Leon's Bar-B-Q is a chain of barbecue restaurants in Chicago. As one of the earliest barbecue establishments in the city, it played a role in the development of Chicago-style barbecue.
| Leon's Bar-B-Q | |
|---|---|
 Former location of the Leon's Bar-B-Q on 79th St. near Stony Island Ave. in Chicago | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1940 |
| Previous owner(s) | Leon Finney Sr. |
| Food type | Barbecue |
| City | Chicago |
| County | Cook County |
| State | Illinois |
| Country | United States |
History
editThe restaurant was founded by Leon Finney Sr., originally of Mississippi, in 1940.[1] It was one of the earliest barbecue establishments in Chicago. Along with other restaurants like Lem's Bar-B-Q, Leon's popularized the "Delta style" of barbecue that predominates in the South Side. This barbecue heavily features rib tips, a cheap cut of meat usually discarded by butchers, which are cooked in an "aquarium smoker".[2] Rib tips soon became popular among the city's African-American restaurants, and today the cut has become more expensive.[3] He originally sold ribs for 30¢ an order, but later closed the restaurant after price controls made it difficult to turn a profit. He eventually saved up enough money to open a new restaurant on 83rd Street several years later.[4]
The restaurant was successful, and at one point operated four locations in Chicago.[5] Leon's restaurants typically served food to customers through a bulletproof glass divider for safety reasons.[6][7] The restaurant was scheduled to be the largest concession at the 1982 ChicagoFest but pulled out of the festival due to an ongoing boycott by African-American activists, led by Jesse Jackson, over Mayor Jane Byrne's actions.[8]
The restaurant chain closed in 2011, but was reopened by Finney's son Leon Jr. in 2017 after a video of actor Denzel Washington looking for the restaurant, where he ate as a child, went viral on social media.[9][5]
Leon's is known for its hickory smoked[10] rib tips and hot links, which are served over fries and drizzled with barbecue sauce.[11] It also serves fried catfish.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "LEON FINNEY SR.: 1916 – 2008 – Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. 2023-03-21. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ Block, Daniel R.; Rosing, Howard B. (2015-09-03). Chicago: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 72–74. ISBN 978-1-4422-2727-9.
- ^ Miller, Adrian (2021-04-05). Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. UNC Press Books. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-1-4696-6281-7.
- ^ Moss, Robert F. (2020-10-06). Barbecue: The History of an American Institution, Revised and Expanded Second Edition. University of Alabama Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8173-2065-2.
- ^ a b Selvam, Ashok (2017-10-10). "Denzel Washington Prompts A Chicago Barbecue to Announce a New Location". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ Weller, Sam (2002). Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes. ECW Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-55022-493-1.
- ^ Stern, Jane; Stern, Michael (1992). Roadfood: The All-new, Updated, and Expanded Edition. HarperPerennial. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-06-096599-0.
- ^ Ltd, Earl G. Graves (October 1982). Black Enterprise. Earl G. Graves, Ltd. p. 24.
- ^ "Leon's Bar-B-Q to open new restaurant next month". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ a b "Actor Denzel Washington inspires reopening of Leon's Barbeque". 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ Miller, Adrian (2021-04-05). Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. UNC Press Books. ISBN 978-1-4696-6281-7.