Downtown Burlington staple Leunig’s Bistro & Café will expand to Market Street in South Burlington’s growing City Center, with a second location coming this winter.
Leunig’s co-owner Amy Bernhardt announced the expansion on Monday with representatives of Snyder Braverman Development and the University of Vermont, the public-private partnership behind the Catamount Run at City Center, which includes housing for UVM students, faculty and staff. They said the 5,300-square-foot Leunig’s on Market will “occupy a prominent corner location” in the development at 268 Market Street.
Construction of Leunig’s on Market will begin this summer. It will join other local food businesses with outposts in the mixed-use building, including the Scale Poké Bar, Bliss Bee and soon-to-open Judi’s Ice Cream.
The original Leunig’s Bistro, which has operated on the Church Street Marketplace since 1980, will remain open, Bernhardt told Seven Days. She bought the business with an investor in August 2024 after working there for 15 years.
Bernhardt lives in South Burlington and has “witnessed the growth of Market Street firsthand,” she said via text. “Over the past few years, I have run into many longtime previous guests outside of Burlington [who] have told me they no longer visit downtown [and] stay closer to home.”
Earlier this year, Leunig’s did not bid to renew its lease on Leunig’s Petit Bijou, the Church Street kiosk it had operated since January 2017. Bernhardt gave several reasons for the decision, including challenges with staffing, competition and the “struggling” downtown population. Sabah’s House, which took Leunig’s place in the kiosk, officially opened over the weekend.
Bernhardt called the new South Burlington spot “an ideal location,” citing the neighborhood’s residential-retail mix, which also includes offices and gathering spaces. “I believe Market Street can support strong year-round business while serving this growing community,” she said.
Leunig’s on Market will serve brunch on weekends, breakfast on weekdays, and lunch and dinner daily, Bernhardt said. The menu will feature dishes from Leunig’s current lineup and ones unique to South Burlington. Plans for the space include a “signature bar at its heart,” room for private events and sidewalk café seating outside, the release said.
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