We found out we were moving to the ‘Burgh in May, but didn’t actually move until August. This gave us plenty of time to indulge in our favorite guilty pleasure when exploring a new city: scouring Yelp obsessively. Of course, this approach has its pluses and minuses – it has definitely led us astray at times and made us question whether we were actually at the same restaurant as described. However, in our experience, when the restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall no-frills kind of place that has a dedicated (even if small) following Yelping about it, it’s worth investigating.
So of course, we were Yelping all of the essential food groups, which for us include, in no particular order: dim sum, Ethiopian, taqueria, and Caribbean. We were spoiled living in Philly for 10 years (and NYC for one). We lived in the Philly neighborhood with arguably the highest concentration of fantastic Mexican Food (Passyunk Square), which was also in walking distance from Chinatown and what is still my favorite dim sum in the whole wide world (Dim Sum Garden!). I was introduced to Ethiopian food by a close friend and Philly native who grew up eating at Dahlak, which is still the bar by which I judge all other Ethiopian food.
But it was in our former home of Birmingham Alabama that I fell in love with Caribbean food. One day, I was eating lunch at a trendy new downtown Bham hotspot when I struck up a conversation with a random guy who happened to be a friend of mine’s brother. (Only in Birmingham.) We were talking about food (what else?) when he told me that his wife is from Jamaica, and the place everyone in Birmingham’s small but strong Caribbean community goes to eat was Southern Jamaican Caribbean Restaurant. Turned out there was another one too, called Tropical Grill. Both were outstanding. These became two of our favorite posts on What to Eat in Birmingham. Over time, we got to know Chef Thomas at Southern Jamaican Caribbean, who when I once asked him what I should order, said “I like everything I cook.”
So it’s not surprising that one of the first things we Yelped was Caribbean food. And we immediately found a place that met our hole-in-the-wall-no-frills-dedicated-following criteria. So we set off to Leon’s.
Leon’s is located in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Allentown. I had never been there before, which was part of its allure – we love traveling, and this is a way to travel without leaving town. It turns out Allentown is very close to our apartment in Southside – essentially over the giant hill further South.
Mr. Foodie and I went once on our own, and then immediately decided we needed to return with more empty foodie stomachs. So we enlisted friend of the blog Harry, of Tana Ethiopian post fame. Although Harry had never before tried Jamaican food, we figured his love of Ethiopian food’s spices and complex flavors would translate well. The pictures below are a combination of photos from these two visits.
We love the colorful sign:
The outside and inside décor is modest, which I like – suggests that the focus is on the food. And it is.
Here’s the menu:
No surprise, between the two trips, we basically ordered everything (thanks to Harry’s empty stomach). Here it is:
Jerk chicken. The standard by which Jamaican restaurants must be held. Spicy, not sweet at all (sometimes places can end up making Jerk chicken taste more like ketchup sauce-based BBQ chicken – no thank you). Cooked perfectly both times we ate it, juicy, falling off the bone. I felt honored to be present during Harry’s first Jerk chicken experience. He loved it, of course.
Escoviched fish. According to a friend from Jamaica, if a place has this, you know it’s legit. A whole fish cooked in part using the acid from citrus, kind of like ceviche. Isn’t she beautiful? Her eye is hiding behind the veggies, how bashful. The meat was tender, and separated easily from the bones, which we picked clean.
And then something new to us: escoviched chicken. That same tangy flavor, with incredibly juicy chicken.
Oxtail close-up: mmmmm
Let’s make some notes about the sides. We highly recommend getting the jerk chicken and oxtail with the rice. The rice is just the perfect texture, and the perfect seasoning, to soak up the meat and sauces. When the meat was gone, I mixed the rice with every last little bit of sauce and downed it. We noted a similar effect with the escoviched fish – the tangy flavor soaked into the rice with an excellent result. Also, the cabbage was a nice light accompaniment to the rest of the meal.
Finally, an essential accompaniment, almost a dessert: fried plantains. These were overdone a little (which the chef admitted), but were actually fantastic this way – charred on the outside, sweet and gooey on the inside.
Both times, the chef brought out each item, served in takeout containers, we oohed and aahed. We struck up a conversation. As we chatted, other customers filtered in and out. This place is clearly a neighborhood staple and a real gem.
I’ve heard the saying that people who live in Pittsburgh don’t like to cross bridges and/or rivers to go places. The city has such beautiful bridges, crossing them is one of my favorite things! And also, neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are so spread out, avoiding bridge and river crossings will seriously limit your food options. In this case, unless you live in Allentown or another one of the city’s Southern neighborhoods or suburbs, visiting Leon’s will require a bridge/river crossing. Please, for the sake of your love of food and local exploration (a reasonable assumption if you are reading this blog), do not let a little bit of driving deter you one bit.