Review for Leo's Italian Social I first found Leo's on OpenTable while trying to rack up points and perks--one of my favorite hobbies as a foodie transplant from the West Coast who is still happily eating my way through Charlotte. I've been here a couple of times now, and what keeps bringing me back is simple: it's consistently pleasant. One of the biggest highlights is the beautiful patio. When the weather is right, I'm all about eating al fresco, and this place really delivers. The fountain adds a nice touch, and the whole setting feels relaxed and inviting. The service has always been excellent--friendly, attentive, and professional. The restaurant is clean, the bathrooms are well maintained, and the overall experience feels easy and reliable. If you're dining inside, bring a sweater--it can get a little chilly. Now, the food. I've explored the menu a bit, and several dishes stand out: * Chicken piccata -- bright, lovely, thin and lightly crispy, with incredible lemon notes that make the whole dish feel fresh and balanced * Lobster bisque -- rich and comforting * Beet salad -- fresh and well composed * Classic Caesar -- dependable and consistent * Beef carpaccio -- always a solid starter * Tiramisu -- a lovely way to end the meal The cocktails are well made, and the overall vibe feels polished without being pretentious. Parking can be a little busy during peak hours, but there are surface spots and a garage nearby. Personally, I prefer surface parking--less stress and less chance of losing the car. And a bonus tip: if you decide to skip dessert at Leo's, there's a fantastic bakery across the way--Tour Le Jour--that's worth the short walk for pastries. Bottom line: Great patio, reliable Italian dishes, excellent service, and a comfortable atmosphere. A solid go-to spot in the SouthPark area--especially when the weather is perfect and you want to sit outside and enjoy the moment. Life is short. Eat well. read more

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An early dinner (4:30pm) with son's wife and children. Worked out great. Marcus N. was our very efficient and pleasant server. Started with cocktails and kid drinks. We had two 9oz glasses of Zinfandel at $36, $18 each. A bit too high for us. Other drinks were Very Cherry Limeade at $6, Intern-Earl Affair at $6 and another $6 for Run Wild NA. Starters and meals were: Cauliflower Bites at $13, Baked Rigatoni at $19, Burrata Pasta at $18, Carbonara pasta at $20,Pepperoni Pizza at $17, one kid pizza for $9, Chicken MIlanese at $26 and Lasagna for $21. It was a good evening with family and we did like the atmosphere and service. The general comment when I asked how their meals was, "It was OK, but nothing special." Wife and I agree. And the prices for drinks were pushing ridiculous, and we were not in the super high end list. Would we go back? Maybe. read more

I am not one to typically leave a bad review, but I picked up Lasagna from this place and I had to go out of my way to comment. The bread that I received with my meal was a literal rock. I couldn't even believe they would bag it up and serve it. The lasagna was actually very good but it was an insulting small serving. I would spend your money elsewhere. read more

Amazing service from Duop! The food was terrific. I had the Salmon and my friend had the Chicken Piccata. Both were well portioned too. If you are ever in the Charlotte area, it is a definite must try. read more

Stopped in around 4:30 for an early dinner since we were in the area for an appointment. First the positives, Paul, our waiter was very attentive and friendly. The restaurant was completely empty, except for one table. Paul brought us some water right away and some bread with olive oil. The bread was hard as a rock and we had to try to cut this with a butter knife. A bread knife would have been a big help. My husband ordered the Bolognese and he enjoyed it. He also had a strawberry salad and said it was very good. I ordered the chicken Milanese and it was awful. Barely there, soggy breading. A real disappointment. Not too many places serve Milanese, and it's one of my favorite things, so when I saw it on the menu, of course I ordered it. The few potatoes that they served it with were extremely spicy. All in all this place was just "meh" and we probably won't return. read more

The food, ambiance and service with Grace was outstanding. It's was a great experience. Highly recommend. read more

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We used to dine out at Brio's patio frequently...so when this place took over, we were quite disappointed. However, we finally decided to check it out during our 30th anniversary week. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit too chilly for the patio, so we had to dine indoors. First of all, the place was drastically different than how I remembered the place, as Brio's. It was quite sleek and sophisticated...and I was impressed with the decor. Also loved the comfy booths with these huge tables. We even enjoyed the overhead music, featuring nostalgic tunes from the 70's and 80's. The menu was Italian...as expected. We started with the Fried Calamari, and for the main entrees, my husband chose Eggplant Parmesan, and I chose Chicken Parmesan. For drinks, my husband opted for the Model Especial, and I decided to the Bourbon. We enjoyed the complimentary bread, but the Fried Calamari was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't bad, but a bit too chewy...and the portion was way too skimpy for the pricing. Basically a half portion of this expensive appetizer. Fortunately, the Parmesan dishes were quite plentiful. I loved the thick pasta that came with both dishes. I would have preferred a slightly crisper Chicken batter, but I loved how thin the cut was. Also, the presentation was a bit sloppy. Still, we both thought the Parmesan dishes were pretty good. Initially I was put off by how small the portion of Bourbon was...and a tad too strong. Still, they were able to fix the drink with a bit more soda. Then the nice final touch. They offered a complimentary Ice Cream w/ Strawberries (for our anniversary?). BTW, the service was really good. Our waiter had a nice touch, and stayed attentive throughout. Frankly for me, I enjoyed the ambiance more than the foods. I thought the foods were good, but a bit mediocre. Overall, I still liked the place. I actually read the reviews prior to the visit, but I liked the place much more than anticipated. We agreed we should try them again on a warmer day...out on the patio. read more

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I went on a Saturday morning, right when they opened. I was there total maybe 45min to an hour and remained the only customer inside. No one was even walking in when I was walking out. Staff was great and friendly but food missed the mark for me. I had a coupon for a free app and I got the bang bang shrimp. I was expecting it to be crunchy but they appeared oven baked maybe or just fried really softly. Had good flavor but I expected and needed a crunch. I ordered the lasagna and it came out lukewarm. Cheese on top wasn't even trying to melt. I sent it back and they brought me out a much hotter piece. Had good flavor and the side salad was delish. Place is beautiful inside but overall I wasn't really impressed enough to go back any time soon. read more

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Went here for dinner with 2 other couples.. Pleasant atmosphere, friendly attentive service. Mixed reviews on the food at our table. Pizza was good, meatballs mushy and very soft, table bread fresh with olive oil dip, salads very tasty ,eggplant with coating, soft not crispy, pasta and sauce good. Food plated nicely, portion size good, hot food came out hot, General menu in my opinion pricey. read more

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I booked this place for Mother's Day thinking it would be a great spot, don't let the pretty decor and the fact that it's in South Park fool you. This was the worst food I've had in a while, especially having the title of an Italian restaurant is an incredible audacity of them to have. Half of my table got eggs Benedict, all 3 plates came out so dry and tasted as if they had college kids cheffing it up in there. They also forgot our potatoes on all 3 plates, and when they realized, they brought it out within 3 seconds and they were rock hard and cold...so they were sitting on the counter. It's a pretty place, but not worth a single dollar read more

Leo's Italian Social - "Sliced crispy potatoes!" - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We had a wonderful meal at the bar on Saturday night and wanted to say how great Kara and Marcus were! I

Underwhelming to say the least and subpar service. We stopped in without a reservation on Memorial Day weekend Sunday night. When the water was served, I asked for a slice of lemon for the water and received 8 slices of dried out lemon on a plate. We had the burrata as an appetizer which was ok. Some form of balsamic drizzle on it that just wasn't appealing looking. The bread served with the buratta was a little cold and soft. even thought it appeared to have been toasted. Asked for a side of olive oil and basalmic and received two saucers filled with each? Went to use the pepper mill and the entire top and bottom came apart spilling peppercorns all over the table. My wife and I picked them up and put them in the plate because the waitress didn't wipe the table after explaining what happened. My wife and I split a Marguerite pizza which was tasty although cold and the Rigatoni. Again somewhat bland and for $22 would have expected something different. Asked if it was house made pasta which she relied yes. Although we both got the feeling she had no idea what we were taking about. (It wasn't house made, btw, if it was it wasn't good) Waitress never cleared the table or wiped it down even though it clearly needed to be wiped. We put our used plates on the side of the table and she walked by 3-4 times and never picked it up. Even after clearing our main plates. No manager anywhere that we saw. On the plus, the lava cake dessert was tasty. Fair to say we will not be coming back after this experience. Train your staff, pay attention to the details and it's ok to charge me $22 for mediocre pasta and cold pizza. read more

Leo's Italian Social - The plates that were never cleared. - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Delicious dinner will definitely be back our waiter was fantastic Outside area is gorgeous as well as inside read more

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Cafeteria like atmosphere... boring decor... waitstaff and bartenders were not forthcoming with suggestions nor were they welcoming. Good meatballs though. read more

Best part- the bread /dip and the zucchini frites! Place was dead - two tables and still took forever to get served inbetween. Asked for no French dressing on steak salad and came with it covered but couldn't get any help so just ate it. I had the salmon risotto - way too much balsamic and odd to pay $30 for a meal and get all the end stalk bits of asparagus that restaurants normally throw out read more

Leo's Italian Social - Zucchini frites - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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The food was delicious, but the service was the worst I've experienced at a sit-down restaurant. Our server was polite * when we saw her, but the little things like not noticing our empty water carafes or remembering our son's drink order were a challenge for her. I had to ask the hostess to find our server after we had finished our entrees and had been sitting there for about 10 minutes. She apologized and said management had her doing other things. Not a great night for celebrating my wife on Mother's Day. read more

First time here for a birthday dinner with a friend. Very nice. Very bright fluorescent lighting. Open concept. Casual dress to more dressy. Parking is in the garage, free. Our food was beyond delicious. I think our servers name was Ariel and she made our experience wonderful. I'd love to bring my husband here and try other dishes on the menu. Both of our meals were in the $20-30 range. Check them out! read more

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This was a last minute decision and it was very disappointing. The location is pretty, there is no on-street parking or parking lot. You have to park in parking decks but if they all seem free for the most part. The restaurant is very clean and has a very open concept. It is very modern and doesn't give off any Italian vibes at all. The music is very low and diverse. The restaurant is very modern. Service is okay. Nothing spectacular. We did take a little bit to decide what we want, we just want to take some time to read and digest the very short menu. The traffic was slow in the restaurant you can tell people were comfortable at their tables chit chatting, really leaning into the social part of the title. Service was slow, many times I found myself looking for the waiter and he was chatting it up with the cooks that were behind this fancy wall they have. Made eye contact and he was still running then gums. Food was the worst part. The starting bread is yummy to me. My dinning partner liked the outside of the bread only and did not care for the dip. Me, I enjoyed the dip, it is balsamic glaze based and sweet. You expect more of a savory olive oil situation and that's not what's going on. The bread comes out as a cute little puff and is hard of the outside and extremely doughy on the inside which I love. My dinning partner got the baked rigatoni and it was 4/10. It was very basic, the sauce was earthy, salty, sweet, and weird. The noodles were undercooked and hard in some parts. The serving size isn't a problem but it was just surprising. I personally had the lasagna, it was 5/10. The flavors complement each other more than the rigatoni situation, but it was still all over the place. It could have been the cheese but I swear I was chewing on onions, if not it has the most onion flavor. It is also extremely earthy and fresh if you can believe it, it was almost as if biting into a piece of lettuce. The flavor palate was all over the place and underwhelming. Cocktails with the unlisted pricing runs about $13 ( I asked out of curiosity the house wine is perfect ). Overall it was just very disappointing and It's not somewhere I want to try again or would recommend. read more

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I will say the food here was delicious and enjoyable but the service was just so terrible. It was completely empty inside and only a couple tables outside but the servers would just never come back for extended periods of time and we could just see them chatting inside not doing anything. Even the manager was just standing or sitting down talking with the staff. We were so exhausted after a long day at the white water center and wanted to just eat a nice meal and then go to bed but it dragged on unnecessarily from lazy service. I also put our dessert in when we got our entree so it would come out quickly and then our server forgot to put it in until I asked after we were sitting forever after we finished where our dessert is. He did comp it and we got it Togo instead but it was still annoying. I wouldn't come back to this location but I might try their other ones in hope of better service to match the good food. read more

Came by in a Tuesday night for a Christmas dinner with some friends.. Reservation was at 6:30 and was seated right away.. However, when I was seated. It took them about 10 mins for anybody to come to take my drinks order.. When my friends made it there. It took them another 15 mins to come back with my drink and to take my friends drink orders. At one point I have to look around for our waitress. I'm wondering if they are short staffs. It's not busy. But I don't see that much staffs working. I ordered calamari 4/5 stars. The sauce was great. However I was hoping my calamari will be a little crispier. Then the bolognese is a 5/5. It was perfectly sauce. And balance out the pasta. Perfect dish. Ambiance that night was a 5/5. Very pleasant read more

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We came on Saturday afternoon. Not busy at all. Only one server, Riley. He was amazing. Cheerful and helpful, but not overbearing. Everything we had was excellent. Calamari so fresh, you could still smell the ocean water. My salmon salad was great; son had spaghetti and meatball- that meatball looked like it weighed 1/2 lb. And hubby had a mushroom pizza on cauliflower crust. He wolfed it down, with a virgin dragonfruit mojito. To end the late lunch, I had the butter cake. Unfortunately, I had to share with my family, but the portion size was big enough that nobody felt cheated. It's a beautiful restaurant, patio is nice and cool vibes. 10/10. read more

Stunning restaurant, absolutely beautiful! Service from Dianna was superb, but the food was average. I ordered a medium well steak & it wasn't even medium rare. I couldn't eat it! read more

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Wow! A fun and creative take on Italian cuisine. The atmosphere is airy and the food is fresh and flavorful. Prices are reasonable and service is wonderful. read more

We have been here a few times and it is always good. The place is huge and elegant. The staff is excellent, the food is good and the price is good as well. If you are in the area and want a good meal with excellent service, a great ambiance and a good price..... Go Here! read more

Excelent Service, specially the drinks are so good, and the Bartender is so nice. The ambiance is wonderful, definitely we will come back. It's a beautiful place with excelent service and wonderful drinks. read more

Classy restaurant. I had dinner here on 02/01 for my friend's birthday. The drinks were GOOD. Food was great. Service was friendly. The bathrooms were clean! They offer vegetarian options. Parking is located in a separate deck and you have to walk to the restaurant from the deck. All parking is free. There are other restaurants in the shopping center as well. I'd most definitely come back. read more

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Italian wedding soup was bland - no seasoning. Eggplant Parmesan was crispy, but not seasoned. Dinner could've been better if fresh herbs and spices were utilized. read more

Leo's Italian Social - Wedding Soup - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I went the other day looking for the restaurant that previously occupied the premises. I took a look at reviews and the menu and decided I would give it a shot for dinner. There were not very many people dining and I'm wondering whether this place is sustainable. The pasta was fair. The bread was good but the service was merely average. I still left a nice tip but left wondering what she really did to earn a $30 tip for mediocre service. There was no smile, no suggestions and no cheerfulness whatsoever in her demeanor. I 100% will not go back because there are too many other places in town with better food and certainly better service. read more

An unfriendly experience- not customer oriented. Had received an email in the morning promoting special lunch (and dinner) during restaurant week. I called the Charlotte location to confirm that it was available there. Told yes. Arrived and seated- server said that I could not get that "special" meal there (salad, lasagna, dessert- all items on the menu). She said she'd ask the manager. He came over and I showed him the email- and noted that I had called the phone number for this restaurant. He Just said "sorry ". We said guess you'll lose a customer. (We had assumed he'd serve us that meal, one time only, and just adjust the price. But nothing.) So we left and went to a better restaurant and enjoyed lunch. Will not ever return- too many restaurants appreciate having satisfied customers. read more

We attended a private event here on a Saturday evening. Despite it being cold and rainy, the restaurant was pretty busy. The ambiance was upscale. It's a great place for a dinner date or to meet up with friends. We went straight to the back area where our event was taking place. The servers were extremely attentive throughout our event. We were able to get our drinks quickly. Although the menu was preset, I was able to find a variety of things that fit my pescatarian diet. I had some salad, cheese tortellini, salmon, potatos, asparagus, and bread. There was tirimisu for dessert. Everything was delicious! I would definitely return again in the future to try other menu items. Pro-tip: They have a rewards program. Details are available on their website. read more

Leo's Italian Social - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We went to celebrate a Birthday this evening. It wasn't good.... First, the waiter was very nice. The food being terrible was not his fault. If it was not for the service, it would be zero stars. We ordered 3 dishes - Pasta Bolognese, Chicken Piccata and Chicken Parmesan. None were good and the Chicken Parmesan was the worst of them all. The Pasta Bolognese was not Bolognese. It appeared as more if a Chef Boyardee Beefaroni then a Bolognese. The Chicken Piccata - the chicken was rubbery as if it was poor quality. The Chicken Parm was crusted in an something odd. The chicken also was rubbery and almost cold. The pasta has a sauce on it that tasted more like salsa from a Mexican restaurant -- not an Italian tomato sauce. Needless to say the Parm went back. Restaurant management must be incapable -- or at least I assume they are since not one even bothered to come over after we shared our thoughts on the food. That was a complete shocker. The rest of the food got pushed around a little and not finished. We passed on dessert assuming that it would be horrific as well. Absolutely the worst restaurant that I have ever been to in my entire life as far as food is concerned. There are other good Italian restaurants around. This is definitely not one of them. read more

Recently visited Leo's for a second time and I'm glad I gave it another chance. My first visit was about a week or so after opening and I was disappointed for several reasons but I decided to return once the kinks were worked out. The restaurant is very spacious and they have plenty of seating. The decor is beautiful, nice and bright and they have pretty chandeliers at the massive bar. The patio is a good size too and that's where I sat recently. The service still needs a little work. Staff was friendly, but a little slow and didn't really offer anything that wasn't asked for, such as plates to use for the bread that was brought to the table. I tried the calamari, which was 10x better than my first visit. I love the addition of peppers to the portion. I ordered a lunch special for my main course - 1/2 Caesar salad and 1/2 bolognese pasta. The pasta could use a little more sauce (I ended up requesting some on the side for the leftovers I took home) but it was delicious. The portion was really good too! Not only did I eat enough to satisfy me for lunch but I had a nice amount leftover that I took home and ate for dinner. I think the bolognese was even better then! I'd definitely return and maybe next time try for dinner. Parking is plentiful, there are two garages that offer parking for visitors and there are also several spaces on the street. read more

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Overall aesthetic was beautiful And service was great. Food was so-so. Lobster corn chowder was tasty but was missing the bacon. Eggplant parm was cut very thick and pasta was dry and clumped into one big chunk. read more

Leo's Italian Social - Eggplant Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Dinner was nicely prepared, hot and delicious. Entrees were reasonably priced, but salads and apps were higher than expected--like that's how they make up the price difference. Beautiful decor. I was visiting the area but would return. read more

When the waitstaff proudly announces that this is an "all scratch restaurant" it makes me cringe so hard. The reason is that of course everything should be made in house and that should go without saying. It's not as if this is fast casual, this is a restaurant. So when staff declares that, I immediately distrust them and think the food is going to be subpar. Are they so used to bad food that although this is made on premises will it still be mediocre? I hate it when I get homemade pasta and it's not good. Ordered the shrimp/lobster pasta. Just bland, too al dente almost raw pasta, and no cream sauce that I could taste or see. The 4 shrimp and minuscule lobster was good. The cremini mushrooms were almost raw and therefore hard. Equally as bad was the fact that the waitress offered all 4 of us salads in a way that was worded to sound like they were included. Everyone was shocked when they got their bill. Furthermore there was an upcharge for anchovies and she neglected to tell us. The ambiance is relaxing and somewhat grand. The lighting could be a touch dimmer. I would never go back. Even the bread was mediocre. read more

Food was tasty and prepared as requested Restaurant was clean Server was a little stand offish at first but warmed up and was very pleasant and attentive. read more

Leo's Italian Social - Lobster and corn chowder soup - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This is a new restaurant in a nice location. There is the shared parking in the parking garage, however the maximum amount of time that you can receive for free parking is 90 minutes. The restrooms are clean and the staff are friendly. Each time that I have gone so far it's been empty. They do not have any major specials, but have a rewards program. The menu does not list or specials. I am not sure if they had a grand opening like the Duckworth across the street. You can easily make a reservation on OpenTable. The meatball pizza is basic. Came back for brunch and the ricotta banana foster pancakes were basic pancakes with nuts and no ricotta taste at all. They should just be banana pancakes with bananas and nut topping. The breakfast pizza was tasty and large portion. The temperatures and textures were good. The food came out in a good time. The tiramisu is tasty and the poet gooey butter cake was not what I expected. It's not as warm as it sounds. The calamari was good we quite liked the fried peppers which gave it flavor. Hope you enjoy! read more

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Terrible ass restaurant, waiters have no sense of time, waited over an hr and a half for food and got 3 orders wrong plus food isn't even hot. read more

My bestie and I frequent Leo's for lunch often. The pesto pasta w chicken is my absolute favorite dish there, I get it with linguine noodles. The pizza is good, salads have been really good, and I also enjoy their salmon!! The restaurant is very aesthetically pleasing and the service has been on point. I def recommend for lunch or dinner in South Park. read more

Leo's Italian Social - Salmon Griglia - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Food was absolutely delicious. This was for our Thanksgiving luncheon for work. We were the only table at the time. Our hostess/waitress/bartender was not that great. She took a really long time to come to our table at first and when she finally did, she had an attitude with the entire table. This continued throughout the entirety of our experience. My drink was quite strong and very syrupy. The pasta was absolutely delicious and so was the cake. Would come again but would request another waitress. The place was so pretty and had a good vibe but the waitress really blew the experience for me. read more

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