The famous restaurant Chez Léon celebrates its 125th anniversary
In 1893, Léon Vanlancker opened a small restaurant with only 5 tables, on the Rue des Bouchers. Ever since, subsequent generations have all made their contribution to the business. Today, the restaurant has more than 400 seated places. It is a Success Story filled with the aroma of mussels and the sound of Brussels banter.
Its acclaim can be traced back to the 1958 Universal Exhibition. Brussels became the capital of mussels and fries thanks to "Chez Léon". It expanded especially for the occasion, buying up the neighbouring buildings. The restaurant is currently made up of 9 houses connected to each other. Nonetheless, everything runs as a harmonious unit, and it perfectly captures the charms of yesteryear in an undeniably Brussels setting.
Today, Rudy Vanlancker, the fifth person to bear the name, has been overseeing the destiny of this Brussels family business for 32 years. We are talking about a business which welcomes hundreds and hundreds of customers every day. Almost 1 ton of mussels is prepared here every day! It is without doubt the largest restaurant in Brussels in terms of turnover, number of customers and staff. In fact, it is not uncommon to see up to 1,400 meals served on Saturdays in this brasserie, where Brussels residents and customers from all over the world converge. Their reputation is such that restaurants under the Chez Léon brand have opened in recent years in France, England and even Taiwan.