Leo's All-Star: 'Providing People a Good Time' since 2004

The proprietors of pride themselves on offering not just a place to drink and watch the game, but also an enticing food menu as well as musical entertainment on weekends.

Lively energy and scintillating aromas regularly fill this 2,300 square-foot pub on Honolulu Avenue that comes complete with diverse dining options, 32 TV screens as well as karaoke on Fridays and live bands on Saturday nights. Ultimate Fighting Championship matches are also big events at Leo's, as are holiday celebrations.

"Providing people a good time" is the main motivation for Leo Lesh, who co-owns the bar with his wife Leslie.

"I enjoy the camaraderie, the whole atmosphere of it with the people, the sporting events, food, and restaurants are usually associated with good times," he said.

"For this community, Leo's has everything to offer anyone that wants to be entertained and have good food," said Leslie Lesh, who is president of the and active in local charity events. "[Leo's is] a one-stop shop" for a broad range of entertainment that has "everything you could possibly want rather than just coming in and having a drink with your friends."

Beyond a dining menu that has something for everybody—to name just a few: signature hot wings and a very special Cajun clam chowder, pizza, fajitas, ceviche, appetizers galore, entrees such as New York steak, baby back ribs and sautéed mahi-mahi tuna—the liquid spirit selection at Leo's is just as diverse.

"We have 12 beers on tap, every liquor, every scotch, vodka, whiskey known to man," said Leslie. On the unlikely chance that a customer's favorite brand or flavor isn't on the shelf, "if Leo finds out that you're there consistently he will specifically buy that liquor for that customer, and that's what a good bar owner does."

Money-saving promotions include specials throughout the week on pitchers of beer, tequila shots, $1 sliders and 50-cent wings.

Despite the fun, energized atmosphere that characterizes a customer's experience at Leo's, Leslie did admit that running a bar is by no means an easy occupation.

"I don't recommend it for everybody," she said. "Everyone thinks it's such a great thing to do, to go have your own bar, but it is one of the hardest jobs for the amount of money that you make."

Leo sees "trying to please everybody" as the biggest challenge for a restaurateur and bar owner. "Sometimes you just can't win. No matter how hard you try, certain people you just can't make happy," he said.

"We have a rule of thumb where if somebody complains about something, we kind of [take it] in one ear and out the other," Leo explained. "If we hear it two or three times, then it's time to recognize it and if we hear it five or more, then obviously we have an issue. You have to take the good with the bad, you have to shrug it off and toughen up."

The Leshes—La Crescenta residents who live within walking distance from their bar—opened Leo's in 2004 and currently employ a staff of 16 full- and part-time workers. Both have worked extensively in the bar business, and Leo studied hotel and restaurant management at Cornell University.

Check out Leo's at 2941 Honolulu Ave. You can call them at 818-249-5858. Friend them on facebook here. Leo's is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.