Leo’s Diner

Well upon entering, we made our way to the booth. Another gentleman behind us also made his way to the booth beside us. After five minutes of sitting there and waitresses walking back and forth and filling coffee and making deliveries of food, the gentleman who came in after Us Finally got a menu and a drink order. Another five minutes go by and the waitress brings him his coffee and takes his order and turns looks at us and walks away.
By this time I am fuming. I get up and ask the waitress if we can get service. Then I had to ask her for menus because she didn’t bring any with her.
We get our drinks and our breakfast order taken and then when they bring it out they screwed up my order.
The biscuits and gravy was horrid. The sausage taste like it was made of styrofoam and out of a can. The claim home made. I call BS.
If you are in Omaha and looking for somewhere to eat. Do not go here. Service sucks, the food is mediocre at best.

We decided to try this place out. It was ok. There is not a lot to choose from when looking at the menu. I tried corn beef hash, and my husband got something with gravy. The reason I can’t remember what he got is because he did not like the gravy and kept talking about it. He felt the gravy was watered down and flavorless. That’s a missed hit for us. Having good gravy is important if you serve breakfast! I did have an English muffin for a side and it was definitely homemade. It was huge and by far the BEST English muffin I’ve had! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll willing come back to Leo’s unless a friend chose the place. And if the English muffin hadn’t been good, I think I would have given this place a 2 because my hash was ok.

The low rating is a mixture of Customer Service and food. I had an make your own omelette. The eggs were runny, and very little meat and cheese. I told the cook and all he said do you want to try something else. I had him do it again, and think he added a little more cheese. Waitress never offered to top off my drink and avoided me after I had talked with cook.

For starters, Leo’s is in Benson – Benson is delightful, so already off to a good start, and you haven’t even walked in the building yet. Once you walk in, you need to take in the classic diner décor, take a gander at the specials, and then promptly disregard everything but the biscuits and gravy because, folks, they are so good. Ok, other things might be good too, but these were some of the best B&G I’ve ever had. They also have sriracha available, so I dressed my scrambled eggs with those and it was one good meal. Service was quick and friendly – much appreciated. I hope to be back!

This is a quaint dive diner. I’ve eaten here several times and the food is pretty good. The chicken parm sandwich is excellent and so are the homemade onion rings. Stop in and give it a try.

Food was great! Service was great! Prices not bad at all! You get a lot of food in the Breakfast Combos!

Pancake combo includes 2 eggs, toast, hash browns & Choice of Sausage, bacon or ham all for $ 8.75. Service was the best and the taste was perfection. Don’t forget the best coffee for only a buck-​fifty. Eat here!

Those taco bell commercials keep making me want to be a «breakfast defector» whatever that means. If it means skipping taco bell and heading to Leo’s then I am totally game. Leo’s is the epitome of a classic diner. It’s right there with 11-​worth café and Lisa’s Radial Café in town as divey, homey, old school, simple, greasy, good food. The regular menu will boost all the egg/​bacon/​hash/​pancake/​waffle/​omlette combos your heart desires. What I really like here is that there is always a board of specials, and some can be a bit fancier than your average breakfast. I do enjoy having options. My standard order here is the corned beef hash with 2 eggs sunny side up and sub toast for a pancake. The best! You cannot go wrong with this plate of food!!! Street parking or municipal lot a few blocks down.
As a side note, It’s funny since Benson has become a lot more popular in the night scene with local «hipsters» and 20 – 40’s ppl who are looking for drinks and a whole lot of fun. However, in the morning, Benson is just another sleepy street of businesses that open their doors later in the day. Leo’s shines here as a breakfast place and this is where you will see the real residents of Benson– sipping their morning coffee and chatting with the staff on the daily. Come down here for breakfast and then come back at night for more fun in Benson!!!

The hash browns were cooked well and tasted good. The service was awesome.
I cannot endorse a breakfast establishment that does not poach an egg. I have been poaching eggs since I was 12; it is not a difficult task. C’mon Leo’s! Fill a pan with some water!

Amazing little find. 1940s diner with great down home cookin’. This CaliTexan very much enjoyed her Southern Eggs Benedict. Gravy was AWESOMESAUCE!!! Hash browns perfect.
Service…super friendly. We walked through the back entrance, through the service kitchen, and felt like we were family being greeted.
One kid ordered the grilled ham and cheese with a side of onion rings. And I can say with all honesty they were probably the best I’ve ever had.
Other kid had Steak Benedict. Think he licked the plate clean.
Cheeseburger was good too. Hand made patty was juicy and well flavored.
Nuttin’ but love for this quaint spot. But be prepared to wait. It’s a popular spot.

I have been on a biscuits a gravy quest lately. Here they had an «island» special. They added eggs and corned beef hash and green chilis to the B&G! Oh hell yes (but keep the Tums handy)!
Everything was absolutely lightning fast and delicious. The biscuits here had that tender and fluffy quality I am finding at most places. The gravy was well seasoned, with little tiny bits of sausage throughout. Not a bad effort at all. Service was puuuuuuurrrrfect.

Leo’s Diner is a greasy spoon with a bangin’ tight traditional diner menu. The tenderloin, the hash, the burgers are all made by hand. There are homemade pickles up in here! This isn’t an operation run out of a Cisco truck. It’s the kind of place my father and I could have both appreciated if I hadn’t killed him with disappointment first.
Only downside: Hipster douchebags.
Try it before the inevitable scourge of gentrification pushes them out of the neighborhood.

Leo’s is only open for breakfast and lunch. The dining room is smallish and if you don’t arrive early all the booths will be full and you’ll have to sit at the bar, or wait in line. Their specialty is «the Island» — hash browns covered in biscuits and gravy, covered with eggs, and they make several variations of this menu item. One of these variations is the «Padre Island» which also has chorizo and jalapenos on top. Mmmmmmm… Another variation is the «Candida Island» which is half green chili/​half red chili, cheese, choice of sausage /​ham /​bacon (I picked sausage) and jalapenos. Yowza! All the variations I’ve had are awesome.
The kitchen is tiny and it’s right up front as you walk in, surrounded by glass, and frequently they have 4 cooks squeezed into this small space cranking out food.
In addition to the «Islands», I also love their bacon cheeseburger (8 oz), likely the best burger in Omaha in my opinion. My only disappointment has been with the fries — coated curley cue fries, similar to what you would get at Arby’s. I expected something homemade from this place. They still tasted fine, just not up to par with the rest of the food.
As far as I can tell, most of the servers are probably related to each other which creates a great family friendly atmosphere. This place is a true gem of Omaha, yet I have discovered many natives who aren’t aware of its existence. (People need to get out more.) But then, if they don’t know about it, that’s just more food for me.

Leo’s Diner in Benson is a great place to go and relax and enjoy a meal whether you are by yourself or with friends and family. The staff is very friendly and will answer any question about the food. Also, just try and empty your coffee cup. The staff comes around so much to check on you and refill that I never got below half way.
When it comes to the food I have zero complaints. The servings are large, the variety of what can be ordered is huge and the food itself is greasy and delicious. I don’t think I have ever had the same thing twice in my attempt to try everything on their specials menu and I have never left hungry or unsatisfied.
If you want a friendly, cosy place to enjoy breakfast or lunch, make sure to check out Leo’s Diner. (In case you didn’t know, there is parking behind the restaurant). Enjoy

Jason G completely plagiarized my review but I’ll let that slide since he has become my meal buddy. We have explored many different locations and sometimes it’s a race to see who can get the review posted first. He won this round.
We arrived around 1030am and it was snowing. Parking can be difficult so have patience. We walked less than a block until we got to the front door. The sidewalks are narrow and hard to walk two abreast. We open the front door to the diner and lucky for us, there is no wait. We get seated in the back at a chair/​bench seating combo. That works really well for me, I like having a chair for my butt as I am a fat chick and booths are hard for me… but I digress.
This appears to be a family run joint and the ladies are hopping! All sorts of fantastic specials handwritten on the white board. I have come here to try the Fantasy Island because of fellow Unilocalers. Wait, there is something missing, there is no CFS (chicken fried steak for all you none breakfast aficionados). I ask the waitress if we could add it in there somewhere in all the layers of ham and sausage and eggs and biscuits. Without missing a beat, she says yes and off she goes to the kitchen. Hmmm,. adding CFS to the Fantasy Island seems to be a common ask. Maybe it’s one of those secret off the menu items? Jason orders the same thing.
The orders arrive to the gasp of a nearby table who are very curious as to what we ordered. I, of course, will talk to anyone and turned to share the knowledge that is my breakfast. The whole plate was tender enough to eat without a fork. It was all terrific and induced the food coma. There was plenty of food and I’m glad I didn’t get the blueberry pancake. Breakfast was not cheap due to the addition of the CFS.
Two Fantasy Islands
Two CFS add on
Two coffees.
Tip
$ 43.00
I think the order has to be 11-​Worth Café, Lisa’s Radial Café then Leo’s. Don’t get me wrong, I would suggest this place if asked, this is not a «fine, I’ll go there because other people want to.» They stand up well on their own. Take the trip, brave the crowds. Try this place.

Finally made it here… having heard many good things about it, I was anxious to see what all the fuss was about… Now, to me there’s a tri-​fecta of awesome breakfast joints: 11-​Worth Café, Lisa’s Radial Café and Leo’s Diner, in that order… I got eggs, hashbrowns and biscuits and gravy, with a chicken fried steak thrown on top… yes, once again, that’s how I roll… the eggs were made as I wanted, the chicken fried steak was good, and the biscuits were also quite tasty… everything was just about as good as I’d have wanted… the service was friendly and the cost was fair… I still think 11-​Worth is the best, but Leo’s is certainly a solid joint that I’d go to again…

Came here for breakfast while in town on business. This is just a great little classic diner. When we pulled up, I wasn’t quite sure because it doesn’t look like much and I’m not sure about the area of town its in. Walking in, the décor was just old school diner. It does look like a run down throw back place which might turn off a lot of people. The food was pretty good. Mine was a bit overcooked but it felt more like home cooking not manufactured restaurant food.
I can see why there are negative reviews but this diner reminded me a lot of the types of places I would eat at growing up. If you’re looking for a high end diner, then this is not the place. As one of my co-​workers said, its to much to look at but the food was good.

We went to Leo’s because of the Unilocal ratings. I should have read more than the first couple. Why I didn’t walk out because of the appearance alone is beyond me. The place was very dirty. Maybe I’m picky, but I do not like my cup handed to me by the rim. The same with the utensils. Forks and spoons should given to a customer by the handle, not the part you eat from.
We ordered donut holes to start with. Some were warm and some were cold, all were grease saturated. The rest of breakfast foods we ordered were okay, not worth eating in the filth. Classic diner eating can be vintage in appearance but doesn’t have to be unclean.

We stopped into Leo’s diner after our 3-​hour drive from Lawrence, and based had a pretty good idea of what to expect based on previous reviews. Leo’s is a diner in the classical sense — open view into the kitchen and cook area, counter seats with spinning stools, several small booths for four, and a couple of tables in the back that can be shoved together for slightly larger groups. We were waved in and told to pick a place to sit and chose a booth near the back. In addition to the warm greasy air (classic diner ambiance), our table had a shiny lacquered surface that featured small advertisements for local businesses. If I were looking for a handyman in Omaha or Benson, I would need to look no further than the table in front of me. Additionally, the booth had a classic at-​the-​table jukebox, but it was unclear if it still worked, and we didn’t endeavor to use it in any case.
We started with a couple of waters and house coffee. Though the coffee was some sort of large-​scale industrial coffee, it was hot, quick, and serviceable for the morning pick-​me-​up. In addition to our table menus, a large whiteboard with the daily specials was brought over to our table and leaned against a post across the aisle, giving a few variants and flairs on some of the traditional menu items. I ultimately chose the Josh’s Island, which was a sort-​of breakfast garbage plate, featuring hash browns, topped with biscuits and gravy, with turkey, ham, and bacon overlaying that, and crowning the entire dish was a pair of eggs, I chose sunny-​side-​up. Mrs. R went with the waffle sandwich, which consisted of a thick Belgian-​style waffle with ham, and a side of super-​crispy hashbrowns. Both items were delicious and well-​priced, ca. $ 7 – 8 for each, and with coffee and tax our entire bill was $ 20. We were also a little crunched for time, and the timely service let us get in and out in about 35 minutes.
The only downside that I pulled from the experience was an architechtural flaw — the restrooms were located in the far-​back of the building, and the layout requires patrons to go through part of the kitchen and past the dishwashing station. I think my main issue sprung from the notion of passing through employee and service areas on the way to the restroom — something like piercing the veil of the front of the house and the back of the house.
All in all, a good solid breakfast, and a foundation upon which to build a days worth of carousing.
This is the first of a series of ~13 reviews about a weekend getaway in Omaha.

Leo’s is an Omaha classic. I was there just after 7 a.m. on a weekday and the place was buzzing with regulars eating their bacon and eggs and biscuits and gravy and sipping their coffee with cream and sugar. The waitress pretty much knew everyone’s name who came in the door and greeted them accordingly. You don’t get that many other places.
I ordered the half Fantasy Island and a coffee for a total of just under $ 8. Trust me, the half order is more than enough to feed a hungry man. My food arrived promptly and was hot and delicious. For those who don’t know, the «Island» dishes are heaps of breakfast fare. The half Fantasy had an egg, bacon, ham, biscuits and gravy, all piled together. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce and you’re ready to start clogging them arteries. Definitely my favorite spot in town to order a mountain of breakfast goodness.