The Lyonnais take their cuisine seriously. Michelin stars and culinary associations abound in this gastronomic hub that produces many of France’s top chefs. Vieux Lyon’s rue du Boeuf has become the city’s most Michelin-starred street with Jérémy Galvan, La Cour des Loges’ Anthony Bonnet, and the newly relocated Tsuyoshi Arai.
Make sure you fit in a trip to a traditional Lyonnais bistro bouchon where you’ll likely dine at a gingham-clothed table on dishes such as quenelles de brochet (creamed pike) and andouillettes Lyonnaises (course-grained pork sausages in an onion sauce). It's a cuisine/restaurant type that was created by women. Generations ago, hard-working women set up low-priced bistros, known as bouchons, to feed the local workers with meat-oriented fare such as duck pâté and andouillettes Lyonnaise (course-grained pork sausages in an onion sauce). Nowadays these bouchons are so famed in Lyon that an official association has been set up to protect the 20 or so official certified authentiques bouchons Lyonnais from the numerous fakes that parade around the old town. Nowadays most of these gingham-clothed bouchons are run by men, but some pay tribute to their Lyonnais foremothers such as the Michelin-starred Mère Brazier. Our favorites include Daniel et Denise (tel. 04-78-60-66-53) at 156 rue de Créqui; Les Adrets (tel. 04-78-38-24-30) at 30 rue du Boeuf; Le Musée, 2 rue des Forces (tel. 04-78-37-71-54); long-established Café des Fédérations (www.lesfedeslyon.com; tel. 04-78-28-26-00) at 8-10 rue Major-Martin; Le Garet, 7 rue du Garet (tel. 04-78-28-16-94) famously frequented by Jean Moulin, hero of La Résistance; and Bouchon des Cordeliers (www.bouchondescordeliers.com; tel. 04-78-03-33-53) at 15, rue Claudia.
A Culinary Side Trip
Paul Bocuse was the godfather of Lyonnaise cuisine and the only chef within the Lyon area to boast three Michelin stars. Gourmands flock from Paris and the world over to dine at his sumptuous culinary headquarters in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or (tel. 04-72-42-90-90; www.bocuse.fr; North of Lyon on the N433) where you’ll have to book months in advance to secure a table to taste memorable dishes such as his black-truffle soup. Standards remain high here, even after Bocuse' death in 2018 at the age of 91.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
