Léon Vanlancker 1869 – 1925, founder of the restaurant in 1893

Honoré Vanlancker 1894 – 1947

Alphonse Vanlancker 1898 – 1981

Georges Vanlancker 1920 – 1980

Paul Vanlancker, the eldest brother, is Monsieur Paul in the kitchen.

Rudy Vanlancker, the youngest brother, is today head of the family business.

In 1867, Léon Vanlancker decided to set up business within a stone's throw of the Grand Place to run a five-table restaurant called A la Ville d'Anvers. In 1893, he moved a few meters from there to 18 rue des Bouchers and opened Friture Léon. The years passed and the restaurant expanded slowly but surely.

Real growth started as from 1958, date of the World Expo, when Brussels became the irrefutable capital of mussels and French fries. Since then, the Vanlancker business has not stopped expanding. Nowadays it extends to nine buildings and more than one thousand meals are served every day, always served with a smile. Everyone comes to try out a menu that has hardly changed - one of fourteen recipes for mussels or 120 traditional Belgian dishes.

However, over the last six years King Léon has not rested on his laurels. He has gathered in the troops and set off on campaign.

At the beginning of 1989, the dynamism of the Vanlancker heirs became apparent with the opening a new Léon restaurant in Brussels , inside Brupark, in the shadow of the Atomium. Then in the same year, the business arrived in France with the opening of 51 restaurants in the space of ten years. To know more about Léon International

Additional Léon restaurants have been opened in Belgium .

Behind the scenes, Alexandre and Kevin, Rudy's sons, are preparing to carry on the family tradition. Alexandre has been running a kitchen for many years and Kevin has just entered the Hotel School in Namur .