Restaurant Review: Leo’s – Southbury, CT

Rolling up to Leo’s in Southbury, CT, at 10:30 for that late breakfast love. From Main Street, the location is tucked away, requiring a turn onto Poverty Road. On this beautiful Thursday morning, there were already diners enjoying meals on the front patio.

After turning into the complex and navigating around the building, it’s clear the space was converted from some type of office into a restaurant. The first thing that caught my attention was the front flight of steps, which probably keeps some of the Heritage Village crowd away.

Inside, the restaurant is quaint, though the motif is a bit unclear, perhaps a beefed-up diner vibe in an office setting, featuring high ceilings, neon lights, faux wood beams, and an assortment of knickknacks and bric-a-brac. The main dining area has tables in the center surrounded by booths. My friend, who arrived earlier, chose a table with half booth seating and half chairs in the bar area, which was empty except for us.

Previewing the menu beforehand, several items caught my eye, particularly the entire section dedicated to “Leo’s Famous Breakfast Specials.” Next time, I plan to try “Eight is Enough,” aptly named as it features eight ingredients served with their signature bocca bread and a fresh fruit mini tower. This visit, I opted for Leo’s Special Omelet, which included sautéed onions, mozzarella cheese, bacon, home fries, and rye toast. I also added my usual side of coleslaw and a decaf coffee.

The servers were nice enough, nothing particularly memorable but also nothing to complain about.

The food arrived quickly and was plentiful. The hot sauce of choice at Leo’s is Frank’s. Overall, the meal was very good, with the omelet stealing the show, nicely prepared with a generous portion of bacon. Personally, I would have preferred the onions to be more sautéed, but it was still tasty. The home fries and rye toast were good, though nothing standout.

My coleslaw was initially forgotten by both the server and myself until I noticed the missing texture and crunch. When it arrived, it came in a small plastic cup; a slightly larger bowl would have been preferable. However, it was tasty, well seasoned, and slightly on the wetter side. The value and quantity of the food was also a notch above.

By 11:30, the early bird lunch crowd was beginning to make its way in. I was abruptly knocked forward as a walker with wheels hit my chair, indicating it was time to leave. There was actually a line of people waiting on the stairs as we left. We enjoyed our brief visit to Leo’s and will definitely be back to try some of those other specials.

Final Verdict: 7/10