Lyon: bouchons, Bocuse and Beaujolais
When you think of a city trip to France, Paris may immediately spring to mind. But if you love food, you should definitely also visit Lyon. A city full of rich dishes, where Beaujolais flows generously.
What can you expect? Lots of foie gras, large portions and rustic dishes. Lyon is known for its bouchons, which you’ll find on every street corner. A bouchon is a low-key restaurant, somewhere between a bistro and a pub, serving typical Lyonnaise dishes.
Must eat
There are several dishes you really must try before leaving the city. Think oeuf meurette: poached eggs in red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms and toast. Yes, it contains egg, and yes, that means you can eat it for breakfast. A quenelle de brochet is a fish quenelle, served in a cream sauce and briefly gratinated in the oven. If you like offal, go for the andouillette, a sausage filled with entrails. I understand if you skip this last option—I did too.
As you may have gathered from the text above, the food in Lyon is rich and intense. We absolutely love it, but after a few days you can barely walk. So be sure to plan a dinner at one of the ‘lighter’ options mentioned in this piece as well, and you’re guaranteed a great time in this gastronomic city. Most restaurants are closed on Sundays and Mondays, so if you find one that is open, make a reservation—the rest of the city will want to eat there that day too.
Bouchons
There are so many of them, especially in the city centre, that sometimes you can no longer see the forest for the trees. Affordable Lyonnaise menus are offered everywhere, and almost all menus feature the same dishes. So be careful not to end up in a tourist trap, and do a little research beforehand. Then you should be fine.
Le Pique Assiette is right in the middle of the tourist centre. That, along with the fact that there is a hugely ugly suit of armour in the dining room, might not seem like a reason to eat here. But it is still a good idea. The oeuf meurette I ate here was the best I have ever tasted, and the rest of the food is delicious too. Just skip the tarte praline. In Lyon, praline is not a delicious mix of nuts and caramel, but a sweet pink mess you’ll want to stay far away from.
Daniel et Denise has several locations throughout the city. The dishes here are presented a little more subtly than at a standard bouchon, but you’ll still eat the standard dishes. Be sure to start with the pâté en croûte with foie gras and sweetbreads. Other top spots in this category include Chez Paul, Le Bouchon des Filles and Le Comptoir du Vin.
Paul Bocuse
You can’t escape him: Paul Bocuse is everywhere when you’re in Lyon, even after his death. One of France’s greatest chefs and a founding father of modern gastronomy. Born in Lyon, his territory is now clearly marked out. His restaurant L’Auberg du Pont de Collognes*** is just outside the city, and if you can afford it, please go there. I ate there shortly before his death, and by then he had long since stopped working in the kitchen himself, but the food was magnificent.
The interior is kitschier than kitsch, with the great man’s initials engraved on everything you can imagine. From butter dishes to chocolate. While most Michelin-starred restaurants serve a hundred courses on tiny plates, at Bocuse you get two slices of pan-fried foie gras as a starter. The menu is classic French, virtually unchanged since the beginning, with perfectly executed sauces and crisp puff pastry.
A little more on a budget? Then simply go to one of his four brasseries, located in different parts of the city. His name is also associated with Les Halles, Lyon’s food halls.
Charcuterie
If you love sausage, Reynon is the place to be. A true Lyon institution and a paradise for meat lovers. Fresh sausages are made here every day, and you can buy the most delicious cold cuts. Take them home, or sit down and eat dishes in the shop. Surrounded by sausages. Who wouldn’t want that?
Modern
At Le Canut & les Gones, a Japanese chef is in charge of the kitchen, resulting in a menu with a slightly lighter touch. Try, for example, a pea velouté with sorrel and mint, or roasted lamb with tamarind.
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