look back at its legendary history

See my news
Follow Lyon News

In the heart of the Presqu’île, in one of the rare quiet streets in the city center, a large establishment with an orange and green front, flowers and decorated with period stained glass windows, instantly catches the eye: the Léon de Lyon.

Historic restaurant in the district, an institution of Lyon gastronomy, the place was founded in 1904 and saw some very beautiful people pass by, both in the kitchen and at the table. This year it is celebrating its 120th anniversary with the same mottos: tradition and quality.

A lunch menu for less than 30 euros

“Welcome to Léon de Lyon,” says Cyril Durand as he opens the doors of the establishment of which he has been the director for more than two years.

Enter this den of French cuisine with its 140 place settings is a real journey. The rooms are beautiful and numerous, the atmospheres different; sometimes chic, sometimes casual. Without ever tilting excessively to one side or the other.

The desire to offer rather accessible menus in terms of price, despite the reputation of the restaurant, is today part of the DNA of Léon de Lyon. “You can come and eat in 1 hour for lunch, with a starting menu for less than 30 euros including a starter and a main course or a main course and a dessert,” presents Cyril Durand.

Former two-star restaurant

A direction already given by the former owner of the place, Jean-Paul Lacombe, who had decided to give up its two Michelin stars in 2007 to find a certain… simplicity.

Original Lyonnais often think that Léon de Lyon is always a Michelin restaurant, where you spend a very long time at the table and where you pay extremely expensively. However, we have maintained the provision of service and the quality of the dishes but with reasonable prices.

Georges Bocuse behind the stove

It must be said that the history of the restaurant is quite impressive. Opened in 1904 by a mother from Lyon, Mother Coquit, the establishment was taken over in 1913 by the cook Léon Déan, who gave it his name.

Behind the stoves, we find, among other things, Georges Bocuse, father of the famous Paul Bocuse, who worked for 10 years in the restaurant.

In the 1950s, Léon de Lyon was bought by Paul and Gisèle Lacombe, who quickly obtained their first Michelin star. Then their son Jean-Paul Lacombe took over and in turn obtained, in 1978, a star from the famous guide.

Stars and presidents of the Republic

Being one of the only starred restaurants in the center of Lyon for many years, the establishment quickly became the meeting place for great personalities, starting with the Presidents of the Republic: Valérie Giscard d’Estaing, François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac…

In 1996, on the occasion of the G7 summit under the presidency of Chirac, the Léon de Lyon had the “honor of welcoming” several heads of state: Bill Clinton (USA), Helmut Kohl (Germany), John Major (United Kingdom), Viktor Tchernomyrdin (Russia), Ryutaro Hasimoto (Japan), Jean Chretien (Canada), Romano Prodi (Italy) and Jacques Santer (president of the European Community).

The room in which they ate has also been preserved to this day for customers, with photos of the event hanging on the walls.

In a corridor are also displayed images of Claude Brasseur, Clint Eastwood, Carole Bouquet or even little words from Christian Clavier, Isabelle Adjani and Thierry Frémeaux, left behind during their passage.

Now in the hands of Laurent Gerra

In 2018, Jean-Paul Lacombe finally sold Léon de Lyon to comedian Laurent Gerra, a loyal customer of the restaurant. The latter took the opportunity to make some adjustments, in particular the transformation of a bar section into a speakeasy style.

Since then, the story continues and continues to be beautiful, if we are to believe the way in which the special event organized for the 120th anniversary of the restaurant took place, Friday November 8, and which displayed complete.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.