Loved this place until new owners and management took over, raised the prices to those of some fancy downtown establishment, and ran off every good bartender they had. Â Honestly, I went to this place two or three times a week because it's close to home. Â In fact, a lot of people in that neighborhood go there because it's close to home. Â We would go in for happy hour and after looking at the amount of money we have spent there in a month, they will be very sorry to lose our business. Â They only thing they have "managed" to do is to run off their regulars and bring in a bunch of roided out UFC fans and play really loud crappy rock music like Nickleback. Â Sorry, the place DID have some class for a neighborhood that isn't exactly Wicker Park or River North. Â I won't be going back. Â There are plenty of other bars in the neighborhood with charming bartenders, good food, and cheaper prices.
Review Source:It's a shame I can't give this place a better review, the food my party had was pretty good, and the service wasn't bad, but that bouncer they got has all the sensitivity of a klansman. Look, I get it's UFC night so your roids are overclocked with how pumped you are to see to althletic bros in panties bloody eachother, but to give Kentucky's American Citizenship Exam to my buddy that has dollars that are just as green as the "real 'mericans" in the place was totally unappreciated. Wise up management, customers don't head out to pubs that offer such tense barriers of entry.
Pros: Legit burger, decent beer prices
Cons: No Blond Hair? No Blue Eyes? No Entry.
Nice bar. I have been here for some UFC fights and just to come in for a quick bite. I like their french dip is delicious. Their leader cookie which is a giant chocolate chip cookie with ice cream is also yummy. Mixed drinks are okay, not the greatest. So i guess beer would be a better choice since you really can't mess it up.
Review Source:Have always appreciated this no nonsense pub. Â In the past it has always delivered on what was important to me...solid pub fare and craft beer. Â I recently returned and was informed that it is under new management. Â The new management team have really improved on all aspects of the business. Â The menu is much improved and beer portfolio is better than I remember. Â The main area of improvement is service. Â Staff was very attentive and showed me and my friends a great time. Great place to watch sports and mma fights. I look forward to starting my Cubs game trek across Diversy when the weather gets nicer and their patio opens. So if you are looking for a place to eat and drink that wont break your wallet I suggest you check them out.
Review Source:What a joke!
First, don't be fooled by how it looks. This area of Chicago is gross and going downhill and this restaurant doesn't fit the description of the area. It looks clean and fun inside but it's not worth it. Go to Pitch Fork or Glens Diner that are close by instead.
Service is TERRIBLE!
Called in an order tonight for take out and they put me on hold and left me on hold for 20 minutes. Then I ordered the food and had my sister pick it up. She waited for 35 minutes because when she walked in they realized they never put the order into the kitchen. She told me how disgusted she was with the service and the manager kicked her out. I called and demanded my phone back and the manager, who also called himself the owner but also said he had only been working for a day, hung up the phone on me repeatedly.
Place is always dull and no one is ever in there anywhere.
We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon for drinks and food. The food was pretty good. My only complaint is that I ordered the brie & pear panini but they didn't cut out the tough core of the pear so you couldn't bite through it and I ended up having to take the pear off the sandwich entirely. Â Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food, and the portion sizes allowed us to take leftovers. I like the beer selection too. It isn't the most diverse I've seen but they do have some quality stuff. Lots of TVs for the watching of the sports, and our waitress was cute and sweet. Â I feel like the prices were slightly over what I would have expected.
Review Source:We chose the Leader Bar as a venue for our company's Christmas Party. It was on Friday night from 6-9pm. We had an all-u-can drink and eat package that was competitively priced. Â I have been to other parties like this and typically the service is not great and the food gets cold, or is tasteless. The Leader Bar exceeded our expectations and I really appreciate it. Their staff was AMAZING; what great service! And, the food just kept on coming and was really a step above bar food. We had a diverse crowd and everyone loved it. The ONLY negative comment we had is that the song "Billie Jean" was played 4 times within 4 hours... a bit odd.. They may need to work out a better party playlist. In all fairness, one usually does not go to a sports bar for dance music... we have a pretty fun group though which like to get up and move. Â :o)
Review Source:Looks nice. Flatbread pizza is good. But good grief, the TV volume is TOO LOUD!!!!! Don't bother going here during a game. I've had to leave at least 3 times because of volume. I've asked everyone working there and no one turns it down. Used a phone app and its consistently over 100db (Equivalent to running a food blender or law mower constantly)
Review Source:I live up the street and would love to see this place have better beer specials. Seems like everything is slightly over priced. All micro's are $6, but you can opt for a $5 Beck's or a $5 Bud Light Platinum. I just can't pay $30 after tip for 4 beers.
I took a few dates up here for a casual meet up. A couple burgers/sides, and 3-4 beers each, and the tab was almost a bill, (after tip). WTF? Â It's a neighborhood sports bar, not a dining experience.
It's nice and clean, and TV coverage is great. The ambiance is cool. They host fight nights, and it's pretty crowded and fun those nights. Patio is nice.
Bottom line. - Just go there for the specials, cause you'll get raped otherwise. They have tallboy Shlitz too, which might be the only thing worthy to save you from spending $50 on beers during a week night game.
I wish it was easier on the pocket, because it's a nice place to watch a game.
Decent drinks. Decent prices. Not too keen on the sports bar feeling. But you know what you're walking into. However, watching your server stand outside smoking 90% of the time, ignoring you.... unacceptable. If it wasn't for my friend, I would have ordered a tall glass of dine-n-dash.
Review Source:It's a 3.5. Â Here's my take on the concept. Â A group of investors found the location, poured a boatload of money into it and then realized they needed food. Â Don't get me wrong the interior is nice and the flat screens everywhere assist you in case you turn around in your chair for some reason and miss a play but the food is just okay. Â Not bad and about bar average but really nothing creative is going on in the kitchen or with the concept.
Review Source:As mentioned by a previous reviewer this place is a Lake View/Lincoln Park style mid-scale sports bar with food. The beer is not too reasonable priced and you are not going to get a burger and fries below $9.95. That being said, the fries were above average and the patty melt was ok. The best deal they have drinkwise is a 16oz PBR can for $4.
My friend took me here for my birthday and that is the only reason I would go here. I would not go back only because I don't like this type of bar. If you do like these types of bars you will probably like it.
I was expecting the worst after reading some of the reviews. Â I realize that service can be spotty at many restaurants because of different circumstances, but I figure it was a bar and grill type place and as long as they have liquor and food that it couldn't be half bad.
Well I was surprised, we had a good time. Â Actually the staff was very accommodating to us. Â Ultimate Fighting was going to come on in a few hours and they carved out some space for us and turned a tv to the terrible Illinois football game for us. Â Our food was good, hot and tasty. Â The beer cold and served with a smile. Â
I hope I keep getting this type of service because I'll definitely come back. Â The patio looks great and although it's Fall, I'm hoping for another summer like day to take advantage of it before I hibernate for the winter.
Yeah, after Hannah the bartender left, the service has taken a nosedive. Â Fake pleasantries and indifference, like they couldn't care either way if you were there or not. Â The only reason we go is to get the pepperoni pizza which is fantastic. Â Even then, we order the pizza as fast as possible, eat and leave. Â Other than that, we'd likely not go again.
This place does seem to have a slight personality disorder. Â It's a nice place, just seems in the wrong area with the wrong staff.
This place has a mild case of schizophrenia. Â It's a Lincoln Park/Lake View style bar, in a more blue collar neighborhood. Â I'm no expert on what it costs to run a place like this, i only know my comfort level in what I will pay for a burger and a beer. Â I think the price point is just a tad high for Irving Park/Albany Park at this particular time. Â
It's a fantastic looking venue with a sweet outdoor patio/garden. Â I want it to succeed because places like this enhance an already great neighborhood. Â However, it seems like the serving staff isn't even aware of the drink specials which really aren't that special.
Some more economic friendly bar specials, a bigger appetizer menu, and working wifi would go a long way to improving this venue.
I live in the neighborhood and continue to try to support local businesses , but this place is becoming a joke - a bad joke.  The service  is pitiful, at best, and I have tried time after time to patronize this place - but not any longer. Â
The bar owners need to take a close look at how this place is being managed; it has so much potential, but clearly needs a competent management staff.
What an awesome neighborhood sports bar. My friend and I came here on a random Thursday for some food and drinks.
We sat at the bar and ordered the mexican flatbread and irish nachos. If you order the irish nachos please have atleast 4 people with you. That thing came out in a huge basket. The flatbread was good it was just lacking cheese. Please add some yummy gooey melty cheese! I had a margarita to start and it was good. It wasn't a bootleg margarita with sweet and sour. Their regular drinks like vodka soda are only $5.
The bar is very spacious and they have different specials each night.
This place has to ability to be a real good sports with its craft beer selection and flat screen TV layout, BUT the service is dreadful! OK so the bartenders/wait staff are cute to look at, but I'm really there to drink and eat so having to wait 20 minutes to get my first drink (sitting at the bar) when the place is practically empty should never happen.
I've given this bar many chances and it continuously disappoints when it comes to service. Â
Aesthetically the place is nice, the food menu is above average, Â the drink prices are high for an Avondale bar, and you need luck to find parking.
I'll come back in a couple months and hope the owner has taken steps to work on the service aspect of the bar.
What happens when you bring a very hungry & thirsty Christine to a bar on a Friday night? I eat & drink...simple enough. Â I like variety so I had to try a couple of things...here's how it went.
The hummus plate is pretty big. Lot's of veggies, pitas, and a good portion of hummus. I had the red pepper hummus and it was delish!
The house made chips & salsa are also another tasty treat. The salsa is pureed not chunky or pico de gallo (which I normally prefer), but yet it was still really good.
The buffalo chicken flat bread, while not my thang normally, was still really good. Next time i'd like to try the Margarita or Mediterranean.
The staff was very attentive. The bar is super clean and HUGE. They have a TON of TV's, this place is a sports junkies dream come true. They carry a couple of nice craft beers <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leaderbar.com%2FMenuEnlarge.cfm%3FMenu_ID%3D3&s=5bbb6e18891c3966faa48c6550199f3f0b910c415fb4c14d351869c5f33c7ba6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.leaderbar.com…</a>
The specials at Leader Bar are really good. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leaderbar.com%2FSpecials.cfm&s=390d1d71ac573ed266f59960eabbad2e931419dcff1778f2dc548104f5964e65" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.leaderbar.com…</a>
I gave Leader Bar another go round because it is in my neighboor hood.
This time the food was great but OMG THE SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!!
The server never asked if we needed anything. Doesn't even make eye contact with anyone. UGH awful. I hate being ignored.
I'm done with you Leader Bar.
$5 Mango Martinis yum....on $5 margarita and martini Wednesdays!
$3 Mimosa Sundays!
Leader Bar is a great neighborhood bar!
Spacious...great lighting...nice flat screens...great for catching the Bulls or a UFC fight!
I have yet had the opportunity to try the food here but that is something that is def. on my to do list!
They carry gumball-head beer which is my fave!
I def. suggest trying to get Rebecca as your bartender or server..She is quick...knows her beer/wine...attentive...and great personality to have behind a bar!
One of my favorite local bars in the Old Irving/Portage/Albany area.
- Best spot for Wings on Weds and Schlitz tallboys (on special in the summer)
- Great spot to watch sports (plenty of large HDTVs and game sound is on for Hawks/Bulls/UFC). Plus they'll change it to the game you actually want to watch (been to places that seem to not know what a remote is for)
- Ideal for after work drinks in a great looking bar
- Staff is super friendly & attentive (Erin, Shelby, and Joe the bartender are great)
- Wings, fries, and ribs are the best things on the menu... I've tried most of the menu :-)
- Music on weekends makes you want to get up and dance... And we have... There isn't a real dancefloor, but you can make due... It was a madhouse on Halloween weekend.
Give it a try - grab a table, get a bucket, order some buffalo wings, and watch the game in a well taken care of modern sports bar... I think you'll enjoy it!
I really, really liked Leader bar when it first opened. Food was good and fresh and service was acceptable. Â Now? Â The food is not so fresh and the service is atrocious!! Â The wait staff is fine, but the bartender (yes, there's usually only one on the weekends) is BAD. Â She can't even be considered a bartender as she doesn't know how to make anything beside a pre-made bloody mary, margarita or screwdriver. Ask her for anything else, and you have to tell her how to make it.
The worst experience I had there was when we entered the bar and sat down at a table in the bar area. Â The bartender saw us but the waitress did not. Â Do you think that perhaps the bartender would have told the waitress she had customers at her table? Not at all!! Â Eventually (literally 10 minutes later) the waitress came by, was very nice and apologized saying she didn't know we were there. Â Talk about team work...
Something happened this weekend that really threw us over the edge. Â My fiance went to the bar at 11:30 Sunday morning to get a head start on the games. Â The bar opens at 11. Â He attempted to open the door, but it was locked. Â TVs were on and there was a man behind the bar wiping it down. Â The man saw my fiance and just looked at him. Â My fiance motioned the door was locked and the man behind the bar kept wiping the bar. Â My fiance left and had a wonderful time at Pitchfork where they actually cared about serving him.
I hope the owners read this. Â It's obvious they have a number of workers there that just don't give a damn about the customers.
I finally made it out to Leader Bar after driving by it for about a year.
First off, in the Old Irving/Portage Park area this certainly is a top 5 sports bar. It's super clean, friendly staff and really good grub. We ordered the mini corn dogs (I wish the order had a few more in it), $2 steak taco special, and a Mediterranean flat bread. Add a beer and wine and we still got out for the night at a very reasonable bill.
Tip: Be sure to signal a waitress when you sit down. I sat by the entrance and they didn't see me for a while but that was our fault.
Who goes here? Neighborhood friends who may or may not care what game is on the flat screens.
Will I go back? Certainly. It's a matter of time.
My wife and I were pleased when a dead,vacant and decaying neighborhood building was renovated into this stylish lively bar and grill. It's just steps from our home, so we were an easy sell, but Leader Bar is a fine addition to a neighborhood that really needed a nice, hip family-friendly spot and not another dive bar. The staff are friendly, knowledgable about their product and happy to give suggestions.
Over several visits, we've enjoyed the indoor seating, bellied up to the bar, watched the game, enjoyed  live music and even went to Leader Bar's Halloween party with our kids.  Our favorite has been enjoying their beer garden and sidewalk Café seating on some of Chicago's balmy summer evenings.
I was impressed by the draft beer program. There is something to suit everyone's taste, from local micro/craft brews to the macros available everywhere The bar staff mix their signature cocktails w/ a heavy pour. I like their Manhattan. They also offer wine by bottle and by the pour.
The food menu never fails to please and satisfy. It has become clear after a few visits that Leader thinks about and makes an effort to improve and sell a quality food menu.
The burgers are cooked to temp and nicely garnished w/the usual suspects and plenty of fries. My choice is the Bleu Cheese burger. My wife has ordered the California Burger and the Salmon Salad to her pleasure. Â The kids menu is also presented nicely.
Clearly, the pride and joy of the menu are Leader flatbreads. They are unique and good enough to make Leader Bar a destination. We've enjoyed all 4 (Mediterranean, Steakhouse, buffalo chicken & Mexican chorizo) on several occasions and we love them.
When in or near Albany Park, pay a visit to Leader Bar. They'll take good care of you.
This place has the right stuff. It's a comfortable, nicely decorated bar without being obnoxious, it has an awesome menu, the selection of draft beers are decent (try the Allagash...tasty) & the servers are super cool.
It's only been open several months, so it can be pretty empty at times. I'm pretty confident that will change quickly.
I went here a few weekends ago for the UFC fights (Jones vs Jackson). It's a pretty standard sports bar for the most part. Both the drink selection and the food were fairly average.
  Our bartender (I think her name was Madeline) was outstanding, she managed to keep the drinks coming despite having a crowded bar full of UFC fans. Furthermore, she fixed by friends Bloody Mary which tasted (oddly) like shrimp.
  If your going to watch the UFC fights here be sure to reserve a table, or get there really early (the bar will fill up). There are plenty of TV's and the crowd is "RELATIVELY" calm for an MMA event, there were no meat heads trying to fight each other or anything like that.
  Overall, a decent bar and a solid place to catch the UFC fights.
I can't say there is really anything wrong with this bar, it's just not for me. Beer selection is ok and the food I had was good and everyone else concluded the same. I had the pizza. I feared that with so many things on the menu they wouldn't do any of them well but that wasn't the case.
So we went there for a Bears game and there were like 2000 TVs so that can be a good or bad thing. If you just want to go to a bar to drink and hang out that is a bad thing if you are there to see the Bears that could be a good thing. But the Bears weren't on every screen.
What I didn't like is that it was very much a sports bar and very loud. The most annoying part was the DJ...Yes, a DJ, who played every time any team scored...Which was really annoying since the Packers did most of the scoring.
If you want decent food and want to be in a loud sports bar with a bunch of TVs, this place is for you....If not, there is no reason to go.
I swear, i had been waiting, what felt like, years for this place to finally open. Â living around the block, i would pass by it frequently and peek inside. Â
the place is gorgeous inside. Â the owners did a phenomenal job making this Irving Park bar look like a lincoln Park bar. Â Unfortunately, they brought the prices with them and for that neighborhood, it feels a tad much.
The bar, woodwork, patio and layout all work really well. Â i really dislike the ghetoo LED sign in front which makes the place looks like something it is not. Â I was a little taken by the revolving door, but see the benefits and dont mind it as much as i thought i would when i first walked in.
The food was good. Â Nothing to write home about and nothing to say anything niether good nor bad about. Â the servers seem super cool and the bartender was defintely attractive, which was why i saw 4-5 60+ guys sitting around the bar. Â Hey, at that age, i guess i will need a reason to go sit around the local establishment @ 4 in the afternoon. Â
All in all, i am still unsure about the place. Â It has potential for sure and i hope it succeeds...just not sure that will be the case...
Wow did they sink a ton of money into this place!
It's very nicely done. They have a ton of tv's... I think I counted 32 and then got bored. The time we sat inside for a Bulls game I literally had HD basketballs in my face as the tv was like 18" from the table. The place was packed and the server was a little flustered. But the beer was cold and the pizza was 1/2 price. Unfortunately I didn't really care for the pizza. Too thin and too bland.
They have a very nice little patio out back with a giant television. It's all configured well and very nice. We ended up drinking the special which was $8 drinks for $5. They were delicious but I like mine to fight back a little. These things took an even pour dive in the 1st round.
But the night was pleasant, the place was clean and the people nice. I'm a dive kind of guy but when I need a sports bar this is my new neighborhood spot. I hope after some time they'll lose the antiseptic chain restaurant feel. I'm going to give them a year or so.
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