Seeking ' UPDATED and CURRENT ' consistently good, trusted and reliable eateries in LYON France

Regional Dining Discussions France
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Hello fellow fraternity members!

In the process of planning another food-crawl. This time to Europe - Venice, Milan ( Lake Como, Dolomite… ) etc ), Geneva ( Alpine tours ), Annecy and Lyon.

With over 5000 restaurants in town, Lyon has the densest eateries per ca-pita in all of France not to mention it being the country’s gastronomical capital.

Seeking fellow foodie fraternity members help in provide some ‘ UPDATED AND LATEST ‘ eatery recommendations…..Both classical and contemporary Lyonais Bouchon/Bistros.
In addition, Michelin and Michelin stars must eat places……eg., Mere Brazier, the Paul Bocuse temple or new kid on the block? And since we are in France, Gault Millau rated establishments need to be taken into account as well??
For Lyonais Bouchon, I expect there’'ll be a lot of overlaps. However, those establishments most highly rated by locals and minimum touristy are preferred. Menu with more varied and diverse choices will be a plus!
Thank you all in advance !:folded_hands: :folded_hands: :folded_hands:

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Four preliminaries:

I never refer to guides or ratings, and this will only be my personal selection, so forget about Michelin, Gault&Millau, etc.

The city in France with the densest ratio of restaurants per capita is not Lyon but Bordeaux.
There is no gastronomical capital in France, and fortunately so — every city and region has wonders to offer. But it is true that Lyon is a unique and beautiful place for gastronomy.

According to the Lyonnais tradition, a bouchon is a place where the total price tag for a meal is below 35 euros. Now some places may call themselves “bouchons” and charge more, and they can be perfectly good, but they’re not technically bouchons. Restaurants that serve traditional Lyonnais food, yes they are.
Le Bouchon des Filles answers the description, as does Le Café du Peintre or Chez les Garçons.

Brasserie Georges is a magnificent place, and though it doesn’t exactly deliver the very best food (honorable at least), for its atmosphere and setting, it is not to be missed.

On the upper shelf, Paul Bocuse at L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges had deeply disappointed me years ago, and due to special circumstances I went again a year ago, in April. It was one of the best meals I ever had in France. The contrast was such that I told the maître d’ about it, in few words: “Years ago, the last time I was here, it was no good. Now it’s splendid.” He said: “You’re absolutely right, the quality had sunk very low at the time you’re mentioning. We tried harder and now here we are.”

Other places I like are Daniel et Denise (three locations), which never disappoints, I like the Créqui location; shopping for food at Le Garde-Manger (farm products from the Monts du Lyonnais); Le Bouchon Sully; Le Bouchon Léa; Notre Maison; a visit to Les Halles Paul Bocuse is a must. Chez Georges; Café du Jura.

Actually the whole region is fascinating, foodwise. Going East to the Bresse, I recommend L’Ancienne Auberge 1900, attached to the Georges Blanc two-star restaurant. Everything is perfect there.
And it’s worth going to Bourg-en-Bresse for the fantastic Brasserie Le Français, in the Brasserie Georges style but with better food.

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I’ll add that the Paul bocuse place in Les Halles disappointed bigtime. Quenelles are everywhere but only had average appeal to me. We had a Pleasant course menu in the old town and I’m going to assume that they are similar. Charles if you can connect with Lucy at Plum l y o n, it’s well worth doing a market/ cooking time with her or at least having a chat with her now while you’re planning. Check her out. One of the Best things I ever did while traveling because it is so local and real. She lives in The La Croix-Rousse neighborhood, a must-visit for me. Lucy could also be a good person to ask about a locally loved rather than tourist or Michelin place to eat. I believe she is from New York State.

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@THECHARLES

adding the link for the Lucy @calam1ty recommends

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Wow! Wow! Wow!! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such eye-opening and helpful feedback!:ok_hand: :ok_hand: :+1: :+1: :folded_hands: :folded_hands:
Merci Beaucoup!!
We won’t have a car in Lyon but will definitely try Uber-ing to go eat at Paul Bocuse, after reading your super enthusiastic recommendation!

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I’ll go to Les Halles PB for convenience. There, I can splurge on oysters, frog legs and escargots all under one roof…..then grab some food related souvenirs to bring home!

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Thank you for all your great and helpful inputs so far.
Quite a few suggestions jive with my initial short list.
For the vibes, nostalgia and classic/traditional hearty French/Lyonais food, I too have decided on Brasserie George, Daniel & Denise…should be an eye opener for my kids and spouses.
I have also added a currently, highly raved bistro with a modern take on Classic French - ‘ Maison Molly ‘
In addition to ’ Paul Bocuse at L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges’, I would like to add one more Michelin star establishment to my itinerary and are tossing between two highly rated ones: The 2 * ‘ Takao Takano ‘ ( just love French cuisine with a Japanese twist ) and the AI chosen best - 1* ’ Rustique ’
Due to time constraints, picking just one classic Bouchon to try out of 25+ in town is as challenging as my trying to pick one Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto for my last food crawl in Japan!! Ha! :laughing: :rofl:

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Takao Takano: yes, absolutely.
Rustique is amazing.
Also, you may try Morfal, Le Neuvième Art (two stars), La Mère Brazier (two stars), L’Argot (for meat), and many other places. Food standards are pretty high in Lyon, you won’t go wrong.

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Carmenere,
You mention Bordeaux. I am currently there for two
weeks. I read through the few Bordeaux posts on HO.
Do you have any personal favorites? I appreciate your input.

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Of course.
My no-brainers when I hop off the TGV at Bordeaux are: La Brasserie Bordelaise (I always order the entrecôte), Le Petit Commerce for fish and seafood.
Also: Le Saint-James, Café Eriu, Soif, Rémoulade, Mets-Mots, Ost, Au Bistrot, and the absolute wonder, a place you should go to at least once in your lifetime : Au Lion d’Or in Arcins (Médoc).

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Thank you so much.

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Interesting Observation!
For my research and homework on must-eat venues ideas for Lyon and Annecy, I also resort to watching video blogs on Facebook and You Tube.
Question?!..Why did almost all posters covering Lyon and Annecy I came across, like to order and eat Italian Pastas and Pizzas in France?! :rofl: :rofl: :thinking: :thinking: :squinting_face_with_tongue: :squinting_face_with_tongue:

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When do you leave?

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Won’t be till early fall ! Might even move it to next year due to all the geo-political uncertainty affecting energy prices?!

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I think energy prices will keep going up but you’re more of an expert in this area than me!

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I have no answer to that but I have to point out that some of the best pizza in the world is in Marseille. Pizza entered France through that city and it is really unique. It is my favorite form of pizza, I rate it higher than Naples pizza.

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