At Leo’s Lunchroom even a peasant can eat like a king. It’s where Donna Knezek serves up some of the best food in Chicago at rock-bottom prices. Unlike Wishbone with its cutesy chicken art on the walls, Leo’s isn’t a faux nostalgia-trip luncheonette but the real thing–beat-up, mismatched chairs with exposed stuffing, five tables and a long counter, no air-conditioning. I suppose you could consider the child’s rocking horse near the window extra seating, but it’s too low for anyone older than three. Knezek and her two partners hope to upgrade Leo’s interior when they can afford it. In the meantime they’ve at least removed that dingy refrigerator I kept bumping into on my way to the rest room.
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During the day the menu consists of the usual luncheonette-type grub: hash, burritos, eggs, chili, salads, and sandwiches. Knezek only cooks at night; that’s when Leo’s turns into Cinderella at the ball. The menu expands to include dinner specials, which Knezek refers to as “hearty peasant fare.”
Knezek says she gets most of her inspiration from the hundreds of cookbooks she collects and the ethnic markets she haunts, absorbing information about the uses of exotic ingredients she can’t resist. All along her dream has been to open her own restaurant. After training at City, the chic, high-end LA place known for its innovative cuisine, she bought into Leo’s a couple of years ago, joining the two original owners who had opened the place about a year before.
