A little history...

In 1938, Leon Varipapa, then an upholsterer based on Adeline Street, was faced with a dilemma, what to do with some booths and chairs a customer could no longer afford. Being ever so resourceful, his wife Anna, decided to put them to use, as a way of recouping some of their losses. Then and there the Leon’s of legend was born. Together, Anna and Leon decided to open Leon’s Restaurant, serving home cooked meals at affordable prices to those in the “Hill” section of New Haven.

By 1944 the business had grown and Leon and Anna offered the business to their sons, Eddie and Eugene. Upon their return from service in the US Army and Navy in World War II, both decided that they would expand the business. Together, they worked and grew the business to create “an institution,” a term often used to describe Leon’s.

They built a new kitchen and added more seating to their 321 Washington Avenue location.

In the mid 70’s, Leon’s was the place be seen and most importantly to eat. The restaurant attracted notable businessmen, politicians, actors and actresses to the heart of the “Hill” in New Haven. Reservations where not accepted and the lines wrapped around the building. The lucky few snuck in through the back door, through the kitchen and were seated in the main dining room or if they were lucky in the “back room,” a private dining room behind the kitchen. Immediately, you were greeted by family and treated like one of the family. Big Eddie would come over with a smile on his face and his signature red apron describing a menu item on his take of a specials list, the ever popular “Goodie List.”

Eddie learned his trade and art of cooking by traveling extensively through Europe, with his wife, Phyllis, his sister, Marion and his brother-in-law, Rocky, all the while learning from some of the best chefs of that era. Much of what he learned became a part of the cuisine that he offered from his kitchen.

In the early 1980’s the family decided that another expansion was necessary, and built the facility on Long Wharf Drive. However, that move never came to pass and Leon’s remained on Washington Avenue.

In the mid 80’s, Eddie and Phyllis’s son Leon and his wife, Barbara, took over and carried on the tradition of excellence. It was during this time their son, Eddie, “little Eddie,” spent every moment he could with his grandfather, Eddie. He learned everything that he could from his grandfather, from how to run the business, to how to make Leon’s signature dishes and create some of his own.

By 1991, Big Eddie was joined full time by his grandson, Eddie. In 1996, the family decided to move the restaurant to a new location on Whitney Avenue in Hamden, where the tradition continued. In 2001, shortly before Leon’s passing, Leon’s closed its doors.

In 2007, the Fusco Family approached Edward E. Varipapa with an opportunity to fulfill his family’s dream of establishing Leon’s Restaurant at Long Wharf, in the original facility built in the early 80’s by his great-grandfather, Leon, grandfather, Eddie and great uncle, Eugene.

Today, Eddie, his wife, Lisa, and their children, Eddie and Andrew, hope to continue the legacy, fulfilling dreams and making past generations proud of this current endeavor.