Chez Léon

This place is a disaster from start to finish. The service is shockingly bad. The waiter was rude, gesturing with his hands to take our order and constantly telling us to hurry because they were “too busy” – completely unprofessional. The food is equally disappointing. The seafood spaghetti was overcooked and tasted like a microwaved meal. Their so-called signature mussels pot was bland, tasting like nothing more than saltwater. The soup was thickened with way too much cornflour, making it taste artificial and unappetizing. Seating is cramped and uncomfortable, making the dining experience even worse. On top of that, the wait for food was absurdly long, yet they continue taking in more customers without considering the chaos it creates. To make matters worse, at the end they had the audacity to charge a “mandatory service fee” for terrible service. This restaurant is a complete tourist trap – avoid it at all costs.

We visited for dinner on 1 June based purely on Google and TripAdvisor reviews The restaurant is huge with many seating areas. We were seated quite close to the kitchen and server station which was quite noisy. My wife and I had mussels dishes and my daughter had the seafood pasta. The food was really good and well prepared. The staff was friendly and service was efficient.

It is a very big and wonderful restaurant. 12 of us went without making a reservation. Thankfully they accepted for our short-stat-dinner. It is a old restaurant with a nice location and design. We sat at the tables on the street. The waiters were friendly and fast. The food was delicious. The prices were reasonable. We tried seafood. The mussels were great and the fish was very fresh. and delicious. As we were leaving, a long queue of people had already formed.

We had a lovely evening at Chez Léon with my family. We first walked past the restaurant and were immediately drawn in by how delicious the food looked, so we decided to come back one evening for dinner. On the night, we ordered Filet Américain prepared at the table, Garlic Butter, Assiette Léon, and Spaghetti Bolognese. The food quality was excellent, and everything was full of flavour. I would also like to give special appreciation to Alan, who was so friendly and entertaining—he made our two children laugh and enjoy themselves throughout the meal. Overall, we had a truly wonderful evening and would highly recommend Chez Léon!

Environment: The moment we sat down, we spotted a mouse running around near our table—not just once, but several times. We told the staff, and instead of taking it seriously, they brushed it off and even joked about it. Totally unacceptable. Food: Lobster bisque and onion soup came lukewarm, watery, and bland. Honestly, just skip them. Oysters were tiny, fishy, and far from fresh. Escargot was inedible—you couldn’t even get the meat out. Service: Reserved for 13 people, but only 12 seats were set. One guest had to squeeze at the edge. When the mouse showed up, a child at our table started crying. We asked to move, but the staff refused, saying there were no other seats. Dishes came out like a battlefield—no coordination, no pacing. We had to keep asking for sharing plates. One seafood platter we ordered never arrived. Asked for the bill, and the waiter completely forgot. After 20 minutes, we had to remind them again. Conclusion: This place fails on hygiene, food, and service. Not worth your time or money. We’ve already started calling it the “Mickey Mouse Restaurant.”

⭐☆☆☆☆ (1 star) We had dinner at Chez Léon and were initially enjoying our meal, but during dinner I saw something dark scurry across the floor twice. I asked my friend, "Was that a rat?" but she said I must be mistaken. After we finished eating and paid the bill, I went to the restroom. While I was away, my friend did see a rat. We even took pictures and told the staff. One of the staff members clearly understood but didn't respond at all. The manager smiled and asked, “Was the food good?”—maybe just trying to avoid the issue. I can’t stop thinking about it now. The food feels disgusting in hindsight. Really disappointed that our concern was ignored. Sharing this to let others know—probably best to avoid.

Great atmosphere and location. Large restaurant with a lot of room. The mussels were delicious. French onion soup was mediocre at best. They could have a better selection of beer on tap. Otherwise a good experience and I'd recommend it.

Nothing better than having a good food while you are on n the way to see things in Brussels. Very nice service with the guy named Pual 2fl. He was nice and had a good service for us. Recommended

The mussels and the cheese croquettes are absolutely amazing. I'd go back just for those. We also had the duck and steak. The duck was good, nothing to write home about but enjoyable. The steak was a let down but being American it's understandable. The meatballs were good the sauce with the fries are an excellent combo. The service was good in the European style. It's busy, we are glad we made reservations. We would go there again if we travel this way.

This restaurant was recommended to me by a local in Brussels. I certainly thought it was worth trying, but I wouldn't necessarily come back. The food was solid--I loved the fried mussels and dressing in the Chez Leon salad. I personally preferred the plain mussels over the mussels topped with cheese. However, both service and ambiance were severely lacking. We were seated next to a table full of extremely loud toddlers and were unable to enjoy a relaxing lunch break. The staff seemed to be overly busy, bustling about everywhere and often neglecting our table. It just felt extremely chaotic.

I came here while visiting Brussels since it was number one spot to visit and when we passed by the lines were out the door. To start with the service wasn't great , they were not friendly and welcoming at all , it honestly felt like because we are Americans I couldn't help but noticing how they were with other non American people . The food , was ok nothing special. The mussels with Parmesan cheese, and for entree the famous beef stew. It was a little tight and uncomfortable to have a set shoulder to shoulder with other people ( mind you I'm small and it felt super tight) .

We came back Friday night of our trip with additional family members. Definitely make a reservation if coming for dinner. I had to try the mussels this time! We also casually mentioned it was my sister in law's birthday. They later surprised us with birthday dessert! And they sang!! It was such a wonderful celebration. The staff were super amazing!!

We came to Chez Leon for my husband's birthday on a recent trip, and it was one of the highlights of our time visiting Brussels. This place is an institution, and I totally see why! They have an extensive menu and do have some vegetarian options as well. He ordered mussels (a must), and I had the vegetarian toast. Both were amazing, and washed down well with their house beer. We will definitely be back if we are ever back in Brussels! We had a great time and were very impressed with the outstanding service.

When In Brussels you have to try the mussels and these were very good. The white wine. Sauce was tasty. Sitting outside was very nice and the house beer Elias delicious.

This place is definitely a tourist trap. We ordered the main dish people order, mussels soup. Service was ok. Even though this is Belgium, our server was French and he was very French and basically ignored us Americans the whole time. Would I come back? Probably not.

Been waiting so long to try this place! Got reservation but you could walk in if your party was 2-4. Very organized kitchen and fast paced restaurant. You sit, you order, you drink, you eat and You are out! Loved the service and the vibe of this authentic place. To be honest there were more item we wanted to order but we were full. I ordered their signature garlic pesto mussel, fried. Calamari and Mixed fish plate! All so Gooooooooood! Since I came back I ve been searching to find the place like them in OC. Pricing was reasonable as well.

WOW!! The service is GREAT!! The food is great and the people watching is great!! It's just a tad more expensive, but nothing major. Be forewarned... although the food is fantastic - the portions are HUGE. We should have shared meals, but once again, the prices fooled us! I encourage you to sit back, share a meal with the most amazing fruits, and a cool beer or wine, and enjoy your time!

True authentic Belgium food reasonably priced in the heart of Brussels. With 2 floors of seating they can accommodate many. Servers are very helpful and speak English. Even though the menu is in Dutch, there are lots of pictures and they are very willing to explain the dishes. The food came out quickly and was very flavorful. Servings are very generous. If you like mussels, there are so many options! We had an order of mussels as an appetizer, they were delicious

This place was Recomended by our food tour guide, the line to get in was crazy long but we scored a table !!! Food was good and plenty, the friture or French fries have a taste that no where else can imitate, highly recommend it!

Great service, comfortable seating, delicious food. Hands down my favorite was the duck with the brown sauce. I would go back for that again. The seafood soup was also hearty and delicious. It was perfect for the cold day.

Unlike many other establishments on this bustling street, this restaurant is on the bigger side and offers more seating which is much needed when my party of five needs to find a spot for dinner. Before we get to the food, I have to say one must come here for the service. It's the service that makes this place stand out. Perhaps we lucked out, but we ended up with a server who exudes friendliness and humor beyond what one normally experiences, particularly in the US. He joked with our children, brought an extra ice cream out for our oldest who didn't get a free one as she didn't order from the kids menu, and was patient with our broken French throughout the meal. We would come back just to see his radiant smile again. Now the food. It's on the bland side. While my mussels were fresh, it could have used more herbs and seasoning. Same with the chicken, vol au vent, which could have benefited from more flavors. But given the lovely ambiance, and the exceptional service, it is worth a visit.

My friends made fun of me after we ate at this place. The mussels are 5/5 stars, everything else was average/gross. We didn't make any reservations so we ended up here. I was excited because of the rich history this place has, but it wasn't that great sorry :/

This famous restaurant in downtown Brussels has been a family-owned venue since it opened in 1893,when it was a modest "friterie" (a fried food place, typically seafood). Since it was grown into a maze of multiple levels, stairs and floors, à la E. M. Escher. The menu consists of a combination of typical Belgian dishes, like moules et frites (mussels and fries) served in different styles, croquettes de crevette (shrimp croquettes) and French dishes like steak et frites, raw oysters, and a number of other fried seafood dishes. The place was absolutely packed when we arrived as a party of six, and even more packed when we left around 7:30pm (there was a line outside, which I was told by our friends was not uncommon). We were quickly seated in the highest point of the restaurant, against a window, which was nice. The whole table ordered their "Léon spécial" which consisted of 600 gr of mussels in a classic Belgian sauce for mussels of, celery and wine, beer or house wine. I also ordered escargots (snails) in persillade (butter, gealic and parsley sauce). Bread was shared with the table. The escargots were very small, served in their shells. The persillade sauce was watery and thin, and not very good. I finished my escargots and was waiting for my mussels. I had to ask the waiter for water, bread and my glass of white wine. He seemed incredibly busy running all over the place (there were several other waiters equally busy). I know that the place was packed throughout its innumerable levels and floors, but the service was extremely lackluster. I finally got my mussels, which are traditionally served with fries and mayonnaise. Everyone at my table got their fries with mayonnaise servings; I didn't, so I had to again ask for it to our waiter, who was frantically running around. The mussels, were pretty small, but a decent amount. You order mussels because you want to get to the delicious juice on the bottom and sop it up with bread. There was a lot of sauce, but like the escargot persillade, was watery and had an incredible amount of shredded celery (I am not a fan of celery). Chez Léon seemed to me one of those incredibly touristy places that every city has that does not serve exactly the best food, but that they are famous and affordable. I substracted two stars out of five; one for the lackluster service and another for the lackluster food. There are many better places in Brussels to have a typical meal. Chez Léon may be one of the most famous, but not necessarily the best choice.

Chez Léon is in the middle of the rue des Bouchers, a street in in central Brussels that's filled with mediocre restaurants. But don't pass by this big, bustling restaurant, which has been feeding locals and visitors since 1893. The best reason to eat here is the choice of mussels. Whether you want them gratinéed with snail butter, deep-fried, raw with a mustardy sauce, or just accompanied by cream or white wine, they got it for you. The rest of the menu is long, with traditional meaty dishes like rabbit stewed in kriek beer, Brussels-style dumplings etc. There's a very respectable beer list (and the house beer is excellent). The waiters move fast and are efficient. The star of the show is definitely the mussels, ordered 1 portion and shared (2 people) and it is perfect.

Visiting Brussels for the 1st time. Our tour guide recommended this restaurant for dinner and we were pleasantly surprised. We had reservations, but arrived 45 minutes early and they graciously sat us. We had the escargot, mussels and carbonnade fl amande. All 3 were absolutely delicious. We wanted the rabbit, but they were out. Food was delicious but atmosphere was touristy - fast paced service. Therefore the 3 star rating. However, would recommend this restaurant for casual dinning while in Brussels.

THIS. PLACE. MADE. OUR. TRIP. We came to Brussels for only the day and had a long list of places on our 'to-visit' list. It was a cool and rainy day. All we wanted was good food. Chez Léon delivered. The staff recommended the garlic and cheese muscles - amazing. We ordered one meal for one person (muscles, salad, fries, and a beer), split the muscles and salad, and ordered another main and side of beer. The Léon beer was light and refreshing. The muscles were warm and delicious. The salad...could have been better. Atmosphere is what makes this spot win. It's decked with Brussels memorabilia and signature photos. After going on a free walking tour of the city, seeing TinTin and The Smurfs on the wall were icing on the cake for a Belgium-packed experience. Good date spot (if you are from out of town). Recommend for families. I imagine it can get crowded.

I'm not sure how this place got anything better than two stars. Orders the Lobster bisque and princess charlottes salad. Waited 45 minutes for food. They brought starters, salad, soup, and entrees at the same time. So very disappointed my soup was served luke warm. I'm not familiar with Lobster bisque serves at room temperature. The starter plate had fried Calamari, shrimp, and mussels. It was served at room temperature as well. Very oily. Like it was sitting for a long time or they used old oil. We ordered a bottle of water and it was left on the ledge by our table. Had to help myself to the water.

Iconic restaurant in Brussels near the elegant Grand Place. Tons of tourists flock here to try traditional Belgian dishes. One can't leave Belgium without trying mussels and fries. They were epic. Definitely a must try. The prices here a little higher than normal because of their iconic status. I also tried a small glass of Belgian beer. I'm not much of beer drinker because it gets me full. If I was hungrier, I would also try more hearty dishes.

Was excited to try this place out as there was a ton of people inside and its one of the most famous places to eat in Brussels. On a Saturday night, I was surprised and lucky to find that they still had a lot of tables open but I was honestly not a big fan of the food despite how cute the interior of the restaurant was. I ordered the Cream Mussels and thought it was actually quite bad. The mussels were not very fresh, it seemed like it was in the freezer before and was extremely over cooked. Also, this was my fault for ordering the wrong dish, but the soup felt too salty to the point of indigestibility. The ham on top was a weird addition as it very much diluted the flavor of the mussels. I don't know why, but the dish just felt very fake to me, something you would get at a cheap buffet. In addition, the fries were very okay, not very crispy on the outside. Also the water came 10 minutes after our main entree was served and eaten, which was weird. Overall, probably wouldn't come back to this place but there's a very high chance I might have just ordered the wrong food. To be honest, I wasn't particularly impressed with anything.

Considered the oldest restaurant in Europe with pretty much the same menu focusing on mussels. Chez Leon started out in Brussels , Belgium but has other locations in Europe. I dined at the original one near The Grand Place in Brussels. Amazing mussels with a down to earth family like dining experience. A "must do" when visiting Brussels. Reservations are recommended because of Covid variants.

While staying in Bruxelles, we had a fantastic time and food at this restaurant. The mussels are simply divine and I would definitely recommend getting the mussels soaked in garlic, butter and herb. We shared this as a family of five, but I could have ordered this as an entree and eaten it on my own. So delicious! The atmosphere is lively, so it is a great casual pace to eat with great ambience and food. I recommend sticking to the seafood. The Vol au Vent was oki but the seafood is the star.

I am so glad I was finally able to get into Chez Leon, and the wait was worth it! We reserved a table online, which makes the process much easier and faster. The staff were friendly and the food was amazing! The dish I got of mussels, shrimp, and calamari (pictured) was so delicious and the frites were cooked perfectly with a slight crisp outside and a soft inside. The sauces they had were also tasty. The menu is pretty large and includes several non seafood options for people in your party that may not eat seafood. There are tons of options for mussels, which was a little intimidating, but with the flavor of my dish I would say you probably can't go wrong with anything you choose. The noise level was just above average and there was plenty of lighting, which was nice. Overall this was a fantastic spot and I hope to return again!

First time in Brussels. The Airbnb recommend Chez Leon. The food was excellent. The mussels and escargot was delicious. Would recommend.

It was my first time with snails and I was nervous. The waiter Michael did and excellent job of instructing me how to devour them. They had French fries and fish soup that were bon appetite. Classic French feel to a modern customer.

Chez Leon is highly recommend on a number of sites and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. It's in the heart of the tourist area, so making it super convenient to pop in for lunch. The mussels were juicy and well flavored. Personally, the fisherman's soup was my favorite. They also have a great selection of Belgian beers on tap.

Violently sick!! If I could give lesser stars I would. My god, I think if you have no other choice to eat literally ANYWHERE else. Get mussels, I ordered a pasta & my server tried to give me hits that the food isn't good, but I was so exhausted I just ate there anyways. Yk the kind of sick, that has you praying

This please is excellent....if you're a seafood lover. I had the steak from here and it was meh but the clams were the highlight of this place. The waiter of very friendly and even let me take his picture while he poured my beer. They are very tourist friendly and willing to do it for the 'gram.

just another tourist restaurant...it wasnt bad, it just wasnt good. my flemish stew was very flat and bland...my dining partners seafood pasta dish has lumps of flour in it, indicatinging lack of proper "chef" action and staff training.

A wonderful place for dinner and trying mussel frites! The bisque soup is out of the world, one of the best fish soups I had! The mussels were great but not the most amazing. It's a bit touristy, but, for VALUE it's fantastic and the atmosphere gives you an old American diner vibe. Perfect for families and friends - and I actually saw a sign that children under 12 eat for free!

First of all, they don't rip you off like other restaurants around there. I can trust them and enjoy meal.

Listen, this isn't our first rodeo dining out in Europe. We know what to expect: longer waits and mediocre service. It's just par for the course, and we are ready for it, but our service experience at Chez Leon last night was seriously horrific--even by European standards. And we've never done this in over 900 reviews, but we're going to use the name of our waiter here as a cautionary tale. If you are seated in Paul's section: MOVE OUT. We made a reservation here weeks ago because it's one of Brussels's most famous restaurants for moules frites. We got there right on time and opted for a table outside since the weather was cooling off. Bad move if you prefer not to have people smoking right next to you, but fine, we decided to make the best of it. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Kept waiting. After maybe 20+ minutes, Paul finally shows ups to take our order. Then, more waiting. And waiting. And waiting. At this point a table has sat down next to us, well after we arrived, and gotten their food. From another door, we see a runner drop our food on a tray. Does he bring it over to our table? No! And where is our waiter? Nowhere to be found! Waiting. Still waiting. At this point one of us gets up to go inside to ask if *another* waiter could simply bring us the food that's been sitting outside for 10 minutes, and there is Paul! Hanging out with his pals by the kitchen! A++++++ training in customer service! Honestly we wished we hated the food because then this review would feel so vindicated, but we have to admit that the mussels were incredible. We order the classic style, and we've never had them prepared that way with so much celery and parsley and a broth that you wanted to eat like soup (oh yeah, we never got a bowl to put the discarded shells and one of us just walked over to the server station to help herself to a spoon; our table was the only one without salt and pepper on it as well). The fries were only OK; the Liegoise salad--green beans, lardons and potatoes--was too greasy, and the sole meunière is not the best preparation we've had. Everything needed salt. Honestly, if not for the despicable service, we would have landed on four happy stars here because the mussels were that good. Maybe our server was having a bad day or decided to hate us from the second he laid eyes on us or just isn't good at his job. Who knows. But he really ruined a lot of our night and we're lucky to have such an awesome kid who deserved a trophy for being so well-behaved after waiting for hours. Two stars, conceding to the excellence of the mussels.

Gotta do the moules frites here ! It gets a little hectic because this is smack dab in tourist central but Chez Léon is a classic in Brussels. Our server was wonderful. We spoke mostly French in this restaurant but it's clear the waiters can also speak English. The dishes are on the mid to high side of price. We enjoyed our food very much.

Look, you're going here based on how famous it is. But be prepared. Pros: Interesting interior with lots of photos, posters etc. The mussels and fries were good. A little bland on the mussels but this might just be because I prefer tomato based sauce. Good draft beer selection. Cons: yes, slow service. Some of the dining rooms were plus 80 degrees by the end of dinner. Fries were average.

Yes this is a Brussels Tourist Trap but it is an old tourist trap. It has been around since the early 1890s serving those Muscles from Brussels so I had to come in. Funny thing, I did not order the muscles although I definitely love them. I was so stuffed from the course of the day that I ordered the raw oysters instead. This is not my last time in Brussels so I will make sure that I come back in for their Brussels Muscles and fries. From what I saw on the menu, there were different types of cooked muscles that looked very good. The prices were decent for being a touristy restaurant close to the Grand Place. I was seated right away but I came in between lunch and dinner time, so I missed the 'it's so packed' time. The restaurant was pretty busy but the service was very quick and friendly. I was given a nice bread basket with a bit of butter which I would have devoured if I was extremely hungry. I did eat half of one and it was a nice piece of bread lol. So as for the oysters, I ordered two of each. Oysters from the North and Oysters from the South. Both were very fresh and good. I love oysters and am not shy about plucking them out of the shells and eating them raw. So good! If their raw oysters are fresh and delicious, I can only imagine what their famed muscles are like. I really should have planned my eating day a bit better so I could try out those muscles. I look at it this way, it will give me an excuse to come back to Brussels and try out those Chez Leon muscles!

Came here on my first night in Belgium for some beer and mussels! I also had a list of traditional Belgium food that I wanted to try while I was in town. This place happened to have a couple of them. We tried the grey shrimp croquette. I was surprised when we cut into the croquette and it was like a paste with chunks of grey shrimp. But then I took the first bite and it was delicious! Both my friend and myself (she's lives in Brussels and had never tried the croquette) really enjoyed it. The outside was nice a crispy while the inside was soft and full of shrimp flavor. Would definitely recommend that dish! The mussels were very good. I got them with white wine, cream, and lardons. I would probably order a different kind next time as the cream was a bit heavy for me but they were very tasty! And the fries!!!! I want those fries right now. We came here late so it was nice that they were still open. Definitely a great first experience of a meal in Brussels. Especially having my first mussels in Brussels!

Please don't go here. The servers here are inexplicably rude and aggressive. Had a server who was annoyed at us (for no reason) and began rubbing up against the back of my chair each time he passed. It was absolutely disgusting.

Well known for their mussels and fries. Located in a charming side street near the city center. Great ambiance, with wooden booths and chairs and green checked tablecloths. It was busy even at 3pm and a great place for people watching. I ordered the entrecote (steak) with triple pepper sauce. It was delicious. The sauce was so rich and delicious. The french fries were pretty good but not my ideal style (they were quite thick cut). Service was rather slow, but typical for European restaurants.

Atmosphere was amazing and so was the food! We were recommended this restaurant by one of the bartenders at Delirium. He told us to get the mussels. We were blown away! So yummy! Make sure you try a waffle from here too!

I just completed a lunch at Chez Leon in Brussels and can say that I am displeased at my experience. We were excited for our and visit as I ma a member of Le Club Leon. While I don't get back to Paris enough as I would like - I always make it a point to visit Leons when we are in town. This trip brought us to Brussels and I knew there was a Leons here. I tried to present my card to the waiter Jimmy, and he said they didn't accept/recognize the card, as it was explained it was only for dining in France. We ordered our food and the waiter couldn't barely speak French, English and certainly didn't speak Flemish - which made things very difficult. We ordered our meal and it was delivered. He never came back to check on us at all. The most insulting thing that happened as I was paying - he advised that service fee was not included. In the menu it clearly states service is included. He refused to run my card until I gave him an amount for a tip. I said no and he started to make a scene - so I just gave him 10E so we could get out of there. We noticed that he did that to a Japanese group as well as I think a Chinese group. He did ask us early on where we were from - and as soon as we said San Francisco, he moved on. I don't appreciate the fact that we were openly extorted before we could pay out bill. My hope is that this thief is loses his job promptly.

It was my family's first day in Brussels. It was raining, we had just finished a beer and chocolate tour and I had to sober up just a bit, or at the least have something salty. My tour guide pointed me in the direction of this restaurant. Apparently this restaurant's well known and has gotten quite the reputation of being a tourist trap of sorts. If this businesses has remained in the family for over 6 generations and has been continually been serving mussels and fries for over 100 years, surely the quality is still good. My tour guide also swears by this place as having good mussels, so I took her word. This restaurant is huge. Although it didn't take me too long to find this place, it did take a while to navigate inside the restaurant to find a seat. There's at least two floors of seating. Even during a 30-minute time period where there was moderate showers in August there was still a line to get in. Line didn't last very long and we were seated in ~10 minutes. Memory's a little hazy but this is what we had based on the pictures. - Meridional (cream, tomatoes, garlic, Provence herbs), €26.85. - Plancha (shrimp, squid, garlic butter, onions, tomatoes, white wine and Provence herbs), €22.95. All came with fries, which was hot and crisp right off the oven but kinda got soggy as it got cooler. Whoever made this batch had a strong hand when pouring out the herbs as I could make out more of the herbs than the garlic. Mussels absorbed the broth well and even was a good accompaniment for the fries. Don't come here expecting to have the best mussels and fries in Belgium but my family had a solid meal here and I was able to get back to the hotel just fine even after several glasses of beer.

has history but food not that great. disappointed. fries werent cripsy and mussels small. cool atmosphere though and great location.

Absolutely the best mussels I've ever had. We had a bucket in traditional wine and another with Roquefort cheese broth. Dig down into the broth for true perfection. Well worth the short wait.

Great food. The place was crowded, but we were seated right away, and service was normal speed.

We saw a line/queue waiting for this restaurant during our visit and decided to try it. We got a table for 4 after about 30 - 40 mins wait. This place definitely specialize in mussels and it was pretty good and that's about it. We also ordered raw oysters, escargot (lack of flavor), grilled sole (just okay) and the seafood pastry (meh).

Where to go in Brussels for your moules and frites? I checked out some other places on Yelp and decided that Chez Léon was in the right area and looked like the best cost. Easy! No wait when I arrived at 6:30 PM on Saturday, but by the time my meal ended, they were starting to get very crowded. I'd recommend making a reservation if you're able to do so. I opted for the "Complet Léon" which includes a beer (their own, a lager), a starter and a choice of a few different moules combinations. The beer was tasty and the starter - a shrimp stuffed tomato - was pretty good. The very tiny shrimps were odd, but delicious and the tomato was the right amount of ripe. And then the main. A huge pot of steamed mussels. I went to town on these bad boys. I ate every single one. Good consistency, great flavor, all of them steamed open and easy to eat. I had chosen the one with mushrooms and garlic in a cream sauce so when all was done, I still had a good amount of the cream sauce for dipping. As well, a nice sized dish of very hot frites that were a great texture for dipping in the cream too. Absolutely excellent. It was the only place I felt a little bit out of place with English only, but the waiter still took good care of me despite my American-ness. Definitely would return to Chez Léon. They have other seafood options if mussels aren't your thing.

The speed of getting our food was probably the most impressive thing about this lovely italian and seafood restaurant in the heart of Brussels. If you need a quick and tasty seafood experience you will want to stop at Chez Leon's. Really loved that it was so well known on Pinterest otherwise not sure I would've stopped here solely because the mecca area of Bussels has so many food options to choose from. You can locate the place with all the green neon signs in front. Also there were heards of crowds right in front the whole time we were there. So you can't miss the place ;-) Made reservations for 4 adults and a baby for 8pm but with the rainy weather we got there an hour earlier and didn't want to waste anytime walking around in the rain. Luckily, they happily sat us right away which was really nice as they looked very busy and packed. You walk through this - what you may think is a small place from the outside, to walking up several flights of stairs to see the place keeps going and has so many tables. It was really neat to see how they built up versus building a wide location. We ordered the muscles au gratin which had this amazing garlic butter that went really well with the complimentary bread they served. I got the spaghetti leon which had muscles, creamy pasta, and drizzled with mini fried shrimps. Unfortunately, you can't get it without shrimp (even though I had a small allergy to shrimp), he said it was in the sauce but there wasn't a lot of it so i just picked them out. We also got the half lobster which came with rice and a grilled tomato, the fish fillet that came with a lemon tasting mashed potatoes and cream sauce, and lastly their spaghetti carbonara with pretty big chunks of bacon. All were tasty enough to go back but didn't wow my taste buds as much as the speed of food did. Within maybe 20 mins or less we had our food delivered pipping hot. Love that! Would've wished we ordered fries as the articles and reviews rave about their fries and muscles, but we still really enjoyed our food. The staff was pretty attentive, at least in our area. I read some reviews that said otherwise, and glad I still came in. Everywhere I looked I saw waiters and staff so I can't imagine a table waiting so long for service. It's small hallways too so they definitely wouldn't miss you. And they even cut bread right near tables so its not like they were in the kitchen waiting for fresh hot bread. The restaurant itself felt really warm, probably from all the body heat, but dress appropriately nonetheless. They have coat hangers in most parts of the restaurant but be prepared to take a few articles of clothing off before sitting down to you enjoy your muscles. Park in the local parking structures if you're driving yourself. Where it's located, there are no street parking spaces nearby. Its all short walks around the Grand Place area anyway and parking in the structure made it nice to get out from the rain and made us feel safer with our car protected from bad drivers on the street. Ours was called Parking Eculyer or something which was only a few min walk from the place. After about 3 hours total cost of parking was 9 euros which wasn't bad.

Fat plump mussels! Fries were good, but the mussels meal came with a very small portion. Escargot was huge, but it was swimming in a puddle in an oversized bowl. No shell holder was provided. Ingredients itself was high quality, but the preparation and presentation pale in comparison to their neighboring country in the south. In big french cities, you can easily get a well prepared meal even in small hole in the walls. So... Service could be better. But this if Belgium in a touristy area, so expectations are low for a place like Chez Leon.

This place is over 100 years old and is a Brussels institution. They have a "formule" prix fixe menu that includes mussels in a lovely white wine broth flecked with leek and garlic that comes with a crispy bowl of fries and a beer. After walking around the old town, it totally hits the spot. You can also order stuff a la carte and they have a pretty extensive menu. There is plenty of seating in this multi-level, friendly and efficient eatery. Service is fast and the food is consistently good. It's on a touristy street, but one of the better eateries on this lane. It's not fancy, but the food is good and hearty and real Belgian fare.