Leeway Franks

Just had lunch here and am looking forward to returning. The shop/​kitchen is spotless which goes a long way in an eating establishment for me. The dogs had a great snap and perfect flavor. We had the Chicago dog and the chili dog and both were excellent. The Chicago dog had the classic accoutrements and the poppy seed bun was perfect. The only «complaint», which really isn’t, was that the chili on the chili dog wasn’t as seasoned as we prefer. The texture and quantity was perfect however. The seasoning is basically a personal preference. The staff was efficient and pleasant. We’ll be back!

Was shopping in Lawrence with my 5 year old. Wanted hot dogs and came upon this place. Menu had great choices. Local ingredients. Tater tots cooked to a perfect crispy. Handmade and in house made items you expect in Lawrence. I should mention the great selection of beer too. Check them out, maybe I’ll see you when I go back to try the Poutine.

I’ve been there just once (yesterday) and will return. I ordered the Classic Coney. It’s freaking amazing. It comes with grilled onions, house made sauerkraut, brown mustard, and all of it piled into a soft, poppy seed topped bun. I normally don’t care much for sauerkraut, but this stuff was nothing like the cloyingly sweet-​sour crap usually served. It’s mild, crisp, and fresh tasting, and perfect contrast to the richness of the dog. The whole thing works perfectly together with the brown mustard and grilled onions. The best hot dog I’ve ever had in my life.
I got it with the tots, but next time I’ll try the fries which I’ve heard are hand-​cut on site. The tots were super crunchy, and I couldn’t finish them all.
If you like hot dogs, sausages, or brats, you will love this place. They also have sandwiches with house made meats (selection varies by the day, I think). The day I was there, they had house made pastrami, among other things. The menu lacks anything in the way of salad or side vegetables, at least as far as I could tell.

It took my a while to figure this place out, but now I’m a convert. It’s high quality comfort food made with care and skill by butcher Lee Meiser and his gang of rowdy line cooks. The shop is unpretentious and welcoming, and the tater tots are the best in town. The first time I had the fried Bologna sandwich, which was hearty, hot, and crazy with the cheese. The second time I had the breakfast sandwich which is hands down the best breakfast sandwich in town. It’s worth trekking off the beaten path for this one. My only critique would be drinks come in bottles and cans, and with the quantity and type of food, a fountain machine with refills would be excellent.

The place is a bit off the beaten path for a snack stand, and you can’t even drive up. It’s over in a strip mall by the Merc & Muncher’s Bakery. I got a basic coney and tots. The frank was huge, at least a ¼lb by itself, and was covered in fresh kraut and pickles. The casing had a nice snap to it, indicating a natural casing. The weiner was VERY meaty. You are getting way more meat per sausage than almost any I’ve ever had. The meat was nicely smoked and the spices accentuated the smoke and pork flavor rather than covering them. In combination with the fresh, crisp toppings and a fine bun, you get a wonderful burst of flavor with each bite. The tots were good, and had a nice crispy shell, but were over-​salted. There were ~15 of them.
I was starving when I went in, but ended up not being able to finish my tots. To me, this justifies the $ 10/​lb franks, but I think with the $ 7 meal, you should get a fountain drink. This would add a lot of perceived value to the meal while being of negligible cost to the shop. I would knock it down to 4 stars because of that, but since its probably the best in class frank I’ve ever had, they get the bump. I also would HIGHLY recommend putting out a refrigerated case with meats and condiments for sale. When people hear it is a «Nose to Tail» kitchen, and they walk in and don’t see any sign of meat, except a little chalk board, it doesn’t inspire like it could.

Great smokey «dog» that is not your mothers hot dog. These folks know how to serve great frankfurters, brats and polish. Fun place, time warp setting, AND just GOOD FOOD! We’ll go back soon!

Heard about this place and had to try. Got a chili dog to try it out, and did not regret that decision. It was great. I believe ht shot dogs are homemade. Good size. Good value. They look to have a pretty good menu as well. Looking forward to trying s number of different items.

This is a time I almost don’t want to share because it will get swarmed … but they SHOULD be acknowledged for amazing franks and fries with gravy! Quality excellent — prices fair — good proportions — design excellent — will be back to try more …

Yes sir, I’m a believer after my first stop in here. If you’re running a hot dog place in this dreary little strip mall area across the way from a health foods grocery you’d better know what you’re doing. Our spicy pork kielbasa and bratwurst were several notches above what you might expect. Snappy skins, the real deal, lots of flavor and an interesting build on poppy seed bun. My Kielbasa was topped with cole slaw and then crunched up potato chips. Bam! We got in and out for under $ 20 and that included a cream soda. Tater tots and fries are done quite nicely as well. Believe the fries come in seasoned salt. What can I say but, lets do that again.
Interior is a bit dreary but tolerable. Noisy for sure. They have beer, and with this food, the perfect match. Good service, too.
Nice addition to the Lawrence dining scene and I’m already thinking about taking some dogs home to cook myself.

Just went and tried this for the first time. We got a classic, a coney, a bratwurst & a chili dog and all were delicious! They were very generous with the tater tots and they were fresh and crispy. Fair warning: the chili and BBQ sauce were a bit zippy — not too much for an adult but it might be too spicy for a child.
The restaurant was very clean with lots of booth space. The beer selection looked pretty good with lots of standard and micro-​brew choices. Excellent location too!

Be prepared to get your weenie on! Homemade brats and dogs that are simply devine! Brown gravy on your tots? Only way to eat them. Had the Hot Link and the addition of coleslaw was perfect. Love this place. They even take cards using Square.

I really want to like this place, I really do. Unfortunately on my first visit they disappoint. The business has been open for at least two or three weeks so no opening day excuses. My visit is at noon on Saturday. They are already out of French fries. They opened at 11:00am. How are you out of French fries 1 hour after opening? I tried a hotdog and a bratwurst. Both appeared to be cooked by steaming or poaching. The hotdog had at most a tiny amount of char in one spot which suggested it saw a grill only briefly at most. The bratwurst had no char, no color other than a pale gray. This left both casings oddly chewy and rubbery instead of crispy and snappy. Texture of the meat was ok but nothing special. Thought the bratwurst was quite bland while the hotdog seasoning was ok. Frankly, Johnsonville makes a better bratwurst and Nathan’s makes a better hotdog. The sausages were served with kraut which was straight from the fridge cold and very wet. While the menu stated the sausages were served with sautéed onions I did not see any evidence of any on either sausage. The buns quickly turned into a soggy mess which made eating the sausages by hand rather difficult and messy. On a positive note, the tater tots were quite good and the gravy was above average. The sausages and sides were good sized and the prices were fair for the amount of food. The staff was quite friendly and helpful.
I really want to like this place, but they are going to have to do a better job of cooking so that the bratwurst casings have some color (pale gray is not attractive not appetizing). The hotdog and bratwurst casings need to be crispy and snappy not rubbery and chewy. The kraut needs to be at least warm, not fridge cold. The kraut needs to be drained prior to being put on the sausages so the buns don’t become a soggy mess. And if the menu lists sautéed onions as included on the sausages then the customer better be able to find some evidence of them on the final item. And for God’s sake, you can’t run out of French fries within an hour of opening for the day.
The place has potential to be a real bonus to the area but the execution must be better. I will give them one more try in the next couple of weeks to be fair, but if things are not much better than what I experienced on my first visit, I won’t return for a third time.

I can’t get enough of Leeway’s franks and tots. Finally, tots done right! If you want a nondescript, mushy dog then you need to go somewhere else. These are handcrafted dogs and sausages made out of real food. They come with an ample side of perfectly crisp tots… so much that I can barely finish. This is beautiful, delicious, classic food done right. ‘Nuff said.

The hotdogs are awesome! I had the chili dog, my husband had the coney. Both of us were very happy with our meal. I’ve seen people commenting that the portion was small, this was not the case in my opinion (I actually couldn’t finish my meal). The price is a little high, but you are getting a local beef farm raised beef hotdog. I’ll pay extra for that any day.
One word of advice: poke your dog with a fork first. Mine was so juicy and hot that my first bite splattered extremely hot hot dog juice everywhere.

Finally, someone knows what a true hotdog is supposed to be. The flavor is there, the snap is there (important) and a steamed bun. Tots are great, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Not over salted or over seasoned. Though I have to get there sooner, seems like it’s popular and like a good bbq joint, the food isn’t held over to the next day.
Décor is simple and clean. Decent selection of beers, from Schlitz tall boys to Boulevard cans. More coming per the owner.
It’s not fine dining, and that’s the point. Good food at a reasonable price. Some people say portions are small, not my experience. Sausages are plump and tots are fried to order, not sitting around. Pork chop sandwich is pounder thin and has a great breading that stays crisp while the meat is still juicy.
Get there early, specials seem to go quick.

The food was good but expensive for what it is. They skimp on the fries and tater tots. The last time I tried to go there they had run out of hot dogs at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. How does a hot dog place run out of hot dogs?

The décor is industrial and nice. The price is good at $ 7 for a regular coney and tots but I could have used more than 11 tots. The drink prices are what get you though. My can of Diet Coke was $ 2. I don’t drink alcohol so I don’t know if their selection and prices are any good for that. The dogs casing was tough but the flavor was fine, nothing special. The bun was soggy. Overall just eh I tried it.