Lyonnais Cuisine – An introduction.
Lyon is regarded as the gastronomic capital of France and there are plenty of restaurants throughout the city. However, as I have mentioned elsewhere on my website, Lyonnais cuisine is unique and may not be to everyone’s taste.
If you have a sweet tooth you may be tempted by one of numerous of chocolatiers dotted around the city but quality choklit does not come cheap. If you want to eat traditional cuisine you should head for a Bouchon but you will need to do your research as the quality varies considerably. It may be best to avoid the large Bouchon in the centre of the Old Town and look for the smaller ones hidden around the city. Ooh, and it may be a good idea to book in advance.
Scroll down to see my Bouchon recommendations below-
Some specialities to look out for [I liked them all]:
Quennelle– A creamed mixture of fish or meat, Andouillette – A sausage made from pork intestine, Saucisson à cuire pistaché – seasoned pork and beef sausage with pistachio and Rognons de veau – Veal kidneys in a [creamy] sauce. A traditional Lyon Praline Cake [made with almonds and is often pink in colour] is a satisfying conclusion to a meal. There are also wonderful local cheeses which I can never refuse.
If you are eating local food it makes sense to wash it down with something appropriate. Kir ou Communard, a local red wine mixed with cassis, is a perfect aperitif. Many bouchons offer Pots Lyonnais which is local wine served in a bottle type carafe thingy to have during your meal. They are smaller than a typical bottle of wine which means you can happily try a different one when the first one disappears! Chartreuse [yellow or green] is the perfect digestiv – the green Chartreuse is quite potent! [thank you Philippe for introducing me to all of these!]
Gruntie’s restaurant recommendations:
We had our first meal in Lyon at this Bouchon and it was a brilliant evening. A simple menu on a chalk board, a relaxed atmosphere and our waitress loved us so much she gave us free glasses of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Yay!
We had our last night here. It was a wonderful experience. The waiter was great and helped us select from their fixed price 4 course menu as well as giving us advice over wine.
We met up with friends Karin and Philippe who recommended this place and we had a great time in this tiny Bouchon. Philippe made sure that I tried everything and I don’t think I let him down. You might need a torch or your phone to find the toilet out the back!
More a pub than a restaurant. We had lunch here twice, loved it. They offer a great range of burgers [superb], salads and poutines [loaded chips] as well as planches [boards]. If you want some peace and quiet head down to the vaulted basement.
Food Traboule [Foodhall]
Food Traboule on Rue du Boeuf in the centre of the Old Town does get mixed reviews, however we had a pleasant meal and drinky here. It’s a food court on two levels in rooms of various shapes and sizes. Choose your table and order your food via the app which you then collect from the appropriate counter. Someone should come to your table to take the drink order. There’s pizza, burgers, seafood, pasta, salads and more to choose from. We popped in to get away from the crowds during the Festival of Lights and had no problem getting a table.
Open Markets [and an indoor one].
Lyon has several markets dotted around the city. St Antoine Market is held on the right bank of the Saône along quai St Antoine & quai des Célestins. It’s Lyon’s largest and is officially open every morning until 1pm except mondays, but it seemed stay open a lot later when we visited. There was a wonderful range of produce from local farmers as well as freshly made food to take away and pottery too. We had a mooch before [and after] our boat trip, the boat was moored nearby at the Passarelle du Palais de Justice [footbridge].
La Croix-Rousse Food and Flower Market is over 1km long and has a similar range of locally produced products on sale. On certain days there’s also a non-food market on the other side of the road.
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Celebrated local Chef Paul Bocuse died in 2018 but his name lives on with his Institut, restaurants, his unique creations and this celebrated and exclusive indoor foodhall. It is a five minute walk from Part Dieu station. There are a range of establishments selling savoury and sweet foodstuffs as well as cafes and restaurants. Everything was very expensive and we did not buy anything but we enjoyed having a look around. We were surprised that both the ladies and gents toilets were disgusting and stank of piss!
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