Here's my lengthy review of
Leadbelly. Scroll to the bottom for my summary if you're short on time.
I was there for the grand opening this past Saturday. The place is pretty small with only 6 tables (maybe four 4-tops and two 2-tops?) and bar-like seating along the restaurant front. When you walk in, there are a lot of pictures of classic rock artists, but interestingly I don't think I saw one of Lead Belly himself. There's also a bunch of TV screens showing classic rock music videos and classic rock was playing on the speakers (no Lead Belly here either). The setup is nice and intimate, and with the pictures, TV screens and craft beer display, my first impression was that this is exactly how I'd want my mancave to look if I had one.
For the place being small, I thought that service was kinda slow but that just might be because we walked in an hour after it opened. Only half the tables and maybe a couple people sitting along the front were eating. To help pass time, they do have little trivia cards on the tables you can play with. From the time we ordered to the time we received our food, it was probably 25-30 minutes, but again it was probably because it was the grand opening.
The food was pretty good. We ordered the Easy Rider (smoked bacon, more bacon, bourbon barbecue sauce and cheddar cheese) and the Amazing Grace (pork belly, onion straws, Carolina mustard). The burgers came out medium and were thick and moist. The fresh baked buns look heavy, but I thought it was just enough to keep the burger in tact the entire time without being too overpowering.
About the sriracha pickle - I like sriracha so I thought this was interesting. It has a little bit of a spicy kick, but wasn't hot. I could see a lot of people throwing it away if they don't like pickles or aren't into spicy tough.
Also ordered the Pico fries because I was curious about the Fritos chili cheese chips. They were good, but I don't think I'd order them or any of the other topped fry dishes again. I'm a crispy fry kind of guy and what happens when you put toppings on? They become soggy, so it kinda defeats the purpose of double frying your hand cut fries to make them crispy in the first place.
Another thing I ordered was one of their spiked shakes - the Kansas City Papa (Bailey's Irish Cream, peppermint schnapps, and chocolate ice cream). Really good and tasty stuff, but for $8 it would probably be a special occasion order for me the next time. I didn't order a beer, but I was pretty impressed with the mostly local craft beer selection. A lot to choose from.
The almost famous butter cookie - they included one with each burger. The cookie was melt in your mouth good and the sweetness from the chocolate and crunchiness from the crushed nuts was a nice touch. I could probably finish off the cookies in one sitting if I purchased the $9 jar.
One final thing - when we walked in, there were a bunch of families with little kids sitting on their parent's laps. I have 2 kids myself, so before I went I asked if they had high chairs. The person on the phone said they did, but when we ordered the lady working the register said they didn't. We asked another woman (maybe the person that answered the phone) and she brought one out. So apparently they have at least one high chair, you just have to ask the right person to get it out for you (again, could've been a grand opening thing).
In summary - I'm really excited about this place being in our area as it's definitely a welcome addition! When people think of a craft burger place, the first place they'd compare Leadbelly to would be Kuma's, but you really can't since Kuma's is on a totally different more over-the-top level. I see Leadbelly as a neighborhood burger joint similar to Bad Apple in Lincoln Square, but more on a truly local level. While I think the burgers at Bad Apple are better, Leadbelly represents what I think the Portage Park area is all about - a hard working, low key establishment where between the friendly staff and good food, you're definitely gonna get the most value for your buck. Definitely check it out!