The Boisdale Potted Guide to Lyon
Our rundown of the best places to eat, drink and be seen in France’s gastronomic capital
Boisdale
For the discerning gourmet, Lyon is not only France’s most gastronomic city, but also one of the best cities on the planet. Its market stalls teem with fabulous cheeses and charcuterie; its classic, old-school bistros (the famous bouchons lyonnais) dish up local specialities (quenelles de brochet, cervelle de canut, tablier de sapeur) to an appreciative clientele of locals and visitors; and its formative role in the history of French gastronomy is assured by a bloodline stretching back to the doughty mères lyonnaises (Eugénie Brazier among them, often called “the mother of modern French cooking”), via Fernand Point, Alain Chapel and the sainted Paul Bocuse, to the talented young chefs that cook in Lyon’s best restaurants today.
As if that were not enough, Lyon lies between the celebrated wine regions of Beaujolais and Burgundy, to the north, and the vineyards of the Rhône, to the south. From a simple pot of Côtes-du-Rhône or Morgon in a bouchon to a grand old bottle of Condrieu or Hermitage in a Michelin-starred restaurant, Lyon loves to drink as much as it loves to eat, and – with its grand squares, beautiful Classical façades, eye-catching trompe l’oeil murals and hilltop panoramas – it is a very agreeable city in which to do both.
Not that Lyon is resting on its lauriers: far from it. The once-derelict district of La Confluence, where the Rhône meets the Saône, is now a brave new world of avant-garde architecture and urban renewal, with the stunning Musée des Confluences as its crowning glory, adding to Lyon’s already distinguished roster of outstanding museums and galleries. Should you be laid low by cultural indigestion, however, there are plenty of suggestions below that are guaranteed to alleviate any discomfort.
Where to Drink
Lyon’s obsession with wine is obvious in even the smallest, least pretentious café or bar, but there are a few places worth seeking out for a special bottle, without settling in for a three-course meal.
Just across the street from the excellent Café Terroir, near Place Bellecour, is their laid-back wine bar, La Cave, its cellar stocked with 1 200 or so different wines, the majority from small, artisanal vignerons from all over France. It is an oenophile’s paradise: small, atmospheric, and offering terrific local produce to soak up the wine. Boards of charcuterie, cheeses and house-made pâté de campagne are all available, or perhaps a bowl of cervelle de canut, the Lyonnais speciality of soft, fresh cheese stirred with chopped herbs and shallots, dressed lightly with olive oil and vinegar.
The building that houses Ô Vins d’Anges in Croix-Rousse was once a silk factory: the fascinating Maison des Canuts, a museum dedicated to the history of Lyon’s silk workers, is just around the corner.
These days, natural fibres have been supplanted by natural wines: the wine bar and shop’s 800-strong list concentrates on low-intervention wines from France, Slovenia, Italy and Austria, all purchased directly from the winemakers, while the simple menu (cheeses, charcuterie, maybe an Italian artichoke or two) follows a similarly artisanal approach. If natural wines are your thing, Ô Vins d’Anges will hit the spot.
Should Lyon’s stellar plethora of great vintages become just a little too much, and you have a hankering for a cleansing ale, then head to Hopstore, the city’s best beer hall.
Burgers, happy hours, loaded fries, industrial-chic décor... it’s not very Lyon, but for beer fans, it’s a joy. Choose from a dozen or so on tap, and dozens more in cans and bottles, from all over the world. And Hopstore is just short walk from the famous Fresque des Lyonnais: a trompe l’oeil mural featuring 30 of the city’s most renowned sons and daughters.
Where to Eat
Named after the most famous of the mères de Lyon, Eugénie Brazier, the rue Royale restaurant had lost some of the lustre from its stained-glass windows, until chef/owner Matthieu Viannay bought it in 2008, sensitively restoring it to its former glory... and beyond: it now boasts two Michelin stars and is among the best restaurants not just in Lyon but in France.
Such excellence, unsurprisingly, is not cheap (around 100€ for three courses à la carte at lunch, twice that for dinner) but the produce Viannay uses is the very best, and luxury ingredients abound: lobster, caviar, Breese chicken, truffles, all prepared with a masterly hand, and exquisitely presented. Service is superb and the wine list (it is especially strong on Burgundy) is a delight.
The city boasts 23 bouchons certified by Les Bouchons Lyonnais (the list is here, helpfully divided by arrondissement), and all will serve you traditional Lyonnais cuisine at a fair price.
Daniel et Denise has three bouchons on the list, all overseen by chef (and Meilleur Ouvrier de France) Joseph Viola. The Croix-Rousse branch – the most recent to open – is a bouchon par excellence, with red-checked tablecloths, kitsch décor and a buzzy ambience. There are classic dishes – quenelle de brochet, oeufs en meurette, a pâté en croûte with a world championship to its name – but also a few lighter dishes, including a vegetarian special. The set menus are especially good value, and the dessert list, on which the local speciality of praline rose (pink praline) looms large, is long and joyous.
À deux pas from the right bank of the Saône, time seems to stand still at Abel, as does the menu, which nobody can remember ever changing. It is, apparently, the oldest bouchon still operating in the city.
There are no gastronomic twists to the menu, just a rollcall of classic dishes that have been cooked by a succession of chefs since 1928: chef Alain Vigneron spent 40 years rattling the pans here. The quenelle of pike is as light as a Montgolfier balloon, bathed not in the usual crayfish sauce, but in mushroom béchamel, while Abel’s famous pilaf rice is used as a base for chicken, sweetbreads or beef with creamy morels, or for veal kidneys with madeira sauce. The wine list is excellent and well-priced. Make sure you are seated in the lively locals’ room to the right of the entrance (the one with the bar, which may account for the liveliness).
Handily located just by the Saône and a stone’s throw from the Place Bellecour, Maison Léa is named after one of the famous mères de Lyon: Léa Bidaut was once a familiar figure in the Saint-Antoine market and even taught Mère Brazier how to make macaroni gratin.
That gratin is still on the menu, served with seven-hour cooked lamb, as is the restaurant’s signature pâté en croûte, plump with poultry and pistachios; tablier de sapeur, Lyon’s favourite tripe dish, served with sauce gribiche; and the parfait glacé au Chartreuse, with which every meal should end. Maison Léa’s light, airy dining room is home to some of Lyon’s best traditional cuisine, while numerous photos of mère Léa adorn the walls, serving up an extra portion of nostalgia.
Where to Stay
The 34 rooms and suites at the 5* Villa Maïa, atop the Fourvière hill, are perhaps Lyon’s most glorious: make sure you book one with views across the city. Jacques Grange’s quietly beautiful interiors match the tranquil setting on “the hill that prays”, the spa boasts a jacuzzi, a sauna and a 20-metre indoor pool, while chef Christian Têtedoie’s Michelin-starred restaurant offers a highly-refined, Bocuse-inspired interpretation of cuisine lyonnaise.
InterContinental Lyon Hôtel Dieu
A lavish redevelopment of one of Lyon’s most historic riverside buildings, the 5* InterContinental Hôtel Dieu opened its doors in 2019. The former hospital, with its 375-metre façade on the left bank of the Rhône, has 21 wings and seven courtyards; aside from the hotel, there is a plethora of upmarket lifestyle boutiques, as well as L’Officine, a woody, clubby cocktail bar, one of the city’s best.
The hotel has 144 luxury rooms and suites, some with river views, as well as a smart restaurant, Epona, with a lovely terrace, and its own bar, the architecturally-stunning Le Dôme.
Handily located in the heart of Presqu’île, near the Romanesque Basilique Saint-Martin-d’Ainay, the 4* Hôtel de l’Abbaye, which was once the presbytery of the basilica, has 21 individually-designed rooms and suites, many – despite the hotel’s Florentine palazzo façade – with a playfully retro 1970s feel (check out the royal blue Pierre Paulin mushroom chairs). Centrally located, and perfect for shoppers: the pretty rue Auguste Comte with its antique dealers, food shops, galleries, design boutiques and traboules (Lyon’s ancient passageways between streets) is just a short walk away.
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