leonard's house of love

a very cool retro spot to hang out. super delicious burgers. the patties are juicy so tasty! this place is in my hood and i would like to comebackand try the other burgers!

my first and second apartments were both in south yarra. but in that time i had never made it to leonard’s house of love. i definitely heard the noise, and saw thebackpart of the kitchen. this made me think the place was at least a little bit ‘grungy’. and now that i’ve tried it, it’s definitely grungy, but a good grungy with amazing burgers to match.

pub style eatery 😉 lovely and friendly service! the quick bite double cheeseburger was so good! the patties were gourmet and really tasted healthy (beef brisket) 🙊 i love how the buns are toasty ... the only downside is i felt that the pickle was a bit too strong ... 20 min waiting time...

i have to comebackfor charcoal chicken fries!

second best burger i’ve ever had! double cheeseburger mit bacon went enormous. if i could fit more in i’d bebackthere already. great drink service too.

awesome spot for a quality burger. went here for my birthday on recommendation from a friend and it did not disappoint. small menu but this is usually a good sign that they know what they are doing and trust the food they are serving. burgers were so flavorful and juicy, thought mine was underdone but was so wrong - never usually have as pink but loved every bite. the fries and gravy were also super delicious not to mention the popcorn chicken which the kids smashed. great atmosphere with a laidbackvibe. my only complaint was parking, but it’s chapel street so to be expected. will bebackfor sure!

i don't normally leave reviews for food but leonard's house of love is an absolute standout for me. ordered the vegan burger and vegan chilli fries and was blown away. delicious, hearty and meaty (yes a weird expression for vegan food). not to mention the atmosphere of the place is really laid-back and homely. it is a pretty decent experience eating delicious food with 70s rock blaring in the background. will bebackmany times in the future!

yeeeweewsssssss! love ya guys!

some of the crowd is a bit wanky but all is forgotten when your sitting in front of a nice pile of burg. love the 70’s lounge room set up, perfect for sitting off the sunday blues in.

will bebackand willbackoften. miss you already x

i was curious by this place because it is also the name of one of my favourite songs by east 17.

i had the fried chicken sandwich. i enjoyed that it was on white sandwich bread. brought mebackto the 90s. in a world where brioche is king, it's nice to see white bread. the chicken itself was juicy instead and crunchy on the outside. i really enjoyed it. the onion rings were pretty good.

you wouldn't find this place walking down chapel street, but enough people know about this place. it's very melbourne to seek your food, and people should seek this house of love.

the burger was so good but warning it is quite spicy and it may seem to be oily but it’s actually the duck fat that’s glazed onto the crispy and spicy friend chicken. we also had a refreshing jug of young henrys pale ale. we really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely gobackfor more!

i visited on a thursday night (around 8.30) and the venue was pumping. leonards is located off chapel street, in an old federation style home. the interior feels 70’s inspired with many paintings and decorations. there is no table service and no formal dining area; however that is not needed. the service is basic, order at the bar, take a seat and find a table. i ordered the xxx chicken wings and eggplant tenders. i was immensely satisfied with both. the chicken wings had a fantastic amount of spice to entertain the tastebuds, a crispy and thin batter and moist, succulent chicken. i’m already craving another set. the eggplant tenders were also notable, with a delicious ranch sauce to complement them. i’m sure i’ll bebackagain.

had the “double cheeseburger” and the “hot glazed tenders”. 

the double cheeseburger consisted of two beef brisket and short rib patties, two layers of melted american cheese, burger sauce, pickles and lettuce. the patties were dense but tender with a good ratio of fat to keep the patties juicy; the cuts of beef used for the patty probably contributed much of the flavouring to the patty; very meaty and savoury. the melted gooey cheese blended well with the patties; the first layer of cheese was between the top bun and the top patty and the second layer of cheese was between the two patties providing full coverage. the burger sauce was sort of mixed with the cheese which provided a savoury cheesiness to the bite and the mild vinegary pickles helped cutbackthe fattiness of the burger. the lettuce was quite essential to balance the amount of meat in the burger, but more so to keep the bottom bun from getting soggy.

as for the hot glazed tenders, it came in a basket consisting of three decently large pieces of fried chicken tenderloins covered with a layer of hot sauce, two small pickled cucumbers and a chipotle mayo dip. the chicken was tender and the thin outer coating was slightly crunchy despite being drenched in the hot sauce. the hot sauce was spicy and definitely has some heat to it; together with the chicken it provided a well-rounded savouriness to the bite. the chipotle mayo was optional as the hot glazed tenders were already flavour packed, though it does add a creamy texture to the bite which might also reduce the heat a little. finally the pickled cucumbers helped pace the eating; it acted like a palette cleanser by changing up the flavour.

overall the meal was tasty and satisfying; the burger was meaty, cheesy and filling, the flavour was certainly beyond good. the chicken tenders were great too; both texture and flavour wise. the hot sauce on the tenders was more than just mildly spicy so if you have a low tolerance to hot spice then it’s probably better to go with the original tenders which also come with the chipotle dip.

the place is nice, the decor is cool, the staff seem friendly and quite attentive despite how busy it is. i had a mushroom burger and it was very tasty. the bun was very sweet, which depending on your taste could be good or bad.

the reason i give this place such a low rating is, when we were leaving one of the bouncers was apparently trying to decline someone entry to the venue, and obviously wasn't doing so professionally. one of the potential customers started recording on his phone and the bouncer, instead of using this as an incentive to be on his best behaviour, he grabbed the phone from the fellow's hand and started going through it trying to delete the footage. it looked like the actions of somebackalley thug, not really the kind of person that you would want to be responsible for the protection of your clients. the management obviously needs to take more care with whom they choose as security guards.

hot dayummmm the cheeseburger was good here. so juicy (or was it greasy?) and full of flavour for something so simple. there was one tiny thin piece of lettuce that helped soak up the use juices but didn't take away from the beefy goodness.

i also tried the charcoal chicken chips. the pepper gravy and actual bits of peppercorn in it, which was both impressive and at times overpowering. the grilled onion was a welcomed addition, and the cheese sauce was good to offset the strong peppercorn flavour. i didn't really care for the chicken in the chips. it was fine, but didn't need to be there in my opinion. the chips themselves were seasoned very well and would have been delicious on their own.

i like how this place transforms from a lovely sunny courtyard outside to a dingy old school dive bar inside. cool atmosphere. will bebackfor drinks and perhaps the fried chicken that reviews keep raving on about.

recently ate here.. havnt been here simce it was called tryst! yes im old. 😑 food was great a bit pricey though. drinks were strong but again a bit pricey. will gobackthough as i had already eaten so onky got two small sides. crowd was young went on a sunday night with a gf who is vegan.

i went here with friends for a farewell drink before they went to europe. leonard's house of love is a cool pub like place set in an old house with punk/hardcore music. we sat in the smoking area because my friends smoke. it was very cold at first because the heater wasn't working but they fixed it for us.

i was the only person who was having dinner here so because of the new smoking laws i had to sit all by myself in the non smoking area while i was eating but what can you do 🤷🏼‍♀️. my friends who have eaten here before recommended that i have the portobello mushroom burger but i was seduced by the beef brisket and short rib patty so i ordered the cheese burger 🍔. i was going to order the mac and cheese on the side but i thought it would be too much cheese so i ordered the potato gems. the burger came out looking impressive in a nice soft bun. the beef patty was cooked perfectly with a nice char and it was pink in the middle. i still wasn't wowed by the burger though, i think it was well executed but i felt like it needed a more exciting sauce to bring it all together.

the potato gems are like the ones you get from the freezer but they were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle without a hint of that frozen potato taste. there were a lot of potato gems and i was going to just eat half of them but they were so good that i polished them off.

the people working here were very friendly and helpful. i would like to comebackand try their loaded fries. with anita.