another co-worker was meeting her friends there too). Aside from us, there were only about three other tables occupied in the whole restaurant. An hour for lunch should be enough time to get some food, eat, and have quick conversation, right? Not here. We both ordered lunch off the 'quick lunch' menu which advertises that it will be available in 12 minutes. Perfect. That would leave us with about a half hour to eat. She ordered a salad and I ordered pasta with pesto, which comes with a salad. Our bread arrived right away. The bread was yummy. My salad arrived about ten minutes later. The salad was... normal. Minutes passed. Minutes turned into a half hour. Half hour turned into "oh my gosh, I really have to go, where is our food!?" At this point, I told the waitress that I needed to leave to get back to work - therefore, pack up the food and hope that I have time to eat it at work! My friend was in no hurry, so she stayed to wait for her food and pay our bill since it wasn't ready yet. A couple minutes later (after a few light stares from me) the waitress hands me my lunch in a brown paper bag and I rush out the door back to work. My friend later informed me that her salad arrived about five minutes later and it wasn't even that good. What in the world took the salad nearly an hour to arrive!? 12 minutes? Yeah, right. Plus, $7.95 for a mediocre salad at lunch after already waiting nearly an hour for it to arrive? What a rip-off. (I also had my pasta later at work, and it was OK.) You're not seeing me again.
(1)MA M.
Beware!! - Leona's has new owners and they have changed many, many things. No bread at the table, few choices on the new (plastic) menu, no great sides choices, no little cheesecake desserts...not the same. Kinda just a bland pizza place now. Some of our food was good. The service was good. Just not the same "Leona's" anymore. I have seen may other similar reviews recently. Look at their facebook page. I hope the new owners are listening. We really liked the old Leona's.
(2)Steve L.
The restaurant was quiet, understandable on a Monday night. First negative? There was no hostess up front; we waited for a minute and a half until our waitress came to serve us. Later, I saw someone come in and wait longer. I asked our server, and she said they only have a hostess on weekends and they were short a waitress, so she apologized for the wait. She (I think it was Nadya) was friendly and helpful. We got some complimentary fresh bread and delicious house made herbed garlic butter. Leona's recently closed restaurants in the Chicago area, and I was under the impression this was one of them. Glad to find out I was wrong. I've been there in the past, and they had a surprisingly talented balloon artist going table-to-table, on a Friday night. He was working a packed house. We got the pot roast sandwich and the meatball sandwich. The pot roast sandwich lacked flavor, it appeared to be finished under a salamander broiler, so some of the meat was a little crisp on the outside. The consistency and flavor of the meat inside made me think a bit of chipped beef. I appreciate that someone was trying to do a creative take on Italian. What I got wasn't it. The meatball, however, was perfect. Great texture and flavor, and the sauce worked well. The bread on both sandwiches felt like it came from a commercial supplier, like Gonnella, which was a shame. I would have preferred something a little heartier. One nicety Leona's is known for are their little complimentary cakes at the end of a meal. Best described as a micro-cupcake (sans frosting) they're complex, containing both white and a rich chocolate cake, and a hint of raspberry. Although I haven't had one in years, Leona's had a unique crust on their pan pizzas. I will have to go back and give it a try. For this reviewing, I'm rounding up from 3 1/2 to four stars. I might ask to taste their pot roast mix on a weekend to see if the Monday crew just botched the preparation. If you're thinking of ordering it, I'd ask to do the same.
(4)Josh W.
I really liked this place! During my recent business trip to Chicago, I found myself in an unfamiliar area and hungry. After consulting yelp, I opted to try this place. I ordered the wings because I was in the mood for some, along with the chicken pesto pasta with bacon(which apparently also came with salad and bread). The wings were HUGE! I was definitely not expecting that much. They were also delicious! I ended up(barely) eating all of them and my salad, and taking my pasta and bread(which was also really good) to go. I was also surprised to see that they had Downtown Brown. There are lots of places in Cali that don't have it, so I never expected to see it in a spot in Chicago. I sat at the bar and watched TV, and a few different servers periodically checked on me. Everyone seemed friendly. If I ever find myself in this area again, I will definitely be back here!
(4)David N.
Last night, my wife and I ordered a fish dinner and hamburger for carry out. The person that took the order advised it would be one half hour. We arrived in 30 minutes and was advised by one hostess that the order was a "bit" behind but would be up "soon". After 15 minutes this hostess advised she was leaving but her replacement would handle us. After other 10 minutes, this hostess, Vera, I think, advised it would be 2 minutes. After another 10, now being over one hour since the order was placed, I pressed her to get our order or walk. Finally, the order came out. Oh, this was after Vera brought us the wrong order and we had to advise her for the 3rd time our names and the order items. When she brought out the bag, I was so upset I advised her she was going to give me one of the items free, her choice. She did one better and gave me both for free, so she said. Once we got home, we were missing out soups and a salad. I thought, "why call, it was free after all" Well, this morning I looked at my bank acct on line and there was the full charge. I was livid. I called back and Vera was still there, or again, and all I got was, "the kitchen was behind, I didn't check the bag, they should have not charged my card etc. I had enough so I requested the owner call me. I am still waiting for the call. I would tell a dying, starving man to go here.
(1)Dominic M.
The hostess was very courteous and politely sat my wife and I away from the open dining atmosphere in favor of a private feel near the partitioned bar area. It felt more cramped then private. The waitress was very nice with an upbeat attitude...and then came the wait times... Now, despite the warm family dining atmosphere, the cozy spirited bar area, and friendly staff... The pasta struggles to find a taste. Thus, the 45 minutes to prepare it wore down my expectations even further. I really wanted to give this place a better review, but I could not find a 4th star hidden anywhere in the food. I recommend you try once, and then move along.
(3)Simone G.
When we moved to Des Plaines two years ago, Leona's was the first food we ordered, and it was awesome! Enough for three meals, tasty, free little cheesecakes (score for my kids). Tonight we went to Leona's for dinner. I had Spaghetti Marinara with a side salad and ordered without any cheese. The portion was tiny! half of the tiny portion, was the sauce and a big scoop of cheese on top, the bread stick was smaller than what I've had before. My husband ordered the veggie burger, which was fine, but he got 3 (THREE) wedge fries with it as a side. My kids each got the kids pizza. The pizza was reheated slices, too over baked to actually cut and also three wedge fries. The menu has been cut down big time (all the good stuff is gone). We were charged for the kids' drinks (should have come with the meals, I noticed too late, my bad). No cheese cake desserts, no free bread like it was before. I don't think we'll ever be back, sadly. Edit Jan 14 Met a friend there, who insisted on this location (not anymore after today). I had the veggie burger. What a disappointment, the formerly yummy veggie patty (big and homemade) is now a simple frozen and reheated patty. If you thought it couldn't get worse, I guess it did.
(1)Dorin L.
Excellent food and exemplary service!! New manager really makes a difference.
(5)C. W.
I love Leona's and am glad to have it nearby. I love Italian food. My kids love it too! We have had it takeout, delivery, eat-in, large group...always good.
(4)T W.
Haven't been there for a while, but was compelled to write this. Looks like things haven't changed. Bad service, uninterested management and know it all ownership that refuses to change anything. The trifecta. Way to go!
(1)Lary G.
I've been going to Leona's locations for as long as I can remember. Although the food here is average, the service is a joke. I have no problem eating average food if I can supplement that with service that is prompt, attentive, and polite. From the minuted I walked in, I should have known something was up. It took what seemed like an eternity for someone to come and finally help us and then seat us. No "hello" or "welcome," just someone high school kid grabbing the menus and saying "follow me." Strike one. Next, the server took the remainder of that eternity to come to the table and take drink orders. And not only did that take forever, getting them took forever. I was thirsty. I didn't feel like waiting. Finally, we got down to ordering appetizers. The waitress also wanted us to order our entrees at that time, and she was not happy I told her we would order after we finished our apps. One of my dining pet peeves is getting your entrees while still finishing your apps and soup/salad. The menu needs to be streamlined as well. There are too many options for the same dish is different locations on the menu. For example, I wanted to the fillet sliders, the dinner which had 3 of them. I was only brought two and was told the waitress didn't know if I wanted the dinner, lunch, or app portion so she guessed. Strike two. Don't guess at what I want. If you're not sure what I ordered five minutes after I order it, come back and ask. Well, my wife and I thought our first experience was a fluke. Not so. Because it is within walking distance, we tried it again but should have stayed away. This time we chose to sit outside (summer time baby), and the hostess was actually prompt this time in seating us. Well, not so much with the waitress finally coming to our table. It was almost 15 minutes and we were just about to leave when she showed up. We should have left. See above for the reasons why. I could go on and on but I don't feel like it. You get the drift of what I'm saying here. Stay away.
(2)Kelly W.
Went here today for food with friend. The service was abysmal. It took approximately a hour to get food to my friend and an additional hour and fifteen minutes for me. We ordered off the "quick lunch" menu which wasn't quick. The food was not worth the price. I ordered a salad, which wasn't very good and had too much vegetables for too little plate. Furthermore, the chicken just stayed there instead of being cut into pieces. It was very dry and NOT worth eight dollars.
(1)Viktor S.
The food is so-so, even after being so hungry from waiting an hour for our food. There was a single server when we were there and the Manager was completely useless. We could tell our server was stretched thin but nowhere did a manager jump in to deliver drinks or food. The liquor selection is horrible - we asked for three different drinks but the liquors needed were not in stock (and we were not asking for anything fancy either). It took two hours to get drinks and food. I'm really surprised that this place is still in business.
(1)Karla L.
Leona's is AWESOME! Just not the location in Des Plaines. You would think that after 2 bad experiences we would know better by now... But alas - ANOTHER BAD EXPERIENCE! Where do I begin... Leona's, If your menu offers a specialized item for people with food sensitivities (i.e. Gluten Free Pizza) it should be available to order! "Uhhh, we're out of gluten -free pizza..." It was 6:30 PM! I also want to note that their servers are awful. The speed of service is a consistent problem with this location. If the restaurant isn't busy there is no excuse for a super long wait between ordering time and food arrival. Leona's your food is delicious but from now on I will visit the location on Sheffield.
(1)Kat Q.
Went there on a Saturday evening about 6:30. Only about two other parties in the restaurant. Ordered basic pasta. Huge bowl of penne pasta with sauce. But the food was less then impressive. Ragu makes a better sauce. We had to wait about 40 minutes for pasta in an empty restaurant. I see other reviews about the surley slow service too. Tip to the owner. Get better staff. Make a few of your pasta's from scratch daily. Better yet go to Amore Mio's in North Hoffman estates and taste what real italian food is like. Not going here again.
(1)Melody L.
Very good thin crust pizza and bread!
(5)Kim W.
I'm so bummed! I used to like this place, especially their Italian Beef sandwich. Went there on Saturday around noon and the 1st warning that something changed was that it was empty. One other table and then us. Uh oh. Service was slow (how, I'm not sure since there was no one there). Food was mediocre at best - lasagna & mac n cheese sides were cold and looked really old. But, worst of all, the Italian Beef sandwich was meh. I don't know what happened at this location but it's not good. The family needs to step up and intervene before this place goes out of business. Start with the quality of the food, then service, and maybe they've got a shot. Wouldn't bet on it, though. So sad.......
(2)Cat C.
The service here is seriously lacking. You would think with a chain they would have someone come in and fix these problems. When stopping in with my family, we were greeted by a sign saying "please wait to be seated". We waited, and waited and finally i suggested we just sit at the bar. You ever stepped in to one of those old dive bars and you can smell the years of people spilling their beers and no one cleaning it. well, that's what it smelled like in this restaurants bar area. ew. The food is OK, we've gotten it delivered when visiting my in-laws in the area, but the Restaurant seems dirty, so i didn't feel comfortable staying. We ordered to go anyway. This place creeps me out. The staff there aren't very helpful. The servers don't seem to care at all about customer service. The girl helping us seemed put out by having to do the job she chose to do. With so many options near by where you don't have to tip, you'd think they'd be grateful for business. maybe if they closed down, cleaned up and got new management it might be better. Oh, and I don't and wouldn't work for Leona's
(1)Carol K.
The fact that this place has managed to stay open longer than a year in Des Plaines without changing their name says that they must be doing SOMETHING right. The food is decent but quite pricey. I appreciate that they offer delivery for when we're in the mood for something other than pizza at home, but we know that when we order, we're spending upwards of $50.00 for dinner for two. If it wasn't for these factors, I'd probably be giving this place one star based on our recent visit there for dinner. We walked in at around 7:00 pm to a dining room that was decently busy, but not close to being full. We sat down, and waited five or more minutes for someone to bring us water and some bread...and then SHE showed up. Our waitress was a TRAIN WRECK. She walked up to our booth and immediately started to complain LOUDLY about another table she had and how difficult they were. She SAT DOWN in the booth next to Matt and proceeded to chat very candidly with us about her other tables, how tired she was, and how she was "this close" to quitting her job that night. This is before she even asked us what we wanted to drink! At some point she took our drink order, which another server brought us, and came back probably 10 minutes later and took our dinner order - after complaining AGAIN about a neighboring table, and using very colorful language the whole time - there WERE children at the table adjacent to us, and Leona's has always been described as a "family" restaurant. Matt and I are very laid back people and both swear like truck drivers, but our waitress certainly didn't know this, and I took offense to the fact that she made that sort of assumption to paying customers whom she knew nothing about. She promptly forgot our food order, so she took it again and promised that the food would be ready quickly. It showed up, but at this point the food was inconsequential. We were both so mind blown at this waitress that we kept one eye on her through our whole meal and got out of there as fast as we could - but not before our waitress promised to meet us for a drink at the neighboring bar later that night. All I can say is that this lady is lucky that she got US for her patrons that night, and not a family or someone more uptight.
(2)Gail C.
Excellent! After reading some people in talk recommend the cheese and macaroni lasagna, I decided to try it! yeaha! Very good. complaint? I ordered the small turtle sundae. The ice cream was refrozen and in the crunchy phase. Yick! Oh, also don't order the deep nutty beer - don't remember the name, cost $5.00 - not good Geez, it seems like I didn't like this place. I really do!
(4)Dave S.
I had dinner there last week. I went in alone, and got put in a two top in the bar, where the bar stools crowded the walkway so much that everyone had to lean over me when they came by. Not that it was necessary to seat me there, the place was only moderately busy. The interior was dark and dim conveying more of a we want to lower our electricity bill than a we want to be romantic vibe. I ordered the veggie burger. It came out very large, and very dry and tasteless.
(1)Cornelius T.
Just as expected good food, great lasagna, garlic chicken and Mozzarella Slices, great sevice to boot.. Loved it..
(5)Jinette G.
BEWARE!!!!!! Horrible Service! And half the items on the menu are not available! My husband and I went to Leonas on Miner St. in Des Plaines and waited half an hour for our food. The female waitress never came by to apologize for the wait or offer us bread and butter. When the food arrived, it was the wrong order. I ordered chicken sliders and was served two small Steak Burgers. I had to go to the kitchen to look for our waitress and let her know she served me the wrong food! Then I had to wait another 20 minutes for the new order! We will never return to this Leonas! I had to ask the waitress for a discount on the tab due to the inconvenience! They were not courteous enough to offer it.
(1)Sarah A.
We had a group of 5 and we visited Leona's around 7:30pm on a Friday night. The place was only about 1/3 full. The service was a bit lacking--our drinks ran dry and stayed that way for quite some time before we ever got any refills. The menu is very large. Probably too large. The pricing of the food wasn't too bad for the size of the portions. Unfortunately the food really lacked inspiration. I ordered a garlic chicken entree which was ok, not quite good. For sides I had angel hair pasta with marinara, meh, and wedge fries which were very good. I definitely could have eaten many more wedge fries! I also tried the five cheese lasagna which I flat out did not like. So overall, I probably won't visit Leona's again.
(2)Stacey D.
I hate to give this place 3 stars. Because I really like their food. But the last few times I've been here, the service has been appalling. Rickety table due to a short leg, we asked to move to an open table. Server said no, and shoved the trivia cards underneath. Appetizing, since I'm sure they'll be yanked out at the end of the night. They're slow to seat, take orders, bring out the food, bring and take the check. But the food is so good. I like the garlic chicken, salads, fries with sour cream, pasta, pizza, beer (learned how to properly pour a boddington!), kick ass garlic bread really is kick ass. But service takes it down for me. Update 2/2007: Went here last week and I take it all back! Anything bad I've ever said - I take it back! It was crowded and therefore service slow, but the waitress apologized and it was packed. So it explains it. We had a reservation, and they actually seated us before other people who were there waiting before us. We were in a booth -- had some beer (Miller Lite on tap: $3.50). Kick ass garlic bread is still kick ass. They changed their tablecloths, coverings on their chairs and booths, and may have painted. That, with no smoking = great improvement. Their bread was slightly different, but for the better. I thought it was good before, this is realllly good. I got the garlic chicken and it was smothered with roasted garlic. Unbelieveable. I was too full to eat it by the time it came though, but I made myself have a bite. The broccoli has also changed, it's no longer fresh with a lemon wedge, but drenched with Italian dressing. I'd pass on this. New desserts looked awesome, but I had to pass. Chocolate covered bananas with ice cream? Bananas and chocolate and ice cream and nuts and brownies? Next time!
(5)Jeff W.
Wife and I were looking for an easy place to take two little kids on a Friday evening. I've driven by this place many times and heard it was "just OK." I knew it was a chain with several locations around Chicago, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. I came in with low expectations, and they were not met. Friday night at 7 and the place had maybe 6 tables full. The menu was a beat-up, laminated tri-fold deal that looked like something you would find for lunch at a roadhouse. I thought the place was more Italian, but there were not many Italian dishes on the menu (maybe I should have taken the hint and gone with a burger). No separate kids menu (I've grown to really appreciate places that have menus that kids can color). Instead, kids get to pick one of 3 options on the kids' section of the main menu. Wine was $8 a glass. Beer prices were cheap. Waitress was very nice, but service (the kitchen) seemed pretty slow. The food was just not good. Wife's pasta dish was OK. Meatball sandwich was very bland. Kid's chicken tenders were also bland and just not good at all (the kids agreed). Salad was OK. I think a basic family Italian place should be easy to pull off. I've been to a bunch of them -- the kind of places where you eat plenty, enjoy it well enough, and then forget about it later. Simple, but nothing exciting, and not too expensive. This place just didn't deliver. The food was just not good. It's too bad. It's a nice enough looking room with a decent location. I wish it was better. I really do. But I have no desire to go back.
(2)Peridot ..
Greasy food and lousy service.
(1)Dorin L.
Excellent food and exemplary service!! New manager really makes a difference.
(5)C. W.
I love Leona's and am glad to have it nearby. I love Italian food. My kids love it too! We have had it takeout, delivery, eat-in, large group...always good.
(4)T W.
Haven't been there for a while, but was compelled to write this. Looks like things haven't changed. Bad service, uninterested management and know it all ownership that refuses to change anything. The trifecta. Way to go!
(1)Matthew B.
I really do like Leonas restaurant, just not the one in Des Plaines. The food is overpriced for the service you get there, and it is not the same taste at this establishment. Some of the glaring issues I have had with the food was that the macaroni and cheese lasagna was cold and stale, the cheese lasagna was nasty, the pizza was tough and cold. The quality of it seems less intriguing as at other locations. Another service issue I had on one particular experience was when I was completed with our meal we sat (My wife and I) and waited for 15 minutes, I had to get up and speak with another gentleman who was not our server and he punched us out, he was very rude as if he was angry. No class. The waitress seemed lost as she was not perceptive to our needs. The only reason I gave it "2" stars is because I really like the Lotza Cheeseburger! Please consult with other locations and take some lessons because this place has gone downhill!
(2)Dhaivat A.
Really nice place.. loved the food. but just a little pricey considering the competition in the italian cuisine. But i would still receommend it as the food was great. Try their brushetta.
(4)Princess G.
I have been to their location in Rogers Park so I know this place has potential, HOWEVER, the food was not so fresh. I could see a heat lamp film on my marinara sauce. The prices don't reflect the casual feel and quality of the food. The waitress helping us was fine. I could hear other customers complaining about waiting too long for services.
(2)Omar S.
Unfortunately, not on the top of my list to visit back to dine in at this location =( I was excited to try some italian cuisine and dont get me wrong the food was really good from our appetizer (calamari), bread service was great with the parmesan compound butter, and entree (got the Duo famous baked mac and cheese and 4 cheese lasagna with a side of meatball (huge piece of meat) lol...then the disappointment dessert...the turtle cheesecake...it was definitely from the freezer and nuked in the microwave...some of it was hot..some of it was warm, some cold and middle still frozen...Nicole...your turtle cheesecake is still #1 on my list! The 2 stars are for the awesome food, definitely great portions for the price and great flavors on the palate. However, the service was pretty horrible, no drink refills in time, entrees came out while just having a bite of the calamari, grr i dislike when someone drops the entree when the appz just came out! Then the Cheesecake issues...Oh I forgot to mention, the manager was not dressed appropriately unless it was casual friday for them...seriously...khakis and a bright colored polo? also when he collected dishes he dropped them into the bus pans and created loud clanking noises, making it uncomfortable to hold a conversation...The lighting was good, not too bright...food is really good and that what the 2 stars are for. Not a repeat restaurant for me, possibly makes for great carryout?? Looking around, other people seemed to enjoy the food at least...
(2)Lary G.
I've been going to Leona's locations for as long as I can remember. Although the food here is average, the service is a joke. I have no problem eating average food if I can supplement that with service that is prompt, attentive, and polite. From the minuted I walked in, I should have known something was up. It took what seemed like an eternity for someone to come and finally help us and then seat us. No "hello" or "welcome," just someone high school kid grabbing the menus and saying "follow me." Strike one. Next, the server took the remainder of that eternity to come to the table and take drink orders. And not only did that take forever, getting them took forever. I was thirsty. I didn't feel like waiting. Finally, we got down to ordering appetizers. The waitress also wanted us to order our entrees at that time, and she was not happy I told her we would order after we finished our apps. One of my dining pet peeves is getting your entrees while still finishing your apps and soup/salad. The menu needs to be streamlined as well. There are too many options for the same dish is different locations on the menu. For example, I wanted to the fillet sliders, the dinner which had 3 of them. I was only brought two and was told the waitress didn't know if I wanted the dinner, lunch, or app portion so she guessed. Strike two. Don't guess at what I want. If you're not sure what I ordered five minutes after I order it, come back and ask. Well, my wife and I thought our first experience was a fluke. Not so. Because it is within walking distance, we tried it again but should have stayed away. This time we chose to sit outside (summer time baby), and the hostess was actually prompt this time in seating us. Well, not so much with the waitress finally coming to our table. It was almost 15 minutes and we were just about to leave when she showed up. We should have left. See above for the reasons why. I could go on and on but I don't feel like it. You get the drift of what I'm saying here. Stay away.
(2)Kelly W.
Went here today for food with friend. The service was abysmal. It took approximately a hour to get food to my friend and an additional hour and fifteen minutes for me. We ordered off the "quick lunch" menu which wasn't quick. The food was not worth the price. I ordered a salad, which wasn't very good and had too much vegetables for too little plate. Furthermore, the chicken just stayed there instead of being cut into pieces. It was very dry and NOT worth eight dollars.
(1)Viktor S.
The food is so-so, even after being so hungry from waiting an hour for our food. There was a single server when we were there and the Manager was completely useless. We could tell our server was stretched thin but nowhere did a manager jump in to deliver drinks or food. The liquor selection is horrible - we asked for three different drinks but the liquors needed were not in stock (and we were not asking for anything fancy either). It took two hours to get drinks and food. I'm really surprised that this place is still in business.
(1)Jennifer C.
Went to Leona's on Sunday for Father's day. I joined their email club so I had a 1/2 off Father's meal coupon on Father's day. I love coupons so I was sold. The food was extremely good, definitely 4 stars. The bread and herb butter were tasty. I had the mac & cheese lasagna (yummy!) and the italian meat lasagna (also yummy!), it came with soup or salad and I got salad with garlic parmesan dressing which was very enjoyable (even though I ordered it without tomato and it came with tomato on it). My husband had the romano chicken with sides of penne with meat sauce and red & white lasagna. His food was pretty good too and he said the red & white lasagna was especially yummy as leftovers the next day. My hubby got one of the Lenacakes with his meal and I got one for like 89 cents. For the price they were very good. The reason I'm not giving 4 stars though is because of the menu and service. My husband's menu was absolutely filthy even our waiter was pretty shocked by it. Our waiter was very odd and creepy. Some people are meant to be in the service industry and others aren't. He was fairly nice, but he seemed uncomfortable interacting with others. I would probably go back to another Leona's before this one, but if I was in the area I would come back.
(3)Jim B.
Leona's is what it is, and sometimes I like to get their mac and cheese and tasty raspberry lemonade. However, do not order from them for delivery. The food always comes SUPER late, a couple nights ago on a Sunday night it took 1hr45mins for my food, and it was cold. I ordered off of grubhub and called them, to which the manager responded that he would take "half off" my veggie burger, when my order was $36 in total. I told them no way, I wanted a full refund as all the food was inedible. They finally relented, but Im done ordering from here.
(1)MA M.
Beware!! - Leona's has new owners and they have changed many, many things. No bread at the table, few choices on the new (plastic) menu, no great sides choices, no little cheesecake desserts...not the same. Kinda just a bland pizza place now. Some of our food was good. The service was good. Just not the same "Leona's" anymore. I have seen may other similar reviews recently. Look at their facebook page. I hope the new owners are listening. We really liked the old Leona's.
(2)Dining Bunny G.
Why is it so hard to get good, quick service at this place? The pizza is always awesome but the last time we were there - we waited for our salads and everything came at once. Nice waiter - service isn't cutting it!
(2)Stacy S.
I'm not sure why Leona's got bad reviews. I really like this place! Meals are delicious and for a great price! I usually get the Macaroni and Cheese Lasagna, which comes with a fresh salad, and garlic bread. I actually stopped by here the other day with some friends. My boyfriend got the little cheeseburgers which are a perfect portion. It came with seasoned fries, and it also came with the Lenacake--which is a chocolate cupcake with cheesecake on top. Delicious. My other friend got the Duo. He couldn't decide between two types of lasagna, and this option is a perfect way to get the best of both worlds. Leona's is the finest restaurant in downtown Des Plaines, and I've never left disappointed. Service was quick and waiter was attentive. Definitely will be back again.
(4)Matt M.
The staff, to their credit, quite make up for this overly pretentious and run-of-the-mill place. It aspires to be a mixture of classy cocktail lounge and chic dining establishment that touts family ownership and eclectic dishes. However, the dishes are so "racey" that its difficult to find anything worth eating. Not impressed. Worth 1/2 of what they are charging. You are paying 100% for overhyped atmosphere. Enjoy!
(2)Richard K.
It is nice to be able to find a restaurant with high quality food in the Des Plaines area. Everything from food (high quality Italian food) to service is good. My wife is a heritage Italian cook and my entire family is composed of foodies so we know good Italian food when we encounter it. My only complaint is the coffee which is definitely sub-par. That is a shame in a restaurant with such good Italian food.
(4)Cat D.
Beyond terrible service. I understand things get busy but twenty minutes to get a drink order...come on. It gets worse. Salads came two miinutes before our entrees and to top it off my baked garlic chicken was raw inside and the five cheese lasagna was slimy and tasteless. Such a disappointment. Will never go back to this location.
(1)Michael A.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant. The service is poor, the food is mediocre, and obviously the management does not care. Instead of filling up their menu with cute anecdotes about all the colorful characters that make up Leona's "family", they should try getting the food out while it's still warm and to the right person. Absolutely, pathetic!
(1)Carol K.
The fact that this place has managed to stay open longer than a year in Des Plaines without changing their name says that they must be doing SOMETHING right. The food is decent but quite pricey. I appreciate that they offer delivery for when we're in the mood for something other than pizza at home, but we know that when we order, we're spending upwards of $50.00 for dinner for two. If it wasn't for these factors, I'd probably be giving this place one star based on our recent visit there for dinner. We walked in at around 7:00 pm to a dining room that was decently busy, but not close to being full. We sat down, and waited five or more minutes for someone to bring us water and some bread...and then SHE showed up. Our waitress was a TRAIN WRECK. She walked up to our booth and immediately started to complain LOUDLY about another table she had and how difficult they were. She SAT DOWN in the booth next to Matt and proceeded to chat very candidly with us about her other tables, how tired she was, and how she was "this close" to quitting her job that night. This is before she even asked us what we wanted to drink! At some point she took our drink order, which another server brought us, and came back probably 10 minutes later and took our dinner order - after complaining AGAIN about a neighboring table, and using very colorful language the whole time - there WERE children at the table adjacent to us, and Leona's has always been described as a "family" restaurant. Matt and I are very laid back people and both swear like truck drivers, but our waitress certainly didn't know this, and I took offense to the fact that she made that sort of assumption to paying customers whom she knew nothing about. She promptly forgot our food order, so she took it again and promised that the food would be ready quickly. It showed up, but at this point the food was inconsequential. We were both so mind blown at this waitress that we kept one eye on her through our whole meal and got out of there as fast as we could - but not before our waitress promised to meet us for a drink at the neighboring bar later that night. All I can say is that this lady is lucky that she got US for her patrons that night, and not a family or someone more uptight.
(2)Gail C.
Excellent! After reading some people in talk recommend the cheese and macaroni lasagna, I decided to try it! yeaha! Very good. complaint? I ordered the small turtle sundae. The ice cream was refrozen and in the crunchy phase. Yick! Oh, also don't order the deep nutty beer - don't remember the name, cost $5.00 - not good Geez, it seems like I didn't like this place. I really do!
(4)Dave S.
I had dinner there last week. I went in alone, and got put in a two top in the bar, where the bar stools crowded the walkway so much that everyone had to lean over me when they came by. Not that it was necessary to seat me there, the place was only moderately busy. The interior was dark and dim conveying more of a we want to lower our electricity bill than a we want to be romantic vibe. I ordered the veggie burger. It came out very large, and very dry and tasteless.
(1)Cornelius T.
Just as expected good food, great lasagna, garlic chicken and Mozzarella Slices, great sevice to boot.. Loved it..
(5)Karla L.
Leona's is AWESOME! Just not the location in Des Plaines. You would think that after 2 bad experiences we would know better by now... But alas - ANOTHER BAD EXPERIENCE! Where do I begin... Leona's, If your menu offers a specialized item for people with food sensitivities (i.e. Gluten Free Pizza) it should be available to order! "Uhhh, we're out of gluten -free pizza..." It was 6:30 PM! I also want to note that their servers are awful. The speed of service is a consistent problem with this location. If the restaurant isn't busy there is no excuse for a super long wait between ordering time and food arrival. Leona's your food is delicious but from now on I will visit the location on Sheffield.
(1)Kat Q.
Went there on a Saturday evening about 6:30. Only about two other parties in the restaurant. Ordered basic pasta. Huge bowl of penne pasta with sauce. But the food was less then impressive. Ragu makes a better sauce. We had to wait about 40 minutes for pasta in an empty restaurant. I see other reviews about the surley slow service too. Tip to the owner. Get better staff. Make a few of your pasta's from scratch daily. Better yet go to Amore Mio's in North Hoffman estates and taste what real italian food is like. Not going here again.
(1)Melody L.
Very good thin crust pizza and bread!
(5)Kim W.
I'm so bummed! I used to like this place, especially their Italian Beef sandwich. Went there on Saturday around noon and the 1st warning that something changed was that it was empty. One other table and then us. Uh oh. Service was slow (how, I'm not sure since there was no one there). Food was mediocre at best - lasagna & mac n cheese sides were cold and looked really old. But, worst of all, the Italian Beef sandwich was meh. I don't know what happened at this location but it's not good. The family needs to step up and intervene before this place goes out of business. Start with the quality of the food, then service, and maybe they've got a shot. Wouldn't bet on it, though. So sad.......
(2)Cat C.
The service here is seriously lacking. You would think with a chain they would have someone come in and fix these problems. When stopping in with my family, we were greeted by a sign saying "please wait to be seated". We waited, and waited and finally i suggested we just sit at the bar. You ever stepped in to one of those old dive bars and you can smell the years of people spilling their beers and no one cleaning it. well, that's what it smelled like in this restaurants bar area. ew. The food is OK, we've gotten it delivered when visiting my in-laws in the area, but the Restaurant seems dirty, so i didn't feel comfortable staying. We ordered to go anyway. This place creeps me out. The staff there aren't very helpful. The servers don't seem to care at all about customer service. The girl helping us seemed put out by having to do the job she chose to do. With so many options near by where you don't have to tip, you'd think they'd be grateful for business. maybe if they closed down, cleaned up and got new management it might be better. Oh, and I don't and wouldn't work for Leona's
(1)Stella N.
never again.
(1)Jinette G.
BEWARE!!!!!! Horrible Service! And half the items on the menu are not available! My husband and I went to Leonas on Miner St. in Des Plaines and waited half an hour for our food. The female waitress never came by to apologize for the wait or offer us bread and butter. When the food arrived, it was the wrong order. I ordered chicken sliders and was served two small Steak Burgers. I had to go to the kitchen to look for our waitress and let her know she served me the wrong food! Then I had to wait another 20 minutes for the new order! We will never return to this Leonas! I had to ask the waitress for a discount on the tab due to the inconvenience! They were not courteous enough to offer it.
(1)Sarah A.
We had a group of 5 and we visited Leona's around 7:30pm on a Friday night. The place was only about 1/3 full. The service was a bit lacking--our drinks ran dry and stayed that way for quite some time before we ever got any refills. The menu is very large. Probably too large. The pricing of the food wasn't too bad for the size of the portions. Unfortunately the food really lacked inspiration. I ordered a garlic chicken entree which was ok, not quite good. For sides I had angel hair pasta with marinara, meh, and wedge fries which were very good. I definitely could have eaten many more wedge fries! I also tried the five cheese lasagna which I flat out did not like. So overall, I probably won't visit Leona's again.
(2)Stacey D.
I hate to give this place 3 stars. Because I really like their food. But the last few times I've been here, the service has been appalling. Rickety table due to a short leg, we asked to move to an open table. Server said no, and shoved the trivia cards underneath. Appetizing, since I'm sure they'll be yanked out at the end of the night. They're slow to seat, take orders, bring out the food, bring and take the check. But the food is so good. I like the garlic chicken, salads, fries with sour cream, pasta, pizza, beer (learned how to properly pour a boddington!), kick ass garlic bread really is kick ass. But service takes it down for me. Update 2/2007: Went here last week and I take it all back! Anything bad I've ever said - I take it back! It was crowded and therefore service slow, but the waitress apologized and it was packed. So it explains it. We had a reservation, and they actually seated us before other people who were there waiting before us. We were in a booth -- had some beer (Miller Lite on tap: $3.50). Kick ass garlic bread is still kick ass. They changed their tablecloths, coverings on their chairs and booths, and may have painted. That, with no smoking = great improvement. Their bread was slightly different, but for the better. I thought it was good before, this is realllly good. I got the garlic chicken and it was smothered with roasted garlic. Unbelieveable. I was too full to eat it by the time it came though, but I made myself have a bite. The broccoli has also changed, it's no longer fresh with a lemon wedge, but drenched with Italian dressing. I'd pass on this. New desserts looked awesome, but I had to pass. Chocolate covered bananas with ice cream? Bananas and chocolate and ice cream and nuts and brownies? Next time!
(5)Debbie M.
My favorite Italian restaurant! They have a BIG menu. Love their lasagnas. Pizzas good too. I've always experienced great service and great food. Took my husbands family there and we all left happy!
(4)Roberto F.
This place is hit or miss with the food and quality of service. The first time I went here, I would have given it a three because my burger was huge and delicious and we had decent service. But the last two times my co-workers and I have come here somethings been missing. Either our waiter/waitress was slow at getting our orders put in, didn't come back to check on us or the food had to much sauce. Two our dishes were swimming in Tomato basil and Alfredo. More then likely I will be coming back. Why you ask, well some co-workers are pickier then other and this tends to limit choices on places to go. I'll update if anything changes.
(2)Jay V.
been eating at the chain for over 20 years now. food is still good. i had a nice lunch after the lunch crowd one weekday at this location and it was enjoyable.
(4)Patty V.
HUGE menu-makes it difficult to decide! I would not recommend the pizza,much better items on the menu.You have to get the Kick-Ass Garlic Bread!!Great stuff!I really like the Fusili with Pesto,almost as good as mine.I have also had the Spinach Lasagna and was happy with that as well. This is not a cheap eats place,but you do get GINORMOUS portions-have half wrapped before you get it and have lunch for the next day.
(4)