LAZ wrote:I heard that Leo's is aiming for a fall opening, so perhaps they will open by Christmas.

Leo's still isn't open, but I live right around there. (Wish I'd never moved to this neighborhood, but that's another issue that has nothing to do with LTH; except for complaining about the 'style over substance' type places that dominate this neighborhood'.) While I was walking to the Brown line the other day I saw people outside Leo's who looked like they might be owners/managers/whatnot. Stopped to speak to them & was told that they're now aiming for an opening at the end of January. Tables & chairs are all in place, looks to have equipment etc. in the building as well. Now I guess it's a matter of finishing touches & inspections.

Being a NY native I've never had one of these fabled Detroit style Coneys. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm more looking forward to their diner-style offerings. What I'm not looking forward to is what (I'm guessing) is going to be a giant price increase from the menu they've got on their website. That menu looks fairly cheap ($3 eggs, etc.). I'm guessing once they open on Southport those eggs will be about $5.

A friend asked me tonight if I would accompany them to a private soft opening for Leo's Chicago during the second week of February.

I would expect they are trying to be open by President's day weekend if that schedule holds.

I'm looking forward to Leo's in a half-hearted way. At least it is a seemingly "real" restaurant. Ironically, as the old-time Greek-owned corner diners and coffee shops disappear from the neighborhood, the spiffy new place seems to be just that, albeit from the Detroit 'burbs. Similar to Steve's Deli coming in form the Detroit 'burbs to supplement the vanishing Jewish deli landscape.

I do hope that the new Leo's has the full range of diner foods on the web site, and not some very different and limited menu owing to the new territory and (possibly) different ownership. Anyone know if this is a company-owned store, a franchise, or simply a trade mark/dress licensee?

I can't get that excited about a hot dog place, but it'd be nice to have an old school diner breakfast place around there that's less Bukowskian than Diner Grill, you know, for the whole family.

By the way, Safari Cup across the street is a nice, very friendly coffee place that opened recently. (Maybe a little too spiffy for the realities of customers who spill a lot.) It's odd, but somehow cool, that the coffee roaster just sits out in the middle of the room.

Mike G wrote:By the way, Safari Cup across the street is a nice, very friendly coffee place that opened recently. (Maybe a little too spiffy for the realities of customers who spill a lot.) It's odd, but somehow cool, that the coffee roaster just sits out in the middle of the room.

I just discovered them as well--very good coffee, reasonably priced and the food looked interesting (african influenced, although I can't recall any specific items and haven't yet tried.) Definitely not your typical generic coffee spot.

The Leo's is a franchise store, couple of guys from the Lakeview neighborhood are opening it.
The Safari coffee place is a husband and wife combo. They had a place somewhere in Alabama I believe and decided to give it a go here. He is from Australia and not sure about her. She does all the pastries though and I hope they make it next to a Starbucks! The couple of times I have met him he seems to be a great guy.

Being a Michigander, I CANNOT wait for Leo's to open... Maybe me calling twice a week is a little obsessive, but man do I miss my Detroit Style Dog! My wife misses their Greek Salad... But that being said, Leo's is from Detroit like all the people I meet from Schaumburg are from Chicago. No, really, you are not from Chicago. What I'm trying to say is that the style of dog is Detroit style, and the Coney Island is from Michigan. Get it? I know there are enough Michiganders here to support it, I just hope you Chicagoans love it like we do!!! Come on President's Day!!

Also Mike G., if it's done right, all Leo's in Michigan are not the same, your family and the Southport neighborhood will love it! Anyone know if it'll be open late?

Maximus1232 wrote:But that being said, Leo's is from Detroit like all the people I meet from Schaumburg are from Chicago. No, really, you are not from Chicago. What I'm trying to say is that the style of dog is Detroit style, and the Coney Island is from Michigan. Get it? I know there are enough Michiganders here to support it

Ah, but not all Michiganders are from Detroit. This Flint native hopes they offer Flint-style Coney sauce to go with their (hopefully) Flint-made dogs! If not, I'm not sure how much business they'll get from me

Khaopaat wrote:Ah, but not all Michiganders are from Detroit. This Flint native hopes they offer Flint-style Coney sauce to go with their (hopefully) Flint-made dogs! If not, I'm not sure how much business they'll get from me

I walked by on my way to the Music Box today, there were a handful of employees inside, signs in the window saying they were opening soon, and an unlit neon Koegel's sign. Might have attempted a few camera phone pics if it hadn't been 10 degree weather. Looks like they're getting close though...

clogoodie wrote:signs in the window saying they were opening soon, and an unlit neon Koegel's sign.

Awesome! Thanks for the update.

Brian DeGalan, a graduate of Hot Dog University, recently opened The One Stop Coney Shop in Grand Rapids, MI. OSCS serves Keogel's hot dogs. http://onestopconeyshop.com The Coney, which originated in Michigan, is served on a plain bun and dressed with:
coney sauce (secret home made chili)
mustard
onions
some stands offer a Coney with cheese and add shredded cheddar

An earlier post confirmed that Leo's on Southport is a franchise. As is sometimes the case with a franchise, this should not be taken in a negative light.

Many, if not all, of the popular Leo's locations in Michigan are owned in partnership by Leo and someone else at that location. As I recall, the location in West Bloomfield is owned by Bashar, while 12 Mile and Halsted is owned by Eddie. For years, John had the location at Laurel Park, and Leo's Farmington Souvlaki was owned by Leo's brother, George.

In the case of Southport, the two gentlemen who are the drivers of this location are apparently both married to former West Bloomfielders and will be following the Leo's menu closely, adding a Chicago Dog to what otherwise looks to be very much in sync with the Michigan menu.

I've stopped in at Devil Dawgs on Sheffield a few times en route home moreso for the convenience but also because the dogs aren't bad and the fries are good. While they do offer a Chicago style and a "devil dawg" which is with mustard, onions, relish and sport peppers, the way to go are the Coney's. Are they the most authentic Coney's ever? I have no idea, but they're better than most I've had (MI included). I'll see how they compare with Leo's when it opens soon.


Coney dog with cheese from Devil Dawgs

Also since theres no thread titled "In search of...True West Virginia Slaw Dog" I'll just post here that they also offer slaw dogs. So a few days ago I asked for a dog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions in the form of West Virginia's popular hot dog. Not bad at all.


hot dog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions

Devil Dawgs
2147 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60614-4209
(773) 281-4300

Leo's has signs posted on the windows. Official grand opening: Monday February 15th. "Get Your Coney On!"

clogoodie wrote:. . .and an unlit neon Koegel's sign.

Koegel's welcomes you back home.

It seems my initial request in this thread is soon to be answered!!!

I was able to tag along with a friend to Leo's soft opening last night. They were only serving a small subset of the huge menu -- but it didn't matter, because none of us had any intention of ordering anything other than coneys. They were delicious, and true to the Detroit style: snappy natural casing dogs blanketed with a squirt of mustard and that almost-creamy beef & cumin chili, topped by crunchy chopped onions. We also got a couple orders of the the chili fries. These were classic Detroit chili fries in that the fries were just a starchy delivery device for the chili, certainly nothing you'd mistake for the fresh-cut varieties at Edzo's, Hot Doug's, etc. The unanimous opinion of our table full of metro Detroit transplants was that this was home on a plate.

Having skimmed the menu, it looks like they're serving approximately 200 other things (including some variation on a Chicago dog; gotta play to the locals). However good those may turn out to be, I can't see myself veering from the middle of the road -- Woodward Avenue -- and ordering anything other than coneys and perhaps the occasional Greek salad or omelette. For that niche, and for this former Detroiter's two cents, Leo's is a wonderful and long-overdue addition!

From Today's Detroit News...
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100213/METRO/2130302/Chicago-s-new-import--Coney-islands

Leo's Coney Island has opened a day earlier than announced on their website. Dine-In only today, no carry out. But open for business.

tried to go to leo's for lunch today at around 1. the place was absolutely slammed. wall to wall people. there were even camera crews there. same story when i drove by again at 3. i'm sure it being a holiday added to the crowd.

Like abolt, I tried to get thru the mob for either sit-down or carry-out, and decided that I wasn't up for the wait. It's been five years since I had Leo's great soup and Greek Salad, so waiting another day or more isn't going to be a big deal...

WGN's Robert Jordan was reporting live during the Noon News; I've put in a link to the WGN report below...
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-hotdogs-coney-island-feb15,0,6917107.story

Went this afternoon. Even arriving at 4.00 there was a 40 minute wait. Apparently Leo was in town for the opening. They even pulled him in to work the kitchen. Media coming in and out all day.

Well worth it. Real coneys in Chicago. Thanks Leo's. (now if Lafayette would just come along as well.

mss60614 wrote:Like abolt, I tried to get thru the mob for either sit-down or carry-out, and decided that I wasn't up for the wait. It's been five years since I had Leo's great soup and Greek Salad, so waiting another day or more isn't going to be a big deal...

WGN's Robert Jordan was reporting live during the Noon News; I've put in a link to the WGN report below...
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-hotdogs-coney-island-feb15,0,6917107.story

I was talking last night with some people from Michigan. They loved Leo's. One of my friend's daughters said the coney dog tasted like home to her. What surprised me though, was the affection they had for Leo's Greek salad. I think the appearance of that in Chicago may be crucial for Detroit expats than a mere dog covered with chili. Who knew!

Like abolt, I tried to get thru the mob for either sit-down or carry-out

I'm house sitting for someone who lives right across from Leo's. Each time over the last four days they've had a paper in the window that says "No Carry-out at this time". I would guess they're trying to figure everything out before they open up the flood gates.

Having been away for the past week or so, I finally made it over to Leo's on Friday for lunch. A few observations...

The menu is very similar to the Michigan Leo's, though there are only two soups daily in Chicago, Lemon Rice and a daily option, and of course, the Chicago Hot Dog to compliment the Coney.

And speaking of soup, I was terribly disappointed with the Lemon Rice, which was nothing at all like what I remembered. And my memory wasn't failing me, as I spoke to one of the owners who told me he had dumped the soup when he saw it, telling me "it never should have gone out." He mentioned that they have been working to perfect the Chicken base, and I wasn't off in sensing that the color and consistency were very dissimilar from Michigan.

Lastly, in contrast to the soup, the Greek Salad was great! The medium, priced at $6.95 and really more than one needs, had a nice lettuce mix, good looking tomatoes for this time of year, garbanzos, cukes, beets, and plenty of Greek Olives. And of course, the Leo's Dressing added the expected finishing bite.

My conversation with management tells me that they really do get it. They know that the place has to live up to both the expectation of Michigan expats and the over-the-top hype they have received locally. The openness of my brief conversation with one of the owners, and his comp for two Coneys on a future visit for my disappointment with the Soup, were a good sign this Leo's will be around for some time to come.

I have been looking forward to the opening for months, and went for dinner last week. A bitterly disappointing experience, mostly because when I eat "junk" (street food, dogs, burgers, etc), I set the bar very high. In other words, in my world--where every bite is critical--the low-end stuff had better be spectacular. I'll happily devour the most unhealthy things in the world as long as they deliver on the hedonics.

I ordered two coneys with onions and cheese, and only got through half of one. The bun was nothing. The dog itself was almost grey, like an Oscar Meyer, and tasted like one. The chili, or coney topping--while it correctly had no beans--was pasty and terrible. Ironically, it was the consistency of refried beans, and was no better than Hormel out of the can. I thought to myself, quite correctly I think, that this would be something I could go to the Jewel and easily do myself at home by getting a bag of cheap private label buns, generic or Oscar Meyer dogs, and some crappy canned chili and melt some Velveeta on it.

What a complete waste.

Not to pile on, but the french fries were mealy, and came out lukewarm.

On the slightly positive, say-something-nice side, the Greek salad dressing was good, but nothing that you can't get at any of a number of our Greek restaurants. The salad itself was just okay--not bad or good--but what I would order there again if I found myself at Leo's--which sadly isn't remotely in my future plans.

I have been to Leo's twice, once on their opening day and then again yesterday. On my first visit I was greeted by an owner who was very gracious. On both occasions I ordered the two coneys and fries deal. The first time I felt the dog was slightly undercooked but otherwise ok. The fries were lukewarm and not real crisp. Service was excellent.

Yesterday the dogs were cooked perfectly, you could see the marks from the griddle and had a nice crunch. I think they need to find another bun purveyor as the current one does not hold up to the coney sauce etc, it falls apart after the first bite. It might also be that they are steaming the buns too much and causing them to be a bit soggy. The fries were better but still not as good as they could be. They do not skimp on the coney sauce and that could also be part of the problem with the bun falling apart.

I do think they are well-managed and will improve over time. I have been to many new start ups that were not as busy and struggled a lot more than Leo's.

I will be going back soon and trying some other menu items....the table next to me had fish and chips and they looked pretty good!

I went by today for lunch after reading so many glowing reviews. Since I had many errands to run I was going to order a couple of Coney Dogs to go, but alas they still don't have carry-out. They expect to have it up and running early next week though. I'll be back.

They are acting like it's brain surgery to buy some wax paper or foil sheets and a bunch of lunch bags. I wouldn't be able to sleep if carry out orders walked.

I had lunch at Leo's for the first time yesterday. It was by far the best preparation of a Hot Dog I've ever had, the fries were terrific and the Greek Salad was as good as billed. The menu is so extensive and it all looks good. My co-worker had the Fish and Chips which were also excellent, and made even better with the fresh, homemade Tartar Sauce. The Carry Out is now open and ready for business! I'm heading over there in a few minutes to get a few more for my snack before dinner! The only regret I have after that meal was that I didn't go the University of Michigan when I had the chance to 30 years ago. Damn that was tasty! Thank God for the LTH Forum!