Greenleaf welcomes regulars and newbies; Friendly Hebron spot known for wings and more

Jun. 24—HEBRON — When the late Bruce "Butterball" MacBryde opened Butterball's Greenleaf Café, it was initially to have a local watering hole for people to gather and commune, Over the next 26 years, Greenleaf expanded, created a food menu, and introduced activities and music for their patrons.

"My husband started it and he passed away in 2005," said his widow, Kathy MacBryde, who operates the establishment with her daughter Helen.

"We started the business to be a neighborhood bar," Kathy MacBryde said. "My husband always liked the dream of having a neighborhood bar where everybody could come and congregate, like 'Cheers.' We have our crowd that comes in every morning, have two or three beers, watch 'The Price is Right,' and then they leave. We have our pool teams, our dart teams, softball teams, a basketball team."

Greenleaf started as a tiny pub, she said, initially taking up the side of the restaurant where the bar resides inside a strip mall, before buying the vacant property next to it, knocking down the walls and expanding, adding pool tables, dart boards, and additional seating. The space also came with a kitchen.

"This was originally a pizza house," Helen said. "It was called, Nick's."

Originally, Kathy said, Greenleaf's atmosphere reflected her husband's involvement with Lions Club International.

Butterball's Greenleaf Cafe

WHERE: 47 Main St., Hebron.

MENU: Wings, burgers, lasagna, meatloaf, homemade soups, baked stuffed shrimp

HOURS: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

MISC. Pool and dart leagues, live music.

CONTACT: 860-228-8148; www.facebook.com/Thegreenleafcafe

"He was the entertainment chairman for years," she said. "When we started the bar, along the wall were the pictures of all these entertainers who signed for him."

The photos have since been removed, she said, due to the difficulties of cleaning them where they were located. Now the bar has a collection of beer taps that are lining one side, as well as signs promoting events and specials.

"We do a lot of things for the community," Helen said. "We did a pasta dinner for a young man who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. We do all kinds of stuff with the food banks. When we closed, all our perishables went to the food bank. Our customers donated $1,500 for them last Christmas."

"Even the women are comfortable here," Kathy said, "because there's always women in here. It's a comfortable atmosphere for everybody."

"I think it's a place where people can come and make new friends," Helen said.

With the addition of the kitchen, Greenleaf was able to start serving food, with the menu reflecting classic pub food like chicken wings and hamburgers.

"We also have specials; lasagna, meatloaf, all homemade," Helen said.

Kathy added that Greenleaf also makes homemade soups, and offers a prime rib dinner once a month.

"I like it when Kathy does her baked stuffed shrimp," Helen said.

Kathy said she uses crabmeat stuffing that goes in the shrimp.

Other popular dishes, she said, include her homemade chicken potpie, and most popular are the wings.

There are 15 flavors of wings, Kathy said, including buffalo, garlic pepper, garlic pepper parmesan, ranch, buffalo honey teriyaki, the Hawaii 5-0 with teriyaki, pineapple and honey, and the Route 66 with ranch and buffalo sauce.

Greenleaf offers a limited late night menu from 10-11 p.m., Kathy said.

"It's basically mozzarella sticks, French fries, onion rings," she said. "We do the chicken wings or chicken fingers."

The buffalo sauce, she claims, is the original buffalo sauce from The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, which they received about 24 years ago during a Lions Club trip.

"We had the buffalo wings up there," she said. "My husband asked for the recipe and they didn't believe that we weren't from Buffalo."

The Anchor Bar's secrecy, she said, was to avoid local restaurants from stealing it. She said that the owner of the recipe agreed to mail it to Greenleaf's address, but wouldn't hand it over to them in person.

Kathy said Greenleaf offers gluten-free options as well.

"I try to have something on the menu that's gluten free so they don't have to order a hamburger with no bun," she said.

With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, people are returning to Greenleaf.

"People were afraid to come out," Kathy said.

"More people are coming out because people are vaccinated," Helen said. "A lot of our customers are vaccinated. People want to come out."

She said that the pool club is back up and running and that they will resume the dart club in October.

Bands and karaoke nights have resumed as well, she said. Events and band schedules can be found at the Butterball's Greenleaf Café Facebook page.

"I've been coming here about 20 years," said Jennifer Foote, of Hebron. "Since I was 21."

"There's good food," she said. "A lot of good people here. The bartenders here, I just love them."

Foote said that after being there for decades, she likes to sample whatever foods are on the special board.

"They make a killer chicken pot pie and shepherd's pie," she said.

For first timers, she said she recommends the wings and the nachos.

Howard "Sparky" Griffin of Hebron said his favorite dish is the stuffed peppers.

"I live up the road about a quarter of a mile. I've met a lot of people," he said.

For coverage of local restaurants, cultural events, music, and an extensive range of Connecticut theater reviews, follow Tim Leininger on Twitter: @Tim_E_Leininger, Facebook: Tim Leininger's Journal Inquirer News page, and Instagram: @One_Mans_Opinion77.