leo's barbeque

when i want ribs. in okc it's leo's.leo'sribs are an okc treasure. i've searched for the holy grail of ribs all over the country and i would rankleo'sin the top 10. as to ambiance, arthur bryant was quoted as saying "you can't have a rib joint without no grease"leo'scarries on that tradition as a quintessential rib joint: a lttle grease here and there, scruffy, smokey and ragged around the edges with the owner, charles (leo's son), handing out hospitality as he makes his rounds. and then there's the cake. i've paid twenty bucks for butter cake at mastro's in scottsdale and although surely different thanleo'syellow cake (garnished with fresh banana and strawberries) isn't a nickle's more satisfying, and it's included with the lunch specials.

i still smell of delicious smokeyness.leo'sis a great downtown okc establishment! if you spend more than 5 minutes there, the smokyness penetrates into your clothes for the rest of the day (this is a good thing - believe me).

brisket, turkey, and chicken are all excellent...plus the strawberry cake is fantastic too. good quality and decent bbq - only complaint is that the meats are a bit fatty/greasy. next time you are on the north side of town, check out bbq chop shop on north may as a great alternative (actually preferred in my opinion)

"this is the worst bbq on the east side" i paid way too much for this crap. the real sad part is thatleo'sused to be so good. i will never eat here again i would rather eat fast food. fries were just regular fries you could purchase in your local frozen food section with no seasoning, and the baked beans tasted like they came out of a "beans and wieners" can busch's canned baked beans are better. ribs were awful dry as acrylic weave on a hot summer day. "the only thing good was the cake" only gave the one star for the cake. maybe they should change their name to justleo'scake inc

i was in town for a funeral and decided to drop in at leo's. i was super excited to tryleo'sbbq after reading some of the reviews, and seeing it on triple d. i ordered the rib plate, and my wife order the bologna sandwich. i noticed when we got out of the car i didn't smell that unique scent of wood, or charcoal smoking. as we entered the restaurant the staff greeted, and seated us immediately. once seated the hostess came to our table and told us the special of the day, which was the rib plate. once the ribs came i could instantly tell they weren't what i was expecting. they were really fatty, and overlooked. the meat was already coming off the bone. the taste did not have any trace off smoke flavor. the ribs actually taste as if they were reheated and served. although, the ribs were a huge disappointment my wife's bologna sandwich was amazing. it was thick and very juicy on a soft bun. the sides lacked flavor. we had the potato salad, backed beans, and pinto beans, all of which taste like they came straight out of a can. this experience was a true disappointment. will not return!

not knowing their hours, we showed up about 10 mins from closing time. most places that would be the death of you but not here all the young gents were extremely friendly and welcomed us in. ribs, brisket, and links were all good and of course finished it withleo'sfamous cake.

i had lunch atleo'sfor the first time in a while 20 jan.  i got there about 1230, the place was crowded but thinning out.

i had an order of ribs, with baked beans and slaw.  these ribs were better than the last time i was here; there was a nice bark to them, and they were just the right smoky flavor.  a little more grease than i like, but not an issue.  tender, firm, meaty goodness.  the beans were excellent again, and the slaw was pretty good as well, but i think i will stick with the potato salad in the future. 

great stuff.

great bbq, amazing dessert that melts in your mouth. can be super busy at lunch so be prepared to wait a bit. we've usedleo'sfor carry out catering as well and they handled the load well.

i'm a fan of anthony bourdain and i loved his exploration of bbq joints in k.c.  i think he'd likeleo'sa lot!  this is a little dive of a place, but it's nice inside, with that feel that bbq permeates every inch of the place.  there's big old brick oven, painted bright red where the meat gets transformed into deliciousness.  the folks who take care of you there couldn't be nicer.  charlie, one of the owners made a point of coming by to introduce himself and thank me for coming in.  i had the chopped brisket sandwich with baked beans.  they also have complimentary cucumber/onion salad for an appetizer and it was very good.  to top it all off, a piece of their famous strawberry/banana cake.  everything was really good (way better than billy sims where i had lunch today!).  i  want to go back and tryleo'sribs next time i'm in town.

went here with some friends, one of which grew up in this neighborhood. interesting place to grow up.

the exterior is more than a bit rough and the inside is "well loved". parking is iffy and goes fast as do the tables. has that "you may find your vehicle up on blocks with the wheels missing" vib. our guide indicated that crime around the sacredleo'sisn't tolerated. sounds sorta indiana jonesish. still had my wheels when we left!

anyway, the bbq was extremely good. got a lite dinner which comes with a slice of cake, a rib, some of each of the meats, mac salad and beans. lemonade to drink of course.

the bbq process obviously took some time from the depth of the penetration. it is not sauced on. their sauce was good though as an condiment. the various meats combine into quite a meal what with the macaroni salad and beans.

then came the cake. it was pretty good -although cakes are usually not my thing - i thought it good. our guide must have been pretty well liked when growing up as even our folks not entitled to a piece got some to try.

we headed out and ended up talking the rest of the day about how much we liked the food.

good hood eats.leo'sbbq is a place on the eastside i consider a good hood store eatery. i had leos bbq for lunch ribs, mustard potatoe salad, collard greens & baked beans for only $10. when you order any dinner or lite dinner, you get a free slice ofleo'sinfamous strawberry banana cake. i've eaten @ a lot of bbq sauces, but leos always stands out more than the other competitors.


-----01 feb, 2013-----

i grew up on leo bbq. still 30 years later & its still has thay bbq smoked flavor throughout the brisket. the bbq is like no one else.

yuck.. i have hadleo'swhen it was catered at work several times and each time i think it will be better than the last, but i've always been disappointed. two of the times, the chicken still had small feathers poking out like it wasn't cleaned properly before cooking it. i have also been to their restaurant location. it's dirty, cramped, and the service was slow and not great. it's also in a bad part of town, so lock your cars! ihave given their food many tries and it has never improved for me.

tender, smoky bbq ribs. i have heard and read mostly good reviews of leo's. i finally got to try it for the first time last night. my date and i orderedleo'sspecial -- an assortment of meats (ribs, brisket, hot links) with two sides and a slice of banana cake. our server kindly added an extra slice of cake and a serving of smoked chicken at no charge.

i judge bbq restaurants by their ribs, and these did not disappoint. they were tender and smoky. you can see the smoke ring on all parts of the rib. they have a bit less meat on them than at some other places in okc, but i'd rather have smaller portions of good-tasting ribs than larger portions of average-tasting ribs.

the bbq sauces makeleo'sstand out from other bbq places in okc. while i still like swadley's sauces the best,leo'ssauces now rank second or third on my list. they are using nutmeg or allspice or something like that in their sauce, and i like how it compliments the meat. it would beat swadley's sauces if it weren't overpowering at times. as the saying goes, "a little dab'll do ya" with this sauce.

the sides and cake were okay. the baked beans were the only disappointment - quite bland. i got my hopes up when i saw what looked like a piece of bacon mixed in, but it didn't add anything to make the baked beans taste better.

overall, it's definitely worth a return trip.

worst service in my life!. if you'd like to have the absolute worst service ever, come to leo's. sinceleo'scloses at 8, anyone who works until 7 (like me) will have to rush over before closing time, so the naturally polite thing to do would be to call ahead for pick up. wrong! first time i call (615), the lady says she's very busy and to call back in 5 minutes. i called back in 10 (625), same story. except this time after telling me to call back later, she slammed the phone down. 15 minutes later (640), when i asked to place a pick up order she loudly sighed and told me to just come in and order because she was too busy to take my order over the phone. last time i checked taking an order over the phone vs in person took the same amount of time. not at leo's. it's sad, they catered my wedding last year and were awesome. i don't know when they hired diana tarpley, but i hope the owner knows she is running loyal customers away.

i like the food but was very upset with staff. as a hate group stood across the street, a waitress insideleo'ssays, "i wish i was over there with them". that was very disappointing to hear. and unfortunately due to that, i will never go back. made for an uncomfortable birthday dinner.

just fair. went toleo'swith high expectations. was disappointed with the food. the staff was fabulous. the day we went, they didn't have pulled pork so we had brisket. brisket was tough and lacked flavor.

next time i'm in the area, we'll be going to bedlam bbq - a place we had dinner at a day afterleo'sand enjoyed the food much, much more!