Miss Leon’s

Super duper nice staff running this joint. We went on a Sunday afternoon. Sundays are all you can eat fried chicken. Just the day we picked for no chicken! However, I am convinced the food would have been delish because the menu had all the right

Haha! You are joking rt? Glad they are closing. Saltiest chicken I ever had in my life

The food is some of the best I’ve ever had, and I know miss Leon, however the service is slower than molasses in the winter… Took my husband an hour and a half to get his meal and on top of that they gave it to someone else and needed to make it again, well by that time we were ready to leave… So we got a refund, but no apology.

This great little place is tucked away in bar. And it’s so worth the drive/​flight to get there. I flew in from California to visit family and friends. My friend and I got hungry and needed some good food to eat. We were or disappointed at all. That chicken was so damn juicy and full a flavor, I had to make sure my GrandMother was not in the kitchen cooking. #LeonBraxton (owner) cooked up some good stuff. The kind your Grandmother made when you came home from college or to visit for the summer. Yes indeed. Go check this place out!!!

I would definitely recommend Miss Leon’s, for good home cooked southern food! Went there after work with two friends, and the food and service were great. All of the staff were very friendly and welcoming. Glad that I found this place on Unilocal,as I never would have otherwise!
Followed the directions of other reviewers and drove right to the location, even though there’s no sign indicating the restaurant on the outside. It is inside the Bomber’s Bar at Choteau and Vandeventer. In addition to the great food and good portions, the bar service was good, with cheap happy hour drink prices. The food did look like the photos. My only negative would be that the macaroni and cheese was ok, but not great. The fried chicken was very good, as were the greens. Wanted peach cobbler, but they were sold out. Had the turtle brownie a’la mode, which was also very good.
I will go back, and suggest that others check out this hidden gem!

Great food, LOTS of kinks to work out. But… they’re new, and hopefully will work things out eventually. Also, keep in mind that you probably won’t get even half of the amount of sides/​cornbread shown in these pictures.
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The other day, a friend of mine posted a picture from Miss Leon’s page – chicken fried chicken cordon bleu. Imagine my fat-​kid excitement when I found out that Miss Leon was not only a chef in STL, but that she had a restaurant I’d never even heard of! I had to give this place a try. Chicken fried cordon bleu isn’t a regular menu item, but I could only assume that if 3 different people took pictures of chicken fried chicken here, that chicken fried chicken would be available.
When you enter Bomber’s (formerly known as Bad Dog’s), hang a quick right and you’ll be in the restaurant space. «You here to eat dinner?» Miss Leon said with a big grin as she saw me looking at the take-​out menu, not sure what to do. For the record, she gave me some serious, «good people» vibes. If you’re socially conservative and/​or a homophobe, stick to Chick Fil A; this place isn’t for you.
When I went to order, I noticed that chicken fried chicken (which numerous other people have photographed and eaten here – Colleen, Josh, Dana, and perhaps others) isn’t even on the menu. What the heck? Anyway, I tell my waiter what I’m looking for (more like yelled it over the loud ass bar music) and he yells back that even though it’s not on the menu, they can make it for me at the price of chicken fried steak. Sweet!
I’ll spare you all of the details, but my waiter (as others have mentioned) completely spaced it and was clueless. I didn’t know that I was supposed to get two sides with my order until I looked at the take-​out menu. The dine in menu doesn’t say so, and my waiter certainly didn’t say so, but it is explicitly written on the take-​out menu. I mentioned it to my waiter, and he said, «oh, I just assumed you wanted greens. Sorry.» Come on, dude.
When my food came, I understood why the prices were so good: tiny portions. Don’t get me wrong, you can definitely fill yourself on what is brought to you, but per restaurant standards, the portions were definitely tiny. One half kiwi-​sized ice cream scoop of potatoes, another ice cream scoop of mac n cheese, a super tiny breaded chicken breast, and a laughable «slice» of cornbread that was no bigger than a Triscuit. I had room for dessert, and went with the brownie a la mode (also not on the menu – my waiter recommended it). Good shit!
All in all, my food was VERY different from what I saw in the pictures – you’ll get about half of what those guys did for your money. To make matters worse, the take-​out menu is different from the dine-​in menu, too.
Despite all of that, the food was great! I have to admit, my favorite part was definitely the cornbread. Best cornbread I’ve ever had, no doubt. Too bad the piece they gave me was smaller than a pack of gum. The chicken fried chicken was good, but could have used more gravy.
Miss Leon’s has a few big kinks to work out (service, menu consistency, portion consistency), but I certainly wish them the best!

Food was just what we needed. Service was very good.
We got up Saturday morning and decided to pick a city we had never been to within an 8hr drive from ohio. .St. Louis it was…
We got here at 7:30pm, we were starving and wanted soul food. I hopped on Unilocal and the reviews and pictures on Unilocal helped make our decision on Miss Leons.
We were so mesmerized by the pics of food that we didnt pay attention to any other aspect of the restaurant.
We pulled up and saw the rainbow flags and didnt see any signs that said «Miss Leons». and thought wait ummm lets call and check to see if we can take these two teenage boys in here…
So glad we did, cause the food was the BOMB! ! The service was very personable. Staff were are friendly. The prices were good. The drinks kicked in and the chef/​cook came out to see how everything tasted… Great!!!
Now the only downside is that gluttony may have gottten the best of me… ive been eating healthy so thaf may have been too much fried food. I had fried fish, fried pork chops, green beans, mac n cheese and corn. but nothing a little gingerale couldnt fix. It all tasted like some body’s mama’s house. It was just what we were looking for.

I feel very bad writing this but anyway…
Went here with 4 friends and we all agree that the food was solid. The catfish and fried chicken were simply fantastic. The macaroni and cheese was fine, not great and same with the greens and mashed potatoes. The thunderbird sandwich left a little to be desired but the meat inside was so fantastic. The wontons were so good! And so is ms leons famous sauce. I think the cornbread tasted good, but the portion was so tiny it was hard to even tell.
The atmosphere was definitely unexpected. It is a few tables and chairs that shares space with an unrelated bar. It definitely doesn’t look like a separate restaurant and in fact, there is no name anywhere on the exterior. We were very lost looking for it. (By the way it’s behind the White Castle and it’s in the bombers bar).
The real complaint is with the waiter who clearly had no idea what he was doing. He was very nice and made an effort, but was at some points rude and frustrated because he was new and unfamiliar with the menu. We had the impression that he was an acquaintance of miss Leon who she helped out with a job rather than a skilled server. He was very assertive explaining some people do not get included salads nor double sides. Thankfully there was another guy there who helped him out a little.
Anyway it left a lot to be desired. We also thought the tiramisu pound cake tasted more like much too strong rum cake. It also should have been served warm.

To provide appropriate context I have to say that I was previously not a big fan of comfort food from the Southern US. It just didn’t speak to me. Sure it was pretty good, but I didn’t feel the comfort. I just felt the warm, greasy, cheek-​squeeze of a weird uncle.
Cue trip 1 to Miss Leon’s. The first time I went to Miss Leon’s (maybe 1 – 1.5 months after opening), I left proclaiming my love for the entirety of the human race. I was literally repeating how the food and service had left me with such a warm cozy feeling, that I wanted to hug everyone in sight. (I didn’t.) I felt like the world was hugging me too, and I hadn’t even been drinking.
The mixed fried gizzards/​livers appetizer we requested (gizzards were available as an entrée but readily served as an app) came with 2 sauces, sweet (cocktail sauce?) and spicy (sriracha? was that you?), was plentiful and delicious, with a strongly flavored batter. The side salads had good variety of veggies (tomato, onion, lettuce, mushroom), wonderful croutons, and a fantastic house garlic dressing, that we all kept for use with entrees. Although not on the menu, chicken fried chicken (instead of chicken fried steak) was requested, readily accommodated, and was beautiful. The chicken and dumplings were uniquely on the broth-​y side, instead of the usual floury, thick gravy consistency, which I personally appreciated. Mashed potatoes and sweet corn were good, collard greens had a bit of the appropriate kick. The mac and cheese was bland for me, but pretty much all mac and cheese bores me. The fried chicken was great, not overly floured, though the breast was oh-​so-​slightly dry. The corn bread was unique (not gritty but sweet, syrupy), generously sized, and to die for. The peach cobbler and the special pound cake «tiramisu» were deceptively homey ends as well.
Since then quality has somewhat decreased/​changed, although I still leave feeling good and cosy. Gizzards come out in a slightly smaller, more human-​sized portions now, with Frank’s Red Hot. I tried the cheese balls, which are bite-​sized, come with ranch, and necessitate beer. The side salads that come with entrees no longer come with the awesome croutons (main salads do though!), and come with much, much less variety of other veggies (just iceberg and a thin strip of red onion for me last time). Dressing is still great. The green beans, initially of a firmer variety, are now the more olive green-​level and floppy, but retain more of that bacon-​y allure. The chicken and dumplings now appear to be the usual consistency of the C&D that borders the line between gravy and porridge, and still taste quite good. I’ve since tried the catfish, and think it’s my favorite thing on the menu. The fries vary in crispiness. The mac and cheese, corn, and mashed potatoes/​gravy appear unchanged. Unfortunately the cornbread pieces have since been much smaller, with some burnt ends leaving the kitchen, and each time following I’ve had to request them from our server. For the sake of my poor self-​control, the smaller cornbread and gizzard sizes are probably for the better, and really, despite this, portions are overall very generous, especially for the great prices. Each time I’ve left with enough leftover for a second meal.
Service has been very personable, pleasant, and efficient. In terms of atmosphere, attend if you don’t mind being bosom chums with the bar (multiple TVs) and its occasional karaōke wailers. Of note the menu, though newly printed, doesn’t seem to be correct– chicken and dumplings don’t come with sides anymore. One time they couldn’t take cards so we had to pay in cash, but there’s an ATM machine right in there. Also important: when you see the White Castle, just pull right next door. Miss Leon’s is inside Bomber’s Hideaway, which is the neon-​beer-​sign-​adorned building right next to the White Castle.
Any restaurant can be expected to fluctuate, especially in its initial stages, but it seems pretty clear to me that Miss Leon’s has single-​handedly improved the St. Louis food game. Sweetie Pie’s and even Mama Josephine’s be damned– I’ll take a bountiful Miss Leon’s hug over your pinch-​attempts any time.

Absolutely delicious hidden gem on the corner of Vandeventer and Chouteau located inside of Bomber’s bar!!!
The bar is neat and clean. The customer service is top notch. Miss Leon personally greets and thanks each table. She also loves hugs.
The staff is ridiculously friendly and helpful. The food is visually beautiful and wonderfully delicious. I tried Miss Leon’s after reading the Sauce article on fried chicken that mentioned this spot and Unilocaled it. The pictures alone made me come in and we weren’t disappointed. We ordered the 2 piece fried chicken entrée, blue plate special and catfish dinner with an extra side of mustard greens. And for dessert we tried the bread pudding. The entrees come with 2 sides a salad and sweet corn bread. The house salad with the house made creamy garlic dressing is fabulous!!! So delicious in fact that I ordered a pint to go which she sells in 2 sizes.
The sides we tried were, macaroni and cheese, mustard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy and french fries. All the sides were great. The fried chicken and catfish fillets were beautifully golden brown and seasoned to perfection. The prices are beyond reasonable, like she is giving food away. Everything is made to order, so there is a slight wait but it is soo worth it. This place takes soul food to new heights.
We spit the bread pudding for dessert, soo rich and delicious. The ice cream on top helped cut the richness.

Visited Miss Leon’s Sunday afternoon, 2÷8÷2015. Six in our party, was seated right away. All ordered the Sunday, all you can eat chicken, Special. WOW! WOW! WOW!
Not since my Grandma passed away in 1971 have I had such GOOD DOWN HOME COOKING. We could not fault any thing that was served. BUT… The Fried Chicken and Greens are Truly AMAZING!!! Miss Leon you are a cooking genius. And your Staff is also THE BEST… We will be back.

Great! Great Chicken! Best in Town! Went there for the Sunday chicken dinner and the food was wonderful. The green beans were some of the best I have ever had. The prices were shockingly low, I will definitely return.

5 Stars, as Good as it gets anywhere in the world right here in St. Louis! The food was the best i have ever had, More people need to go give this place a try! Its way too cheap and so darn good. I would have paid double somewhere else and wouldn’t be a quarter as good.

We visited Miss Leon’s last night prior to attending the show at Bomber’s Hideaway.
The Fried chicken was the best I’ve eaten. Really tender moist flesh and crispy spicy coating. The chicken was not the slightest bit greasy. It was completely wonderful. The prices are ridiculously cheap and the menu is rather extensive. Lots of great choices.