Leon'S

3.5 stars for me. Food was average, but drinks and espresso were good. Also service and atmosphere was v good. Mushroom carpaccio was good and creative. We also got the large fritto misto and it was very normal. The batter wasn’t that crispy tbh. The shrimp in there was tender though. Lemon tagliolini was fresh pasta but I didn’t really like the cheese that was in it, it just didn’t go well with the sea beans. Linguini alle vongole was very bland, boxed pasta (I would expect boxed pasta for this dish though), just didn’t have much flavor which was crazy bc usually clams are flavorful. The sauce on the steak frites was good and fries were crispy. The dessert looks better than it is. I like the affogato. The flan was nice and not too heavy. The lemon merengue was not good and had a weird aftertaste. Also the sugar work was wrong. You can tell from the brûlée that it’s grainy. The weird aftertaste is because the egg didn’t bond correctly w the sugar. So you’re just tasting egg white. Disappointing. Also they could’ve done more with the sides. We asked the waitress for recs for the sides and she said the best were the potatoes and the beans and they were not it lol. Beans had a sauce on it that didn’t really add much, and it’s a bit indescribable. I didn’t really know what they were going for with those beans. The potatoes were good they were just boiled lemon potatoes with capers. Otherwise, good service and ambiance. Food was just pedestrian.

Our family was craving pasta and I had heard great things about Leon’s. This was the first Italian meal we had on this trip as it was incredible. From the moment we walked into the beautiful dining room for lunch, we were warmly greeted and the service was fantastic throughout our meal. We had a pretty large group and everyone wanted to try a variety of items from the menu. We started with the Fava Bean Falafel with Tahina, Lamb Arrosticini, Salame Rosa and Prosciutto, Citrus Salad and Rapini Melt with Agrodocle Onions. Oh, and don’t forget to order a side of Egyptian Fries…yum! First impressions from the table were all thumbs up. The Rapini Melt, Falafel and Lamb Arrosticini were to of my favorites, but everyone was delicious. By the way, the bread they bring to the table with olive oil is wonderful too. So light and flavorful. I could have eaten the whole basket. But we had more eating to do. For the mains we ordered the Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Lemon Tagliolini with Sea Beans, Ricotta Cavatelli, Sausage & Market Greens, and the Pappardelle & Duck Ragù. There’s nothing like fresh handmade pasta and all four of these dishes were a winner. The Lamb Ragu was a hit and we had to order a second, however the Lemon Tagliolini was a table favorite too. Wow. To end the meal, we had to go all out. We devoured the Crème Caramel, Dark Chocolate Torta, Spumoni 'Perfetto' and a few more scoops of their house-made sorbettos, including Fior di Latte, Brown Butter Sage, and Mint Stracciatella. This was the perfect way to end a fantastic lunch. By the end we were ready to walk around and headed to the High Line. Hats off to Chef Kelley Pittman (Hawaii girl) and the team here for an incredible experience. We’ll definitely be back the next time we’re in the city. 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

One of the best brunch experiences I’ve had in awhile, in no small part because of our incredible server Stacy! Such a fun atmosphere with delicious food to match. Highly recommend the Egyptian spiced tea and the beans Alexandria!

While the food at Leon’s was great, the overall dining experience was disappointing. Our meal felt exhausting because our server, Esther, seemed far more focused on upselling than providing good service. I understand that servers are expected to make recommendations, and occasionally suggesting a higher-priced item is perfectly reasonable. However, with Esther, the upselling was constant. From the moment we sat down, she insisted that the portions were too small for our party of three and repeatedly encouraged us to order both mains and multiple sides. We were hesitant, but ultimately followed her recommendations because she was so persistent. The most frustrating part was that several items were presented in a way that implied they were complimentary. When we ordered the fava bean falafel, she asked whether we wanted hot sauce with it, without mentioning there would be an extra charge. The same thing happened with the balsamic. At no point were we told these additions cost extra. When the food arrived, it became clear that we had significantly overordered, and the final bill included charges for all of the extras that had been suggested as if they came with the meal. The food itself was excellent, but the relentless upselling and lack of transparency left a sour taste and made what should have been a celebratory meal feel more like a sales pitch. The total neared $300, for what was meant to be a catch up for 3 recent college graduates.