Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Reopens as La Brasserie

Les Halles, the restaurant where Anthony Bourdain served as executive chef, has been renovated and reopened as La Brasserie by Francis Staub by Staub cookware.

The restaurant opens in lower Manhattan, and while some may take exception to a cookware company ‘reimagining’ an old school gem like Les Halles - particularly one whose history is so intertwined with that of Anthony Bourdain - the late chef’s presence is felt in the dining room with many references on display.

La Brasserie will have Jaime Loja, previously of Brasserie Ruhlmann, as executive chef, and the menu is 'French-spirited'. It includes foie gras torchon, terrine de canard and steak tartare to start, while steak frites, duck breast, roasted chicken, bouillabaisse and a côte de boeuf for two are among the entrées.

Franicis Staub met Bourdain back in the day and became a regular customer of Les Halles, falling in love with its old-world charm. He bought the restaurant when it closed down a few years ago and his plans for an overhaul were delayed by the pandemic. The renovation is now complete, and with staff and a new menu in situ, the cookware magnate’s vision for La Brassierie is now complete.

The dining room features 173-seats and a 20-foot metallic bar of zinc. The original floors and ceilings have been retained, as have the red leather banquettes and booths. A terrace with seating for twelve should be ready by the end of spring.

Brasserie Les Halles, which opened in 1990 as a butcher shop with a bistro in back, was successful until 2017. (Bourdain was the executive chef from 1998 and remained the chef at large until its closing.)