Leon's Bar-B-Q

Leon's Bar-B-Q is a chain of barbecue restaurants in Chicago. It was among the first barbecue places in the city and helped shape Chicago-style barbecue. Leon Finney Sr., originally from Mississippi, started the restaurant in 1940. Along with spots like Lem's Bar-B-Q, Leon's helped make "Delta style" barbecue popular on the South Side.

This style relies heavily on rib tips, a cheap cut that butchers usually threw away, cooked in an "aquarium smoker." Rib tips became a staple at African-American restaurants in Chicago and later grew more expensive. Finney originally sold ribs for 30 cents an order, but closed that first location when price controls made it hard to earn a profit. He saved up and reopened on 83rd Street a few years later.

The business did well, eventually running four locations in Chicago. For safety, Leon's served customers through a bulletproof glass divider. The restaurant was set to be the biggest concession at the 1982 ChicagoFest, but pulled out because of an ongoing boycott by African-American activists led by Jesse Jackson, protesting actions by Mayor Jane Byrne. The chain shut down in 2011, but Leon's son Leon Jr. brought it back in 2017 after a video of actor Denzel Washington looking for the restaurant—where he ate as a child—went viral on social media.

Leon's is known for hickory smoked rib tips and hot links, served over fries with barbecue sauce, and also offers fried catfish.