Have eaten at Lea's many times over the years ....almost always stop when traveling for pie and coffee. Recently drove through the area specifically to stop there on our way home from a beach trip. We arrived at 2:45 and were told they were no longer allowing anyone to sit down, although hours were posted as closing at three. We asked if we could just get pie and coffee, use the restroom and sit for 10-15 minutes after driving 6 hours with 4 more hours to go. They said no! They did give us coffee and pie to go which were very good, and allowed us to us the restroom, but we were not allowed to sit and eat it, although there were two obviously local gentlemen sitting and enjoying their coffee and pie when we left! It really gave us a bad feeling to literally be thrown out when we weren't asking them to cook for us, just cut pie that was already made and serve coffee that was already made.!!!! read more

Go for the pie!!! Stopped off at Lea's for lunch and a slice of heaven. Ham sandwiches are pretty average but the pies are SO DELICIOUS. Between me and my friends, we sampled the lemon meringue, chocolate meringue and blackberry pies. The meringue was sky high, light and fluffy and the fillings delicious. The blackberry pie was tart but sweet with a flaky crust...it was so yummy I got one to go. The service staff were friendly and attentive. If you are searching for a pie close to what your Mama made, check out Lea's! read more

We visited this darling little restaurant on our weekend trip in July. It was absolutely delicious! Our waitress was WONDERFUL and the food was excellent ! I'm so grateful that little mom and pop shops like this still exist! If you are passing through make sure you swing by you won't regret it! read more

We will drive further out of our way while driving back to Little Rock, to make a stop at Lea's for lunch & a piece of pie! Coconut is my favorite, but they are all great. This place is a Louisiana treasure. read more

I rate this 4 stars, not because it is a must done place, but rather for the authenticity of the dining locale. It has been here for 86 + years. I can appreciate an establishment that lasts that long. They are obviously a local icon. The interior lends itself to what you would see at any small town gathering hole. It's roomy and allows for easy conversing with other patrons. A plus if you know everyone. They seem to be well known for the pies, which was evident with the large display of homemade pies and the even larger stacks of pie cartons. The menu itself was nonexistent. Their limited daily fare consisted of 2 entrees and 4 sandwiches. All of which was written on a blackboard. The servers were extremely nice and pleasant and didn't have the rush rush attitude you see in chain restaurants or local dives. I had the roastbeef dinner. While it seemed as normal as any other dinner, it came with rice dressing. It was odd enough in name, but wow it was really good! If we were in the area again, we would probably stop in again but maybe on a busier night to see what really goes on here. read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Baked ham dinner. - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

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Best meringue I've eaten! We ordered the Chocolate, the Lemon and the Coconut pies and all were amazing!

family of 7 kids had grilled cheese sandwich for 7.50 a piece looked like it was made with cheap bread and bag of chips kids didn't like it , my wife and i ordered the baked ham with rice and blackeye peas for 14.50 a plate to begin with i am a chef the portion of baked ham was barely 3 ounces with a 1/ 4 cup of rice and 2oz black eye peas what a rip-off we been here more than once last 3 yrs when we travel to Alexandria they really cutdown on portions and the pies have gone up to 25.95 a pie from 20.00 a pie to a slice of pie 5.95 it seems like greed has stepped in or they are having financial problems to stay afloat we took home peach pie for 25.95 but the Mary Callender in the frozen food section Wass better the lemon meringue pie was all meringue hardly any lemon. the waitresses were nice not there fault buti will not be eating there any time soon very bad we had to wait 15 minutes to be waited on to read more

Posting for Steve Franks who visited this restaurant with a group on 11/1/20. Very disappointed. Very limited menu options. Fried chicken had tons of yellow fat when you pulled back the chicken crust. Didn't appear to be fully cooked. Peas and carrots were horrible. Appeared to be frozen however they had a weird texture. Rice dish was inedible due to hard pieces of rice throughout the dish. Iced tea had 4 cubes of ice. Then I ordered a piece of pecan pie hoping the pie would offset the food. Wrong. The pie filling was like soup. You could have sucked it through a straw. I would not recommend this place if you intend to leave full and happy. read more

Got off highway during road trip based on yelper reviews. Since I had a dog in the car I could not eat inside. Classic old diner with incredible pies in the case. It was breakfast time but I got there ham sandwich to go. True to reviews it was great, and I don't ever order ham sandwiches. Hard to describe. Just goes down easy and I could have eaten more than one! So good. And the pies. Killer. Had a slice of chocolate meringue that was awesome. Airy and delicious. Took a whole coconut meringue in the car that was devoured my family and friends that night. Happy I got off the exit to try this gem. read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

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Oh Sweet Jesus!.....it is almost impossible to explain how good this place is. I lived in Central LA for a while and I would travel out of my way to this restaurant as often as I could. At first glance, it really isn't much to look at...just a small town diner located on a busy state highway with what can only be described as a limited menu at best: Ham sandwiches, a special-of-the-day plate lunch, strong Louisiana coffee and homemade pies. It may not sound like much, but take my word for it, it's enough.... Their now famous ham sandwich consists of a combination of sliced, home-baked ham and ground ham plus lettuce, tomato and pickle on a sandwich bun. The only other items are a daily plate lunch with three choices of meat and locally raised vegetables and of course, the renowned pies. Let us not forget the cracklin'cornbread and especially the bread pudding, which I have made a trip to this restaurant entirely for by itself. It is unique from other bread puddings, but the best I have ever had. Lea's Lunchroom bakes eight different types of pies each morning. The daily flavors include coconut, lemon, chocolate, banana, apple, peach, cherry and the best-selling flavor, pecan. The six seasonal flavors are pumpkin, mincemeat, sweet potato, blueberry, blackberry and dewberry. Lea's homemade pies are listed in the Louisiana Hall of Fame and were selected as a favorite by Louisiana Life magazine readers. In March 2001, the Louisiana Legislature proclaimed Lecompte the Pie Capitol of Louisiana, and every governor since John M. Parker has eaten a meal at this restaurant. When your pies get you on the Johnny Carson show, you know they are good. It's also reported that the renowned outlaws Bonnie and Clyde had a meal at the original location in the early 1930's. Geographically located on highway 71, exactly between New Orleans and Shreveport, and now with a new location right off of I-49. Closed on Mondays. I wish I could grant them more than five stars....and If I were on death row, I would request two ham sandwiches, a plate lunch with cracklin' cornbread, two bread puddings, and a slice of everything. read more

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Do you want pies??? Because THIS place is where you get pies! I talk to people all the time who drive out of their way to pick up these delicious, homemade pies. Their ham sandwich is also very good! Very small, out of the way place with a small gift shop. Veer off into this town and find this place, you will be a repeat visitor from the first bite! read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

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Probably the worst lunch I've had. This place needs to be glad the locals have no where else to eat. The lunch special was a very small amount of food for $12.25 and the peach pie was average at best. We paid $40+ for 2 lunches, drinks, and 2 prices of pie. ETA -Ive come here for coffee and breakfast early and it's okay. We don't have anything else. The breakfast and coffee is generally $10. They have an awkward break from 9:45-10:45 where you can only get pie and sandwiches read more

Lea's Lunchroom - :( very disappointed with the food - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

Best pies and breakfast you will ever eat. It is the old days feel with old time taste that we all enjoy. Just like eating at your grandmothers! read more

A perennially great INSTITUTION in our "CENLA"; never bypass Lea's! CAVEAT: Lea's stops serving ~ 3:30, & closes @ 4:00 PM daily. Plate lunches & bun baked ham sandwiches are fine; PIES are LEGENDARY ! I've been enjoying Lea's "pit & pie" stops for over a half-century ! Rick read more

We had previously heard great things about Lea's prior to moving to the area. It had slipped our mind most days, but we woke up this morning craving sweets! So I meantime's pies and we both agreed that it would be a perfect time to go check out Lea's! It was definitely worth the drive and the wait to finally go out there. It's such a humble and welcoming place, walking in you are surrounded by the sweet smell of pies, and lines of people eager to take home fresh pies! We sat and shared a fried chicken plate and everything on the plate was delicious! We saved enough room to try some pies! We had our hopes set on banana pie but they were out, so we picked three others and they were amazing. I'm not a fan of meringue but the lemon meringue was perfect, the apple and pecan melt in your mouth. We will definitely be back! read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Fried chicken, beans and peas, buttered squash and cornbread dressing - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

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Do not stop!!! Seriously!!! I think MRE's are 150% better than this place. We had 3 food choices.. Pot roast, baked ham, stuffed bell peppers... No problem. We asked what was their best plate... They recommended pot roast. What came to the table was definitely not pot roast.... It looked like a frozen cutlet with brown gravy on top. No veggies at all in it and not quite sure what the meat actually was!!! Please don't waste your time! read more

Really cute place in the middle of nowhere. Where do they sell all of those pies? Because they had a whole lot. Boxes and boxes. A different selection pies seem to be made every day. The particular day we stopped, they were featuring blackberry in addition to the standard apple, pecan, lemon etc. We ordered a slice of apple and blackberry. My husband can't resist an apple pie. Pies were good, but can't say we were blown away. I liked them better than my husband did, but then I'm not the pie person of the family. The apple had a nice flavor to it, better than average in my opinion with the addition of nutmeg. My husband did not like the texture of either the filling (not chunky enough) or the crust (not flaky enough). I agreed with him that the pie crust was of the soft rather than the flaky/crunchier variety. But some people may prefer it that way. Liked the flavor of the blackberry pie. That was very fresh. Decor was nice. This was the place we bought the $2.50 bottle of garlic hot sauce mentioned in another review. read more

Been wanting to stop here for a long time, finally got the chance. Bought a pecan pie, yes it was a little pricey, but we bought it anyway. Despite some of the reviews I've read it was very good! I'll be back at a later date to try the cherry pie read more

Very nice staff, great plate lunch, terrific desserts, and damn good sweet tea. Only 8 minutes from I-49. Worth the trip. read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

very nice place to slow down & eat great lunch & delicious pies. waitress was fantastic read more

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We wanted this place to be good! Such high hopes! Oh but this place is quite the disappointment. Food all tasted like it had sugar added to it. My hubs who will eat about anything didn't finish his meal. Mac and Cheese was Kraft Easy MAC. They also charge $13 for 1 piece of fish and 3 nasty sides. Pie was not great either: daughter called it sugar eggs. Just keep driving right by this place. read more

Pretty good if you want a quick lunch or sandwich. Meals and pies are over priced. Nothing special here except for the history and reputation. read more

I really don't get what all the fuss is about with this place. The limited lunch menu is on a chalkboard on the wall allowing a choice of two entrees and a handful of sides. I got the chicken tenders plate. It was cold. The tenders were dry and tough and tasted like they were a day old. They, along with the mushy overcooked rice, were covered in a weird brown gravy. The white beans had no flavor and tasted like they were dumped out of a can. My son got the mac n' cheese which was just a small dIsh of boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese. This all might have been forgotten if the pie were worthwhile, but it was also underwhelming. The lemon pie was stiff, congealed and very odd. The banana cream pie was clumpy and stale. The berry pie was ok, but I've had frozen pies that were more pleasing. Our bill was nearly $40 and stomach aches all around were the only thing that stuck with us afterwards. I'm a huge pie fan, and this was a real disappointment. read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Berry pie and lemon cream pie. - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

Two stars for being quaint and presumably good based on the other reviews. However myself and my dear friend did not have an opportunity to enjoy their food as not one person, whether a cashier ,server, or manager took the time to greet us. Our dogs baking in the sun, we wanted to order to go but nobody waited on us...even after we walked up to the bakery case and asked an unoccupied staff woman the price of a pie. She did not help us. Nor did the server who was understandably busy talking to her friends and showing off her baby nephew. But the cashier and another server were also too busy talking amongst themselves to be bothered. So who could bother them? Keep in mind this is after we asked the staff member about their great pie. Lousy service and an unneeded 15 minute wait to be recognized ensured that this "quaint " little restaurant rest in our rear view mirror. A slice of Louisiana that left a bitter taste in our mouth. read more

Hey they're known for their pies. That's what brought us there off of I-49, but I would say skip the lunch menu. Portions were small and food was lukewarm and very...bland. Not cheap either for what you get. They get 3 stars for the pies but the food otherwise should be a 2. read more

Now of course your grammy makes the best pie in the world, but Lea's Lunch Room makes the second best. Try the cherry, pecan, or rhubarb. And for god's sakes, have it a la mode! read more

GOD bless Lea's Lunchroom .... When the Rednecks of North Louisiana geaux south to watch they're FIGHTING TIGERS rolling on dah River... Lea's Lunchroom is the OFFICIAL halfway OASIS of love for pie, gossip, Louisiana style coffee, cracklin cornbread & gravy, pecan pie, Ham Sammys and all good thangs in between ... Friends ole' and new have for 60 years depended on Mr Lea and his wife to feed the hungry road weary LSU TIGER fateful .and the states many scalawags .......And unlike some Tiger teams and some Tiger COACHES .... They NEVER EVER disappointed ... NEVER...... LONG LIVE the GREAT LEA'S LUNCH ROOM ...... A Louisiana LEGEND ... read more

Famous for Pies. If you like Southern Style pies, then stop here for coffee and Coconut Cream, Pecan, Apple and many other pie types, that would make grandma jealous. read more

Once again not disappointed at all in the excellent food! Baked ham is superb and their pies are incredible!! read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

Average food at best and fairly expensive considering how small the lunch portions are - I would not recommend. The food was quite bland - which in Southern Louisiana is VERY surprising... Service was also problematic...you have been warned. read more

The Food Was So Dry , Looked Like Food From A Nursing Home The Service Was Okay , The Atmosphere Was Boring ! read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Dry ! No Salt &'There Wasn't Any At The Table ! - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

So we all know the definition of insanity--doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome (I paraphrase). So I keep going back to Lea's expecting that slice of Americana that I had in the mid-70s. Alas, it is not to be. I think I'm done. I've been back (in recent history) four times on my way to or from north Louisiana. Each time the visit has disappointed me more than the previous. Each time the parking lot is a little less crowded. That's a clue. That's sad on many levels. The good news is the servers could not be nicer or more accomodating. Those girls hustle and it's appreciated. And the pies continue to rock. Hence the two star rating. But pies alone do not make a restaurant, no matter the lineage. Change the name to Lea's Pie Joint. It has lost the right to call itself a lunchroom, at least by generally accepted diner standards. First of all I can accept a limited menu. I get the fact that you limit the offerings. The theory is you then focus on quality. Check the first box. Not the second. Today's choices were a ham lunch entree, pork roast and red beans and rice. So I went with the pork. I rarely complain about portions. I'm actually turned off by plates overflowing with food. So that isn't a criticism in this case although others might criticize the portions. It was the quality of the food. Accompanying the pork--rice and gravy, kernel corn and baby limas. As difficult it is for me to admit this I have had hospital cafeteria food more seasoned than each of the lunch items. And as any good Louisiana cook knows, just adding a little salt here, a little pepper there doesn't solve the problem. Bland. Lackluster. Just south of mediocre. Bottom line: not worth the detour. Lea's, I miss you. Thanks for the memories. Won't be back. read more

Well we been wanting to try this place since we moved close to Forest Hill so today way that day and after hearing different reviews I must say I am not impressed with this place at all. Menu was very limited and I mean limited so we decided to opt for the Ham Sandwich and it was nothing fancy it was on a Hamburger Bun instead of Real Bread. Then we decided on pie with the sandwich and two teas and one water. Our bill was 40.24.Pie was not that good since it had about 2 inches of Meringue and half inch of the pie filling. Pie was 3.95 a slice and worth about 2.Neediless to say we will drive either up into Alex. or over in Forest Hill from now on to eat. This place is way over rated. Thank you. read more

Get the ham sandwich (a classic here) and any pie. All made fresh everyday like my Gram would've made. Real simple thin crust and tons of meringue on the coconut cream and lemon. The fruit pies are seasonal. This is not a "cheese factory" type pie. It is perfect and made just right the old fashioned way. The place is adorable. read more

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My family and I drove from Slidell, Louisiana, which is roughly three hours from this restaurant. It was about an hour from closing time, and the place was sparsely populated. We walked over to a large table for six near the window, even though there were only three of us. The waitress came up to us and apologetically asked us to move because the owner would have a fit. I told the waitress that we only drove three hours to eat here; perhaps she wouldn't want us to eat here after all. Her response was that she didn't know; all she could do was apologize. The entrees were good, but lukewarm. The pies were great, but the mood was already ruined. read more

Wow!! Delicious home cooking. This tastes like I went back in time to my childhood and went to my grandmother's house. The pork roast with cabbage, wild rice and field peas was a little piece of nostalgic heaven!! read more

It's almost impossible to describe this roadside treat. I went in expecting an amazing meal, thanks to some fellow Yelpers, and it didn't disappoint! Melt in your mouth pie, with delicious entrees! There's a second location in Monroe, but I haven't stopped there yet. If it's even ten percent of what the Lecompte location is, I'd still eat at the Monroe one. It's on a relatively busy highway, but still feels like you've stepped into a time machine. read more

Simple breakfast done extremely well. Each item had a little extra something to make it at the very least above par. All around great food no matter what you get. Their pies are really good too and the staff were super sweet. I'd highly recommend it if you're in the neighborhood. read more

This is NOT a place for picky eaters. The menu is posted on the wall. Choose from 4 different meat portions and all come with the same three side dishes. Comparable to eating at your moms house. If you don't like it don't eat it... If you're hungry than eat. Nothing wow. Food was yummy. Was disappointed at the small portion of de-boned baked chicken on the plate. My five year old wanted more... We asked waitress for more meat for her and she brought it right out- with no extra charge. Friendly and accommodating staff. Like being at home. Dessert (pie is the only option ) is the main reason to detour and enjoy this homely atmosphere. Very laid back. Overall great dine in experience. We are a family of 4 (2 adults and kids) and we ate for $45 (including 3 slices of pie) (fYi: banana was our favorite) read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Chalkboard on the wall is the Menu - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

I've seen mixed reviews but I've heard their pies are awesome. Took a short detour off of I 49 to try it out. I was attended to quickly and had my beverage within 2 minutes. The daily menu is simple and has a couple of selections. I had the red beans and rice w a cornbread muffin. Cooked and seasoned perfectly. Simply done which made it perfect. The lemon meringue pie was to die for. Would visit again. Time has stood still here. The music, the furniture and the service....I must say that I like it that way! read more

Lea's Lunchroom - Lemon Meringue Pie - Southern Near Me - Lecompte, Louisiana

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