St Leon Tavern A Hidden Gem Of Indianas Best Fried Chicken

friendly staff and the best chicken fried to perfection - the best all of Indiana has to offer!! great burgers and that's not all! lots of sides and the homemade pies are heavenly!! the tavern is a must place to visit!!

Just a local dive with excellent fried chicken! I don't even like fried chicken, but I had it once and I was hooked!

Old bar with a lot of character. Some of the best fried chicken in the area. Service has always been great and food is served hot! Love coming here for the friendly locals and service! If you're looking for fancy, this isn't it. If you're looking for amazing food with amazing service, give it a try!!

Really is some of the best Indiana Fried Chicken! If you blinked, you might miss St. Leon Tavern located in a small town of about 650 people, but it is a hidden gem. Look for the St. Joseph Catholic Church and this hole-in-the-wall tavern/bar is across the street. Parking is limited so park in front of the church, with no worries of taking a parking spot from Sunday mass attendees because the St. Leon Tavern is closed on Sundays! We always order the fried chicken, usually two breasts and no dark meat. Nice option that you can order a whole/half chicken dinner or any single pieces that you want. Hubby prefers two mashed potatoes with gravy for his sides, while I go for the French fries or onion rings with coleslaw for mine. Always smile when the server reminds me that there is a 50 cents up-charge on the onion rings, and then follows up by saying she has had upset customers when they see their bill with the extra 50 cents! St. Leon Tavern, unlike Wagners and a very few others on the Indiana Chicken Trail, deep fries its chicken, rather than pan frying in a cast-iron skillet. Pros and cons to this. Pros include that the chicken pieces are larger than some of the other restaurants on the trail and they can get your chicken to the table in 30 not 40 minutes. Con in that you really need to request extra black pepper, the key ingredient in Indiana Fried Chicken, since the deep frying lessens the intensity of the black pepper. Chicken is always served steaming hot but remains juicy. Most sides, like the vegetable of the day and coleslaw are homemade. Service is welcoming, bathrooms are clean but dated (but hey--it is a bar), and although a tavern/bar, family-friendly so you can bring the kids. To pass the time until your chicken arrives, grab some 50 cent or $1 bingo pull-tabs from the machine and maybe you will win. I've won a crisp $100 bill on the pull-tabs. The building has some history as well. It was built in 1840 and by 1860 its use was as a general store/restaurant. No general store anymore, just the restaurant.

I came back. I just love the delicious Tenderloin sandwich that this place serves. Hand breaded and spiced to my liking. The straight cut french fries are hot and tasty. The service is friendly and the place is inviting. What a great find in this scenic, out of the way part of Indiana.

Wow, once you can find this place, you'll be treated to the best fried chicken on the planet. Let me start by saying St. Leon is a tiny town. Yelp listed the restaurant close to Rt 1, and there was a building, but no sign. People must just know it's there. It's not fancy, just a homey and clean little bar. The servers are friendly and welcomed us even though we were clearly lost. We could pick any table of the dozen or so available. There are TVs playing basketball and an inviting little bar. Signs advertise daily beer specials. We were told that we must try their famous chicken. I ordered the 2-piece meal with mashed potatoes and slaw. The hand breaded chicken is hot, moist and crispy beyond belief. The breading is thin and spicy. Just thinking about it, I'm ready to jump in the car and make the 2 hour trip back. The mashed potatoes are made from scratch and good as was the slaw. My husband got the tenderloin. The loin is smashed thinner than other tenderloins, but packs big flavor. He recommends getting it with the grilled jalapeños and onions. We also tried the fried pickles and cauliflower with chipotle ranch dressing. Both were excellent, pickles with crispy breading and cauliflower with more of a beer battered breading. Ok, so this meal might have been the healthiest, but it was an indulgent treat. I'll be craving a return trip. It looks like they get busy in the evenings. There is plenty of parking around the building.

Excellent pub food! 5 stars for the food. The pickle fries are a MUST order! The fried cauliflower is also really good. The fried chicken is always perfect and has a unique batter with fresh ground black pepper. The tavern burger, a 1/2 lb homemade beef patty with everything on it, is also wonderful. Definitely a great place for quality pub food. Other things to know: This is a small family run establishment with no signage or website. It is largely a bar, so you're expected to come in and grab any open table or seat and then flag someone over when you're ready to order. We went on a Saturday evening when it was very crowded. It was impossible to get refills on our sodas, or really any help at all because they were so busy. We also did wait quite a while for our food, but like I said- it was very busy. BUT, when it did come out it was all piping hot and fresh. You can call ahead for takeout if you don't have the time to sit down. Definitely worth the try.