Leon Bistro - Chico

What a great find! We chose this place based on the high number of Yelp reviews that are received. The staff the food the atmosphere, it was all really really fun and awesome! You could really tell they put the love in the food fresh ingredients well done!

Never disappointed here. Wonderful presentations and complex/delicious sauces for every item.

I love going to Leon Bistro! The food is always exceptional. This visit we had calamari (amazing!), soup (yummy), steak (fabulous!), pork (unbelievable), and chicken curry (very good).

My husband and I had our first date night out in years and were given a gift certificate for Leon's. We made a reservation and when we arrived were greeted promptly and kindly. Our server was amazing, had great recommendations for wine and food and we were served quite quickly. The food presentation was beautiful and we were pleasantly surprised with the bill. We will most definitely be going back!

This is hands down one of the best restaurants in Chico. The food is phenomenal, and they are very accommodating to tastes and diet.

One of the things I appreciate most is the variety and portion size of the appetizers. My husband and I agreed next time we are going to order all appetizers - plenty of food and something for everyone's taste buds! Not to take anything away from their main courses, Parmesan chicken and ribs are extraordinary - it is a lot of food. Lost impossible to save room for dessert! I also love the atmosphere - enjoyable background music, but not so loud you can hold a conversation. Healthy, tasteful selection - I highly recommend!

Food was very good.
Our server had a big smile and was excited it was our first time there.

Spent the day in Sacramento doing birthday stuff and had been offered the chance to go to Mulvaney's B&L or any of Sacramento's fine dining locations but for me nothing sounded better than heading back to Chico for Leon. If i'm going to be spending money, I want to support my favorite local spot. Leon is always a perfect time

I booked this place a few months ago for a work dinner and it was incredible. The food, service, and overall ambiance was amazing. I have been a once a monther ever since. I have never received bad service or bad food. The portions are well worth the money, I didn't feel jipped in any way. The food is prepared by an amazing chef who should be working in a more expensive city but she chose Chico. :) She is a brilliant chef, one of my very favorites. They are great with wine suggestions and even better at explaining their menu options. The staff is very well informed and ready to help you on an indecisive night. I am very happy I found that place out of randomness and recommend it often. It is perfect for date night, first or one of many, and also dinner with parents coming into town. If you're willing to spend the money I know you won't regret it. I make reservations every time just to be safe, but by the time I get there it is never necessary because they don't overbook themselves and there is a bar you can sit at while waiting on the off chance you do have a short wait. LOVE IT recommend it one hundred times over! :)

The food is seasonal, local, high quality, and extremely creative. the best restaurant i've been to in the area by a long shot. i go here every time i get the excuse (birthdays, anniversaries, friends from out of town). Wine and beer only, vegan and vegetarian options, mind-blowing soups, the best crab cakes i've ever had, extremely generous portions. the chef is also the owner and the restaurant's namesake. absolutely worth the money.

Food is amazing. Expensive but worth it. The cheese skirt on the burger is out of this world! I would recommend getting a bottle of wine vs a glass, the pour on a glass is way too small, it looks like a sample. I have been there twice, loved the food both times. Service is ok, the first waitress we had was a little rude, the second time we had a guy who was nicer but less organized. I'm still going back!

Leon Bistro is an excellent restaurant for great food, wine and beer. The meal presentation is terrific. Great service too!

Celebrated my husband's birthday here for Labor Day Weekend. We had a wonderful time and the food was amazing. We started to see less of our waiter as it got busier which we didn't mind until we were ready to leave and had to wait for the bill, but the waiter was still great, very knowledgeable about the menu and the chef and the beer and wine list. This was the best meal I've had in Chico, the appetizer and entrees and free birthday dessert were AMAZING. I hope that we can go back soon.

Leon Bistro is a Chico Great! I have eaten there twice now and both times the food was excellent. We started with the stuffed grilled peaches with gorgonzola and bacon onion marmalade (absolutely awesome) and I had the Salmon Wellington. Delicious. This particular night, though, the service was not good. It appeared that the restaurant was short-staffed. Our server was being run ragged. She maintained a good attitude but it really took far too long for us to get our dinner. Fortunately the atmosphere is nice, and we'd had a starter to tide us over. Despite the evident service challenges I will go back when I can.

Leon Bistro the best dining experience in Chico. Could easily compete with some of the best restaurants in San Francisco and Sacramento. Food was fresh, bold flavors, had imagination and just overall sublime.

By far the best fine dining restaurant in Chico. Always excellent service & Anne is a true chef who's love of cooking comes thru amazingly.

Exceptional food! The exterior of the restaurant made me hesitate but that was the only moment of hesitation. The interior is nicely decorated and the food will not disappoint. Highly recommend!

You can actually taste the love for food in every bite. You will not be disappointed.

Expertly trained Ann Leon consistently creates stunning, sumptuous and seasonal dishes that just can't be beat. At our house, she is just known as "Chef Ann". Seriously, we have eaten there so often that our children feel like they know her on her first name basis. Our kids are VERY adventurous eaters (last night our teen ordered the calamari steak and ate every bite) and love going to Leon's, especially with the newly released kids menu. However, if your kids cannot handle waiting for their food, or if they cannot stay seated and relatively quiet, then this is not the place for your family. It IS the place for anyone who really enjoys high quality food (at very reasonable prices, between $14 - $35 dinner entrees), and especially for someone who enjoys local food taking center stage. One great things about Leon's is even though you pay $20, you will be stuffed to the brim with food. I can never eat everything on the plate and always have to take some home (especially to save room for delicious dessert). I've been to other restaurants advertised as "local and excellent" and paid $20 for two pork chops - and that's all I got - 2 (small) pork chops. On a plate. You pay $20 for two pork chops at Leon's and you also get a heaping of two different kinds of potatoes, some AMAZING sauces, perfectly cooked seasonal vegetables on the side and probably one or two edible garnishes. The delicious smells will quickly overpower your initial response of "that is too beautiful to eat!". We always give feedback about the food, or menu, or how things tasted to the excellent servers, each of whom gives wonderful service. Last night our feedback was that the Chico burger that my husband ordered as "medium rare" was way too rare, with some meat barely cooked. And I have heard that before about the burgers, probably because they are the size of mini meatloafs. So don't order your burgers anything near rare! And other than that, bon appetite!

The food was pretty good however the server was kind of rude that night and we ended up being very upset at the end of the night because of his behavior.

Leon Bistro never disappoints. Fantastic food, beautiful plating, and a great atmosphere for a romantic date or fine dining experience paired with an excellent wine list makes Leon one of our favorite spots in town.

It'd been a long time since we had been here, and don't why it took so long. Excellent meal, wonderful service. Will definitely come back more often.

Happy, fun, attentive waitstaff. Excellent food prepared to perfection and beautifully presented. Great vegan options, too!! Anne Leon is one of the finest chefs on the West Coast and we're so lucky to have her in Chico!!

Leon's Bistro in Chico is the whole package if a person is looking for great, sustainable, local food and a quiet evening. The wait staff was attentive to our needs but gave us space to eat and talk. The food was cooked perfectly. I had halibut that was tender and flavorful. The wine list was extensive and the waitress new enough about the selections to give me a solid pairing with my fish. Leon's is perfect for a special evening out. I highly recommend it!

This was our first visit to Leon's and we were very impressed. The elk and soups were outstanding! Our server was very good and attentive. We'll definitely come back in the near future.

The food was fabulous, the service was superb and the ambiance was perfect for an evening with friends. They have an awesome wine list as well. Will be returning soon. Thank you Leon's for a fantastic evening.

We had chosen his resaurant because we had been referred by a friend. Very happy with dining experience. Service, atmosphere and food all excellent. Best restaurant in Chico we have been to. It was our first time there and we will definitely go back and recommend to friends.

I don't eat here often enough. What I love about Leon's...the food is consistently and delicious and beautiful to look at. The chefs obviously take a lot of pride in their work.

Was there for Valentines evening. For special events and not so special events Leons is always dependable. The food is wonderful and the presentations of the courses is best in town. They do not have a full bar but the wine list is very good. Nice to see local wines make thier list.

My girlfriend and I have wanted to eat here for awhile so I took her for Valentines day and Leon's made it special. The service was outstanding. We never once had to look for our server although it wasn't too busy yet when we were eating. The crab cakes were perfect unlike other restaurants that don't
use much crab or use imitation. The lamb shank was amazing and the portions were huge. My girlfriend had the sea bass and that was also amazing. It is very expensive but if you love food like we do it was so worth it. Will definitely go more often when I make better money.n

We were very pleased again with our meal and service at Leon's Bistro. Leon's is not a fast food restaurant. When you go, plan to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, the service and the great food.
You will not get total enjoyment if you just want to go someplace for a fast bite to eat. Leon's is a place to go to enjoy the total experience!
All meals served at Leon's are a culinary art form. Each plate is an artistic creation of wonderful flavors and pleasing presentation of healthy local products in a romantic setting.

If you like a masterful chef, who combines very interesting and delicious food combinations, Leon Bistro is the one for you. The food was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful. Don't decide until you hear the specials, since they are often the most creative. This is our favorite place in Chico.

A truly memorable dining experience. Each dish artfully presented by warm and gracious servers. Each bite a delight to the taste buds. Our group had a number of food "preferences" and sensitivities, ie., vegans, gluten and dairy free needs....each was deliciously accommodated. Something for everyone.

Must have been an off night in the kitchen. Staff were friendly but the wait for our order was really long (over 30 minutes!) and it came out tepid in temperature as if the items had been held on the warming shelf for a while. Beautiful presentation and good flavor, but for the high prices, I'd go elsewhere next time.

We enjoyed a delicious meal at Leon's Bistro. A fitting end to a wonderful day. The atmosphere was very nice. The wait staff professional and courteous as well as attentive but not intrusive. Oh, did I mention the food? Absolutely delicious along with a lovely presentation. We look forward to our next visit.

This was my first visit to Leon's and it was amazing . The only negative (and this is subjective ) is the menu has so many choices and didn't include the specials , which were a menu on their own ! 3 of our party of 4 ordered specials and everyone was extremely pleased !

After reading the reviews I chose that establishment to take my friends to as I had never been there before, nor live in Chico. The menu sounds wonderful but the delivery was exceptionally poor. First we started with crab cakes that tasted like old fryer oil. Nothing you could put on them would take away from that taste. Recommendation, change your oil more often.
Had the hanger steak and some fish that wasn't Alaskan halibut as the menu stated that morning online. The steak was cooked perfectly to medium rare but was tough, unseasoned and bland. The fish was overcooked to the point that I thought it was jerky.
Was hoping to redeem the evening with a great dessert but alas that was not happening as it was as bad as the dinner. Don't know if I picked the wrong day to go or this is what it really is but after spending $ 160.00 for a dinner for 2 truly unimpressed and would never tell anyone to go there. The 3 other people I was with had different items but felt the same as I did, disappointed.
The service was great, food served timely just not good!

Some of the best food we've had in a while. Don't be fooled by the online menu - there are many specials (apps, mains and desserts) nightly - each one more tempting than the last! Service is great. Highly recommend! Try the Elk - it's awesome!

We're very lucky to have the likes of Anne Leon blessing our town with her cooking. As a bay area transplant, it's wonderful to see some inspired and talented cooking, in a town with few good restuarants. With all the agriculture in Chico, she uses fresh, local and organic ingredients. Everything is EXCEPTIONAL on her menu. Her sauces and downright decadent. She would do well anywhere, so I am just grateful that she chose Chico!

As infrequent and cranky restaurant diners, we find trying a new place to be an anxiety filled experience. Yet all we ask is; excellent food, discrete and timely service, couched in an atmosphere of cushy and romantic elegance. We got two out of the three. Maybe some velvet cushions in the booths (booths?) and some groovy (but opulent) wall hangings would have upped the score to three out of three -- I dunno. Anyway, the food and staff were great, though I found the wine list a little thin, and as I said, the trappings casual. So when we come back I'll bring my own bottle and maybe wear a plaid shirt.