Léon de Bruxelles
French chain serving Belgian-inspired moules-frites.
Léon de Bruxelles is a French independent franchise chain that focuses on moules-frites. It was founded by a Belgian restaurateur family, the same family behind the century-old Brussels restaurant Chez Léon. The menu is inspired by Belgian cuisine.
Chez Léon began in 1867 when Léon Vanlancker opened a five-table restaurant called A la Ville d’Anvers, near Brussels’ Grand-Place. In 1893, he moved a few meters to 18 rue des Bouchers and opened Chez Léon. Growth picked up after 1958, when Belgium became known as the capital of mussels and fries. The Vanlancker family expanded the restaurant, which now occupies nine buildings and serves over a thousand meals daily.
In 1989, family heir Rudy Vanlancker opened the first Léon restaurant at Place de la République in Paris. More followed in other Paris districts, including a flagship on the Champs-Élysées in 1991. By 1995, the first location outside Paris opened in Montlhéry, northern France. Today, there are 67 Léon de Bruxelles restaurants across France. A London location at 24 Cambridge Circus in Covent Garden opened in January 2012 but has since closed.
- field
- Restaurant chain
- nationality
- French independent franchise (Belgian origin)
- known_for
- Primarily serving moules-frites
- first_restaurant_opened
- 1989, Paris
- number_of_restaurants
- 67 across France (as of article date)
- flagship_location
- Champs-Élysées, Paris (opened 1991)
Lore & Background
The chain traces its roots to Chez Léon, a Brussels restaurant founded by Léon Vanlancker in 1893 at 18 rue des Bouchers. Chez Léon itself grew from a five-table establishment called A la Ville d'Anvers, set up in 1867 near the Grand-Place. Growth accelerated from 1958 onward when Belgium's reputation as the capital of mussels and French fries was cemented, and Chez Léon eventually expanded to nine buildings serving more than one thousand meals daily.
In 1989, Rudy Vanlancker, inheritor of the family business, opened the first Léon restaurant at Place de la République in Paris. Other Léon de Bruxelles restaurants followed in other districts of the city, including the flagship restaurant on the Champs-Élysées in 1991. By 1995, the chain opened its first restaurant outside Paris, in Montlhéry, North France. More openings followed, and today there are 67 Léon de Bruxelles restaurants across France.
Léon de Bruxelles opened its first restaurant in the UK in January 2012, located at 24 Cambridge Circus in Covent Garden, London. However, this restaurant is now closed.
Reader's Guide
Léon de Bruxelles represents a notable expansion of a Belgian family restaurant tradition into the French market. The chain's significance lies in popularizing Belgian cuisine, particularly moules-frites, across France through a franchise model. Its origins in the historic Chez Léon, a Brussels institution dating to the 19th century, give it a legacy of over a century of family-run restaurant operation. The chain's growth from a single Paris location in 1989 to 67 restaurants across France illustrates the successful scaling of a regional cuisine concept. Its brief foray into the UK market, though ultimately unsuccessful, shows an attempt at international expansion. The chain remains a French independent franchise, distinct from its Belgian parent, and continues to serve a Belgian cuisine inspired menu.
Did You Know?
- The first Léon de Bruxelles restaurant opened in 1989 at Place de la République in Paris.
- The flagship restaurant on the Champs-Élysées opened in 1991.
- By 1995, the chain opened its first restaurant outside Paris, in Montlhéry, North France.
- The chain's UK restaurant in Covent Garden, London, opened in January 2012 but is now closed.
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