My local watering hole from Regina opened up it's latest branch in Winnipeg last week. Mixed feelings about seeing an establishment expand so fast from a purely personal perspective. It is called Leopold's Tavern (Leo's) and first opened up in 2013 in a great location that never seemed to be kind to any business that opened up there for some reason. Prior to that there had been several restaurants there which only last 1-2 years each.
This location (now called Leos OG) was only about 5 blocks from my house in Regina, and I spent an obscene amount of time and money there when I was single. It was a fantastic pub, tiny on the inside and only 6 tables on the patio (part of it's charm imo), friendly service, great food and always have local beer on tap! Over the next 4 years, they opened up two more locations in Regina, two in Saskatoon and 1 in Calgary. So, I knew it was only a matter of time before they came to the Peg.
It was fitting that we left the little guy home for the first time and went to Leos for lunch last week on opening day 
Very glad they are here. The beer and nachos tasted the same, got to see the chief bartender from Leos OG again after a year, which was nice, but at the same time a part of me is a little sad that the quaint little Leos I knew and loved is now turning into the next big chain.
GBA and other WPG peeps - I propose we go to Leos for our next meet up!
I read an article about Leo's the other day. Apparently they are trying to 'replicate' the Dive bar feel. I dunno how I feel about that. I mean, a Dive bar isn't something that one should strive to attain...it just is, or it isn't. A Dive is something that comes through years of general scumminess and neglect.
I dunno. I think they should just try to be 'a bar', and if after a few years they take on the 'Dive bar' persona, then so be it. But to expressly set themselves up as a Dive bar in the first place, well, it seems a little forced and pretentious (ironically).
I.E. for reference to Dive Bars, go see Toad in the Hole on Osborne, or Times Change(d) on Main.
Yea, I read that article too. I thought the whole "dive bar" thing was really weird. When I read it, I saw that the quote was attributed to Ian Campbell who is the local GM and isn't involved with any of the other Leos so he is new to the brand. I wonder if the founders/owners of the brand see it the same way. Even Leos OG doesnt feel anything like a dive bar. No matter how hard you try, it is still only 5 years old. And nothing about the food, beer, seating, ambience etc say dive bar to me. It was never touted as trying to be a dive bar before.
To me, it is and will always be a completely unpretentious bar where you don't have to dress up, you go in for a pint or five, meet your friends or the other regulars who end up becoming friends. That being said, it was/is still a nice bar. Not divey in the least. At least thats how I feel about the OG. I hope the other locations live up to the same feel.
One of the highlights of my time at Leos in Regina was in 2013/14 - That was the only location back then, and a bunch of my friends and I were at a stag. The next morning, I was hung over and some other friends said we should go to Leos to have breakfast while watching football. Great idea! Turns out some other guys from the stag had the same idea and were also at Leos. It was the only time in my life that I've had breakfast, lunch and supper at the same pub. The Riders beat the BC Lions in the western semis that night and all the BC fans stormed the pub after the game. One of them bet my australian friends that she wouldnt dance on the table if ACDC was played on the jukebox. We made sure an ACDC track was played, and she swiftly got up on the table and started dancing. The whole pub cheered, then the music was cut off and they ordered her off the table or we'd all be thrown out. Everyone boo'ed and to top it off the BC fan didn't even pay her the $20 that was on the line! IIRC, the night ended at a country bar with bad karaoke.
