Food was blunt... the lo mein was tasteless.. their beef with broccoli was awful. I perhaps they ran out of salt cuz nothing taste good. The only good thing about this place is the price per serving. You def get a lot of food for the price. I bet that's a good deal for many but not for me. Service was ok I guess. The ambiance is exactly what you get from an only take out place. read more

Been eating Leo's Chow Mein for Years & it's always good except the Noodles aren't as good as they used to be. read more

Consistently excellent food! I want a gallon of the dumpling sauce. Soooo good! My favorite is the Mei Fun!

we had read about this in Taste section, been looking for a good place. very disappointed, chow mein had no flavor (green) egg foo yung was like eating baby food and shrimp lo mein, had no flavor at all. what a disappointment. would not recommend at all read more

It's a small old school locally owned restaurant that has delicious food. I called in my order, my food was packed and ready for pickup in the time frame that they gave me. At the time I went it was take out/delivery only. They don't have Apple Pay but that's okay. I think the prices are fair for the times we're living in. I rate it a 10/10 definitely recommend. read more

There was plenty of food for the price. Regular order is big enough for one. Large is big enough for two or more people. We also had the Beef and Broccoli and that also was excellent. read more

We ordered food was the best this time. We got special chicken chow mein sweet and sour chicken fried chicken and fries. Everything was excellent and had good flavor this time. Hopefully next time will be the same. All I can say is yum yum. read more

Best Chinese food in Minnesota. The owners are kind and the food is always great tasting, great price, and great amounts!

Great food!!! Not much on atmosphere but good customer service:) I would recommend to anyone who likes traditional Chinese food...

Our favorite Chinese restaurant was closed today. When I was still working we ate at Leo's often for lunch. Although I know they have had several owners since Leo. We have very fond memories of delicious Chinese food in those days. We thought we'd give Leo's another try. I doubt they've painted the place since Leo had it! At least 15 year ago. We ordered egg foo young, pork with mixed veggies, sweet and sour chicken. I thought this food would be safe. The egg foo young was a ball of egg ,mine had exactly 3 tiny shrimp and I couldn't tell what else beside the rubber egg mixture.The pork and veggies didn't resemble any kind of Chinese flavor at all. The sweet/ sour chicken was really the only edible item. Even the rice what not that great . Needless to say my advice is skip this place completely. I hope I can make it through the night without . I gave one star to write the review, I would have given a "0". read more

Yesterday I ordered egg foo young an the msg was so over bearing to eat had a allergic reaction and called and told him about it. She said they tell everyone but no one has told me if they had MSG in their food. I wouldn't recommend this place to anybody read more

Best Chinese food in town for sure. Not the nicest spot but still good take out food!

Awful food, worst I've ever had. The owner and staff were incredibly rude and nasty. They tried to tow my car while I was inside ordering food. Worst experience of my life. read more

The only place I have found in MN with Chinese food comparable to cities such as New York or San Francisco. Like, these people do their Chinese food RIGHT. I eat here probably once a week, sometimes more.... it's that good! read more

If I could leave a -0 I so would. The food was horrible. There is no ambience. I'm sure I saw a roach, can't prove it. Very ummm dingy place on the east side... I will never eat there again. read more

Man are there some uptight people on here. Is she the prettiest restaurant? No. Is the food good? Hell yes. Best Sweet and Sour Chicken we've ever had. Still crispy, the sauce not too sour not too sweet. Best fried rice, cooked with molasses (someone called it "Chicago Style") . I like the buffet as well, under $8 it's a service style where they bring dishes around and serve you. Try the pork chops. They taste like steak! So if you're not too high and might to visit a family run little hole in the wall, Leo's is good eating! read more

As soon as we pulled in I knew we might be in for a rough experience. Yep...the food quality was every bit as bad as the facility. Will never return. Hope we don't get sick! Go with Chin Chin, even if you're out of their delivery footprint. read more

Leo's Chow Mein - Not sure whether it's overcooked or undercooked, but apparently this is chicken. Wouldn't be able to identify it by taste. - Chinese Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

It's not the service or the taste I have an issue with, it's the total disregard of CLEANLINESS you ought to worry about! For the buffet they come around to your table and give you portions of this and that. The problem is I heard the servers tapping their spoons on each customer's plate as they came around, to get the food onto the plate. Guess what, every person's plate has saliva on it, and that can transfer from plate to plate. Why the St. Paul Health Department hasn't done something about this is a mystery. I will never go back. read more

An East sider Classic. The typical American Chinese food, at good prices and super tasty. Anyone in the cut need to go to this fab local spot. Generations of East sisters have been coming here. It's the delicious Chinese food anyone would come to expect for great prices. I recommend the egg rolls and dumplings. Yum. read more

Oh Leo's. I love you. I miss you, especially your sweet and sour chicken, which I became instantly addicted to. You're a five star because of your unique ambiance and terrific buffet chow. As others have mentioned, this is an East Side institution, a crummy little dive place with great prices and a fantastic buffet. The "buffet" is excellently cheap and the food is brought right to you by the same handful of cheerful, funny employees, so you don't even have to waste your energy chugging back up to the buffet for seconds (and thirds). There are about six dishes in rotation on the buffet and they will keep coming back around to you. Warning: if you can't handle grease, you should skip this place. Even if you have a high grease tolerance, you may be mightily tested. With the exception of the kung pow chicken, which I don't care for, the other buffet dishes (lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, fried potato chips with onions, fried rice, and a couple I forget) are among the best I've eaten from any Chinese buffet establishment. I think it's because the food always comes out fresh to you. Within a few minutes the bowl is gone, divided up amongst the lunch crowd, so it never sits for hours on a warming tray. If you have a soft spot for cheap Chinese buffets, don't miss Leo's. But get there early, cause the place FILLS UP with locals. The people watching is almost as great as the food. read more

Leo is easily the best restaurant on St. Paul's east side. In a bedraggled, light green building near I-94 and Mounds Blvd, Leo's Chow has operated for years and has amassed volumes of faithful customers. Many drive miles down the Highway from 3M world headquarters just to have lunch at the aging establishment. You might gather from the name of the shop that Chow Mein is the signature dish--but it's not. Leo's Sweet and Sour Chicken is so good, I often stop strangers on the street to tell them about it. At most Chinese places, you get some cheap, rubbery, light brown chicken and you have to add the sweet and sour sauce yourself. Not Leo. His chicken is always crispy and smothered in a sauce so delightful, I crack a smile just thinking about it. If you're looking for ambiance, Leo's may not be the best place for a first date. But, if you're a fan of good Chinese food, I promise, Leo's will be an experience you'll never forget. read more

Disclaimer: I have eaten at Leo's since I have been able to speak. No joke. Probably why I am biased. I let my boyfriend try my chow mein, and he thought it was utterly rank. Me: I love and miss it like the desert misses the rain. I think it's because I have been eating since childhood. But it's really cheap, and the dining area is really minimal. It's mostly a take out place. What cracks me up is the asterick notifying people that the pork, is not so much pork. Luckily, I get the vegetable. Most of the people that frequent Leo's are blue collar, working folks. But you should stop by and watch the asian soap operas on the tv, and eat some chow mein. read more

I don't really get how this place got so many great reviews. I will grant them that the food is CHEAP, but you get what you pay for I guess. The chicken wings were DRY and stringy and not good at all. The cream cheese won tons had just a TINY bit of not even fully melted cream cheese with a ton of won ton. Not good. The sweet and sour chicken was passable, but nothing exceptional. Came with maybe 2 chunks of pineapple and one chunk of green pepper. My aunts like the chow mein, but I think they are like many people, eating there so long they just don't know any better. We ordered 3 entrees and they just gave us this one very small container of rice. Not nearly enough for the food and leftovers. Want extra sweet and sour sauce? It's 5 cents per ketchup sized packet or 50 cents for a little container of it. Weird. The service wasn't super impressive, either. I called on the phone and the girl was just rude. I asked if they had anything besides chow mein and she said, "Uh, Yeeahhh" in this snotty "of COURSE we do!" voice. Overall, if you are trying to do Chinese on a budget, this is the place to go. But if you are looking for good Chinese, I would recommend going elsewhere. read more

Like many of the other Leo's reviewers, I'm totally biased in that my family ordered takeout from this dive nearly once a week growing up. We would often get takeout on Sundays, and Leo's was in heavy rotation. I just want to be clear that it's not worth going out of your way for Leo's, but if you're in the neighborhood and are craving super-delicious, liberally soy-sauced chicken fried rice, this will treat you well. But be prepared, the chicken is cut into tiny squares... I don't know how it's possible, but it is. I try not to think about it too much. I've also had the sweet and sour chicken (it's all breading), chicken wings, beef and broccoli and a couple of the shrimp things... but they are honestly not great. The fried rice actually the only thing I still like, even though I know it's sort of gross. When my mom and sister and I went back more recently for the lunch buffet (which is the sit-down kind), I pretty much subsisted with a whole meal of fried rice. Plus, it's really cheap for a huge container to-go! read more

I love that this place is mostly unchanged since the 60's or 70's. Please don't remodel, don't clean it, don't change a THING. The things that deter the cheese-mayo folks on here are exactly what make Leo's great and protect it from, god forbid....FOODIES. The fried chicken and fries seasoned with MSG, god yes. The super dark fried rice, the special chicken chow mein, pork chops, the cabbage on the lunch buffet: All of the above. Anyone looking for authentic Chinese food is missing the point, not just with dining but probably life altogether. Leo's is authentically mid-century MN Chinese-American food, and unchanged. A relic, in my mind. My mom and dad started eating here when she was pregnant with me in the late 70s. To this day, now living in NYC, I still dream of their pork fried rice and MN style chow mein. Dear God, when this COVID apocalypse is over, take the food trucks, take the small plate this and that, the farm to table etc, take the whitewashed MSG free pan-Asian street inspired fare, TAKE MY EYES BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SAVE LEO'S CHOW MEIN read more

Baby Tori M's first Chinese restaurant. So it holds a place of both ignominy and nostalgia in my heart. We ate Leo's at least once a week when I was little, like so many other reviewers, and even now I still have our usual order memorized from when I was about four and my mother would let me make the take-out call. She will still sometimes drive all the way from Hudson just to get her Leo's sweet and sour. That said, this is not the place to consider any sort of healthy eating or Food Revolution-esque ideals, but if you want cheap, effective Chinese of dubious origin, you're in for a treat. This is old school, greasy spoon, classic American Chinese at its top. Though I sometimes balk at the idea of eating here now, there is just something to be said for how Leo still remembers me and the fam every time. And also... if you like Chinese-style chicken wings, Leo's will make you very happy. read more

The decor isn't great - very bare bones, definitely not somewhere you'd take someone you want to impress :) But, the food is good - I especially liked the fried rice. Unfortunately, I started getting headaches consistently after we'd go to Leo's. I know of one other person that has this problem as well. We suspect they use MSG. So sad. I miss Leo's fried rice. read more

They deserve zero stars, I just ordered beef fried rice and it tasted and smelled burnt, I took it back. Never will I ordered there again

The food is Great, I like the buffet But the lunch buffet they raise the price to 9.50 and give you only a little food it's a buffet right? Than fill it up. And stop being cheap with the food increasing the price by $3.00 read more

Go there Mon-Fri for there lunch buffet!!! You get all you can eat and a can of soda for under $6 bucks. Only buffet in Saint Paul where the food comes to you! You should eat here at least once in your life. read more

Great local Chinese spot, delicious and simple. It's my husband and I's go to spot when we crave Chinese food.

Eat here at your own risk, seriously, there is no possible way the health department has ever been here or they pay them off. A friend recommended, so I got some to go food. Fried rice was in a puddle of grease and the beef w/broccoli was disgusting (they just smothered a tiny amount of beef and a bunch of broccoli in egg foo young gravy) this was in no way like anything else I've ever had! This place is absolutely without a doubt filthiest, dirtiest restaurant I have ever seen. DO NOT GO HERE! YOUR LIFE AND HEALTH MAY DEPEND ON IT! read more

Good, greasy Chinese food. Chicken fried rice is great as is the chow mein and wings. Customer service is lacking. Recently ordered Pork Egg Foo Young, and after I paid they told me they ran out. They only had Shrimp Egg Foo Young left, which was fine. They then told me I had to pay the $.70 difference. Really? read more

Never again will I ever order at leo's again. I order chicken lo mein; they gave me a box of yellow ramen noodles no sauce and chicken half cooked no flavor period. The shrimp fried rice was horrible once again no flavor and smelled kind of burned. read more

I This place is great they serve a buffet at lunch. The fOld is good quality and fresh. You can taste it. This food is made with love. I believe its 11 am to 1pm. Its worth waiting for not that it takes them long to cook to go orders. From Kung Psi Chicken spicy to great Chicken Chow Mein, this place is great. I love the Pork Chop. Chicken and Pork Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sesame. Chicken are all family favorites. They serve homemade Chips too. read more

Food was fantastic, not your traditional all you can eat. The food came out in a reasonable time and each thing they brought out was really good. Even my picky-eater friend got talked into eating some chicken and loved it. read more

We like Leo's and have for years. What we don't like is the lack of not posting their menu "On-Line", and never putting any money back into the business. This place is SO dirty and raunchy looking. Even the front door needs to be replaced. I don't think the windows have EVER been cleaned. The same ugly art has been hanging in the same place for 15 gringy years. A good restaurant needs to spruce things up once in awhile. This place hasn't changed whatsoever in 15-20 years. It's the only long-time restaurant in St. Paul that hasn't been fixed up a tad....ever. Even the parking lot is awful. I think that the owner should take a little more pride in the actual appearance of the place. Now, if prices need to be hiked up a bit, so be it. If a place like Leo's can serve this great food and have mega business like it does.... then it owes something to it's customers. If customers are choosing not to come back, it's because they think the place is "unsanitary" because it "looks" unsanitary. Some of it's major competitors have spruced up their businesses, and it shows in their growth. With the NEW "St. Paul Saints Baseball Park" opening about a mile away..... it would serve this business well to update, clean-up and be a good representative of what makes "St. Paul Restaurants" Special. As it is, it's a disgrace, and deservedly so. read more

Wow, I didn't think I would like another Chinese buffet. However, my friend from work bailed on me for Friday lunch. So, I went with some co-workers who assured me that I would either love it or hate it here. Well, I found this place really unique and pretty cool with "the buffet comes to you" style. I equated it to Fogo de Chao but my co-workers laughed since this is way below Brazilian food quality. Waitresses come by with a bowl and serving spoon with kung pao chicken, fried rice, chicken lo mein, and stewed cabbage. My co-worker humored me when I asked why is the stewed cabbage is good with the response that it was cooked in lard. But, I shouldn't take it too seriously with all his comments. Well, waitresses are nice and do give you a little more if you ask nicely. I even got to try some fried chicken which was sliced with a cleaver. My co-worker will always remember it as "Leo's Chainsaw Chicken Chow Mein" since his brother-in-law wondered why the chicken looks like it was hacked to death. Overall, $6.25 per person and $7.50 with soda. The parking lot was filled and had to wait for someone to leave. My co-worker called someone a "doorknob" because parking is tight and you may be blocked in. Service is good and price is right. I didn't need dinner that night, and my belly was satisfied. read more

Ok, Leos. My husband took me there once after a night of heavy drinking claiming it was the best hangover food on earth. I'll try anything once. We show up and at first I cant figure out where it is! You have to keep your eyes open... When we make it in, we are there for the buffett, we go into the cafeteria style back room and wait. Service is... Then out of no where a 95 old women walks by with a huge tub of something and my hubby nudges me and so I accept. What plopped down on my plate both horrified and fascinated me. Grease with meat on the side. My friends and husband pigged out while I chugged water and prayed for my couch and alas havent been back for round 2. But my husband and some friends have a standing weekly "grub" time there and swear by it. So, for the picky and weak of heart, a firm no. But for those who love the authentic, its a strong 4. read more

When's a buffet not a buffet? When it's brought to your table. And I think that's a good thing. Instead of sitting on a team rack getting oozily over-cooked, the dishes are just-off-the-grill hot. Better than most places for quality. Selection? If I'd been there earlier, it might have been better. Downside is you pick from what's coming by your table...and you don't know what's out there until it shows up. read more