Leader Bar

It looks like Leader Bar will open next weekend, after I've watched its progress for what seems like at least a year. Leader Bar will be my literal corner bar - a mere hundred yards or so from home.

From the looks of things, they put a lot of money into creating a nicer-than-average sports-focused bar with lots of TV's and big, comfy-looking leather bar stools and booths. When I learned that the chef from Martini Park created the menu, I had a little more hope about the food than I might have otherwise. Before it closed, Martini Park was the kind of place you expected to hate until you actually went there and found out that the cocktails and food were way better than you expected. (disclosure: a good friend of mine is an investor with the group that owns the Martini Park "chain".)


Leader Bar
3000 West Irving Park Road
(773) 478-2337

We too have been watching this for the last year as we live just north of IP on richmond. It seems like it has been stalled for the last 3 months as most of the exterior has been done forever.

We're really happy that the neighborhood seems to getting some new options, hopefully it has better food than Pitchfork.

Drove by this place on both Saturday and Sunday and it still looked closed.

Any updates? Everything looks done, it screams of licensing / city problems.

trs23 wrote:Drove by this place on both Saturday and Sunday and it still looked closed.

Any updates? Everything looks done, it screams of licensing / city problems.

sign says opening this Friday

We attended the neighborhood launch party on thursday. I've got some pictures on my phone of the food and will post them a bit later. Overall impressions:

-- super nice inside. They spent some serious money fixing the old building up. Brick walls, nice fireplace, tall tables and booths throughout.
-- Good craft beer list -- probably 10-15 draft beers and another 10-15 bottles. I had a dogfish head IPA and some other one I can't remember.
-- Food was excellent. We started with the "Mac and Cheese Sticks", which are basically a mac and cheese (with a bit of ham) log that has been deep fried, served on craft paper in a small fry basket and some sort of cheese dipping sauce. I could eat about a thousand of these things. Had the buffalo chicken flatbread which was probably 10 pieces of flatbread served on a bamboo plank. Really delicious. The chef from martini park is still firing here. Good stuff So happy it's better than pitchfork which is pretty gross food.
-- Tons of TVs -- Will be great to watch sports / college basketball
-- Free valet parking -- They said this was going to continue for as long as they could. This stretch of IP is ok parking wise, but we thought that was a nice touch especially in the winter time.
-- Talked to the owner mike on the way out. He said in the summer time he's going to have a huge outdoor patio and sidewalk cafe so it will be a really nice option within walking distance from our house.

Biggest bummer for us:
-- No high chairs. For this hood with the amount of kids it really sucks they don't have high chairs / boosters for kids. We sat in a booth and it was ok, but my younger son would have been better in a high chair. Brownstone has them with high tables, unless this bar doesn't care about families I'd recommend they pick up a few.

Definitely recommend checking this place out, we will be back soon!