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Our restaurant, what a history!

THE 4 As

At Chez Léon, the 4 As have been our guiding principles for decades:

- Attentive welcome
- Appealing atmosphere
- Appetising dishes
- Appropriately priced

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  1. Birth of Léon Vanlancker

  2. Opening of the restaurant “Á la ville d’Anvers”, Little Bouchers street 14

  3. Move to 18 Bouchers street and foundation of “Frituur Léon

  4. Acquisition of the building 20 Bouchers street

  5. Paul Vanlancker

    Mr Paul joins the family business and takes over with his wife Dany.

  6. Georges Vanlancker

    Premature death of Georges Vanlancker (4th generation VANLANCKER), father of Paul and Rudy

  7. Rudy Vanlancker

    Takeover by Rudy Vanlancker representing the 5th generation

  8. Opening of Léon Bruparck

  9. Léon celebrates its centenary in grand style

  10. Creation of the Léon beer

  11. Grand remodelling

    New décor, new logo… New start, Léon stepping purposefully into the 21st century

  12. Léon beer is introduced onto Brussels Airlines planes

  13. Expo 2010 Shanghai

    Léon made the event by participating in the Belgian Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai and sold over 5000 portions of chips per day for 6 months

  14. Opening of the pilot Léon in the United Kingdom

    In the heart of London, in the Covent Garden area

  15. 125 years of the restaurant

    125 years of the restaurant and to celebrate this milestone, the publication of a book retracing the family history accompanied by 50 Belgo-Brussels recipes

  16. Extensive work in the kitchen

    In order to meet the needs of its loyal and demanding clientele, the restaurant has completely renovated its kitchen. In the form of a tribute to a great chef, the kitchen is in black and white checkerboard, created in the purest “Robuchon” spirit.

  17. Our mascot “Léon de la moule” adapts to the global pandemic

    Chez Léon creates its masked “Léon de la moule”, in reference to the global pandemic

  18. Chez Léon is back in force in BELGITUDE!

    The restaurant has been redesigned in the colours of the ninth art

In 1888

In 1888, just a stone’s throw from the Grand Place Léon Vanlancker set up a 5-table restaurant known as “A la Ville d’Anvers”. In 1893, he moved a few metres from there, to 18 rue des Bouchers, and opened his “Friture Léon”. The years went by and the establishment grew slowly but surely.

Real growth began in 1958, the year of the World Fair, when Brussels became the undisputed capital of “Moules-frites”. Since then, the Vanlancker business has not stopped growing. Today, across 9 premises, over 1000 diners are served each day, always with a warm and friendly welcome. Everyone comes to enjoy, from an almost immutable menu, one of the fourteen mussels recipes or one of the 120 traditional Belgian dishes.

But the “good King Léon” hasn’t rested on his laurels. He mustered his troops and set off to conquer.

At the beginning of 1989, the dynamic spirit of the Vanlancker successors came to fruition with the opening of a new Léon resturant in Brussels, in Bruparck, in the shadow of Atomium. Then, that same year, Léon was launched in France with the opening of 85 restaurants in twenty-five years.

Further Léon restaurants were also opened in Belgium.

And now ?

What’s next? Back to the future!

In 2021, an important turning point in the history of Léon also marks the “passing of the torch” between the 5th and 6th generations, from Rudy to Kevin at the head of this institution for many years to come.

La grande balade n°6

La Grande Balade takes us on a journey to discover the wonderful tourist sites and gastronomic heritage of our country. The North Sea, the Ardennes, Mer du Nord, Ardennes, the Pays de Herve, Gaume… These wonderful regions of Belgium reveal their charms and invite you to take a stroll!
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Chez Léon in La Grande Balade

Said in the city - Bruzz.be

Saïd in de city from Bruzz.be paid a visit to Léon!

« Extrait de l’émission 66 minutes : Quand les moules ont la frite »

« Extrait de l’émission 66 minutes : Quand les moules ont la frite »

Once upon a time

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