Leela European Cafe

The reviews of this place are all over the map and I can see why. I finally paid a visit very late at night. I couldn’t sleep and wanted to get some work done, but I wanted to do it somewhere besides my home. They were very busy when I arrived. It was difficult to order food and drinks because they were understaffed. There were TWO people trying to serve 40+ customers. I finally had to chase down my food 45 minutes after I placed the order. It was never given to the cook as it turns out. He produced it less than 10 minutes later which I appreciated. I wouldn’t call the staff rude… but they are abrupt. There’s definitely an attitude. Then I again, I suppose I would have an attitude if I was one of only two people responsible for serving 40+ people. The vibe is decent and the music is great. Felt like a hipster/​millennial joint for the most part.

Shittyest place ever. The staff is rude and will tell you to leave if they think you’re even dressed wrong. No respect for customers and police will be called if you’re even wearing the wrong clothing. Very sad. Do not go there unless you want to be treated like crap.

I feel like this is a place that you either ‘get it’ or you don’t. I guess I just don’t. There’s nothing at all European about the menu; it’s a Denny’s with different names for the dishes. Great booze-​sponge type food though.
There was something kind of cool about the intentional dive-​y feel but pretty also off-​putting when it came to the pretentiously hipster vibe.

This place is amazing! I was attending a conference at the Hyatt down the street and stopped by for lunch around 1:00 p.m. on a Saturday. I was greeted by the staff behind the counter immediately even though they were busy serving the guests at the bar. I was in a suit, so didn’t quite fit in, but they are welcoming nonetheless. There is seating indoors and outdoors. Delicious cheap food and drinks!

You know when the popular kids act like they’re too cool for you? That’s exactly how I felt at this joint. My boyfriend, sister, her boyfriend and I all waited in line for nearly 10 minutes while the lone barista/​bartender gossiped and gabbed with a couple guy locals who were far hipper than any of us lowly tourists. We wound up leaving — so maybe the beers and drinks are good?

They let me loiter at 3 am after work when the lightrail is out of service, and it’s warm ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend

Th staff plays nice until you buy something and they have your money, then they are rude as hell & want to kick you out as soon as they get a chance. If you like filth and service with an attitude then definitely go there

I was looking for a local coffee place near the Buell Theater to get a drink and also charge my phone. Upon first arrival the place didn’t look like much. It was spacious with a random assortment of chairs and tables spread throughout. It took awhile to get the attention of the barista to place my order so I wasn’t expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the hot chocolate I ordered was. However, I can’t give this place that great rating due to the inattentive staff and also because it took forever to find an outlet available despite the fact that the place was mostly empty.

The name is deceiving. I thought I’d walk into a quaint little café with doilies, puffy arm chair, and paintings of wine country or cats hanging up on the wall. No, it’s not like that at all. I can equate this place to Back Space in Portland, OR. It’s got an industrial-​urban look to it, decorated with pop art that gamers would get.
You order at the bar and they deliver the meal to your table. I ordered the spinach and mushroom omelette and it was damn good. I ordered the sipping hot cocao and although it’s not as good as the one that I get here in Portland at Cacao, it is the best chocolaty drink I’ve had since Costa Rica. It’s thick. Like I need to drink a glass of water thick. It’s not that powder crap. The whipped cream is pretty darn good too. It’s freshly made, not that stiff stuff that comes from a can. It’s smooth and delicate. My friend took a sip of my drink and ordered one for herself as well. That good.

Ideal place for midnight delight they serve authentic European food. Staff is kind and fully equipped with all the important details. Huge inside area which is totally solid for group hang out. This is cool spot to check out.

I came here oh a whim when visiting Denver from Seattle, as I used to come here when I was a student at The Auraria Campus. I wasn’t sure if Amanda was still the manager here as she was several years ago. When she was the manager, she was the single worst customer service employee I had ever come across in my entire life and her awfulness has not been matched by anyone since. And NO I am not exaggerating. She is the rudest, meanest, least helpful person, and it’s baffling to me that she ever held a management position here. She not only insulted her clients, but on occasion threatened them. She was notorious in my student housing as it was only a block away and everyone seemed to have a negative story involving her.
As for the current one star review, I had gone in to see if they had done anything to make the place good enough to overshadow one of the worst hiring decisions that could have been made by the owners, and they hadn’t. Same old place with the same old stuff and the rude staff. Though the ones I interacted with didn’t come close to the horror that was Amanda.
Decent sandwiches and coffee for a 24 hour place, but nothing to write home about. Still as over-​priced as ever.

This place serves Lavazza coffee and is very reasonably priced. That’s what I like — a nice cup of coffee, reasonably priced, ’nuff said! It’s the best!

This is a pretty cool spot! I am here for lunch and service was great! I like the atmosphere here! The chili and cheese fries are great!

Stopped by last week for a quick coffee meeting. It was so hot out we were pleased to see its a coffee and BAR so you have options. Two coronas please. Our guest had iced coffee and everyone was satisfied.

Ok… it was 11p and we were hungry and thirsty and a buddy we were with recommended the place. I didn’t have high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised.
I really liked the atmosphere of the place. It was very open and eclectic with a good feel. The music was a little loud but it was good music and lent well to the atmosphere.
The service was different than I expected… no real table service… but the same buddy who recommended it had been there before and knew what to expect so we had fun with it and made him our waiter. We then ran the orders to the bar.
The bartenders were great and ran about half the food and drinks to the table with us delivering the other half to ourselves. The coffee drinks with liquor were great and the food was surprisingly good. My burger was perfectly cooked.

Remember that terrible dive bar in college that always over-​charged you, always gave awful service, and expected you tip them because they think they’re great?
Welcome to Leela!
Fool me once, shame on you, but fool me twice, shame on me. I unfortunately went to this establishment twice hoping that my first experience was an anomoly.
Their kitchen in open late, and it is only a few blocks from my new apartment, so I gave it a couple chances. Unfortunately, Sarah was working both times I went, and contributed to consistently horrible experiences.
The best advice I can offer is introduce yourself when you enter before ordering and if it is a dark-​haired woman named Sarah, just leave. If you’re a glutton for punishment, punch yourself in the face twice, give a stranger your credit card, and go to sleep on on of the dirty couches in the back corner.
The service both times was atrocious. Sarah grabbed our plates and drinks before we were finished and went straight to the trash can as we attempted to reclaim the food and drinks we wished to finish. Since the late night procedure is tip before you recieve service, the entire staff has no vested interest in your experience.
She took the money and ran both times. Very disappointing the first time, and I felt like an idiot for giving the establishment a second chance.

Quality late night food is hard to get and Leela’s did not disappoint. Though the place was busy, the one server paid great attention to us and answered our many questions happily, helped us build custom orders and our food came out very quickly and was far above our expectations. However I do wish there were fewer weirdos sleeping on the couches and staring at infinity.
We will be back!

So to start, when I entered the restaurant, my friends and I found a seat in a booth. The table had plates and food all over the place. The waitress said she would come clear the table for us. After 20 minutes of waiting with no service I cleared the table myself.
Then we proceeded to wait over an hour for our food. When the food arrived I was thoroughly disappointed. The bun was burnt, the meat was over cooked and the fries were under cooked.
After finishing half of my disgusting food, I had to go to the bathroom when I walked in there was a homeless guy puking in the toilet, and their was toilet paper all over the floor. I entered the stall and there was feces all over the toilet and urine all over the seat and floor. I didn’t even use the restroom I just left.
The service, food, and restrooms were all disgusting to say the least. Everything about this restaurant was sub-​par. One of the most disgusting establishments I have ever entered in my life. Highly dissatisfied and wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy.

I am a huge fan of Leela’s, I’ve been coming here for several years, even managed to get a semester of college done sitting in here at all the odd hours of the morning that college students try and squeeze last minute studying. I have eaten almost everything on the menu, and the Chili Cheese Fries stand as a study group favorite. It is with a sort of nostalgia that I returned late last night with my new hubby and got to drink coffee in a place that I almost lived in once! I was impressed honestly as they have updated the furniture, and the music wasn’t too loud last night, the staff was new to me but super friendly and very fast! Try the Michael Jackson or the Hazelnut Toffee coffee :) Super!

We came here on a Sunday afternoon for their hot chocolate. It did not disappoint. The space is large and eclectic. There is a stage area which looks like they might have open mic nights. We settled in the back corner where the couches and fireplace made it feel like you were in someone’s living room.
You order at the bar area where they have a variety of drinks and pastries. The cake that we had was great as well and big enough to share for sure. This would be a great place to study or catch up with a friend. Street parking is tough though and we saw many people biking to the café, which I would recommend.