Lyon

$

kebab shops

Otherwise, kebab shops abound, most with the same price: €4.50 for a kebab, €5 for a kebab with frites. Look especially near Place des Terreaux M: Hôtel de Ville.

$$

Le Bistrot de St-Paul

This restaurant serves mostly specialities from southwestern France duck, foie gras, cassoulet....

$$

Bouchon Chez Paul

A very good bouchon serving huge portions. Noisy and friendly.

$$

Le Resto d'Alice

Small bouchon with cute rustic interior and patio located on nice green plaza. The Andouillette and gratin dauphinois are particularly good. Service is very friendly. Also surrounded by other interesting looking eating options and convenient velo'v station on plaza.

$$

Espace Le Bec

Before boarding your return flight, you can treat yourself with a last fine meal in Lyon. This place was opened by Nicolas Le Bec, who once ran the most trendy gastronomic restaurant in the city and offers quality bistronomic cuisine.

$$$

La Mère Brazier — Mathieu Viannay

The restaurant opened in 1921 by the legendary Eugénie Brazier was recently taken over by the talented young chef Mathieu Viannay and awarded 2 stars by the Michelin guide only a few months after its opening. Revisited all-time classics Bresse poultry with truffles, artichokes with foie gras.

Restaurants have their menus with prices displayed outside. As everywhere in France, the prices always include service, bread and tap water ask for a carafe of water. Tipping is rare and only expected if you are particularly satisfied with the service. This is especially true in budget or mid-range restaurants, maybe less so in expensive places where it may be considered more appropriate; nothing is compulsory, though. Typical tips depend, of course, on the price of the menu and your level of satisfaction but they are generally not as high as in the US, for example. If you pay by credit card and wish to add a tip, you can tell the person in charge how much he/she should charge your card.

Meal times are generally 12PM-2PM for lunch and 7:30PM-10PM for dinner. Visitors from areas such as North America and Northern Europe might be surprised to find many places still closed at their usual dinner times. Places offering all-day service are located in tourist areas, and are unlikely to serve quality fresh food. Late-night service is quite rare in quality restaurants, but you can always get the usual fast-food or kebab.

The traditional restaurants in Lyon are called bouchons; the origin of the word is unclear it literally means "cork". They appeared at the end of the 19th century and flourished in the 1930s, when the economic crisis forced wealthy families to fire their cooks, who opened their own restaurants for a working-class clientele. These women are referred to as mères mothers; the most famous of them, Eugénie Brazier, became one of the first chefs to be awarded three stars the highest ranking by the famous Michelin gastronomic guide. She also had a young apprentice called Paul Bocuse. Eating in a good bouchon is certainly a must-do. They serve the typical local dishes:

salade lyonnaise

lyon salad: green salad with bacon cubes, croutons and a poached egg;

saucisson chaud

A hot, boiled sausage; can be cooked with red wine saucisson beaujolais or in a bun saucisson briochã©;

quenelle de brochet

Dumpling made of flour and egg with pike fish and a crayfish sauce nantua sauce;

tablier de sapeur

Marinated tripes coated with breadcrumbs then fried, even locals often hesitate before trying it;

andouillette

Sausage made with chopped tripes, usually served with a mustard sauce;

gratin dauphinois

The traditional side dish, oven-cooked sliced potatoes with cream;

cervelle de canut

cervelle' = ' brain: fresh cheese with garlic and herbs.

rognons de veau à la moutarde

Veal kidneys in a mustard sauce. delicious and textural experience.

These dishes are very tasty. They were originally workers' food, so they are generally fat and the portions are usually quite big. The quality is very variable since the bouchons are one of the main tourist attractions of the city. A good tip: never trust big signs reading "Véritable bouchon lyonnais" genuine bouchon or with a list of typical dishes on the front window. Those who need to write this are most often tourist traps. In tourist areas, most notably Rue St Jean, pay extra care and stick to trustworthy recommendations if possible. And if someone on the street tries to get you into a restaurant, run. A good bouchon, however, offers very good value for money.

In bouchons and other lower- to mid-range restaurants, basic wines can be served by the pot, a typical bottle containing 46 cl and filled from a cask or wine box. The smaller fillette little girl contains 28 cl. This is definitely cheaper than a 75 cl bottle, but the quality is not always guaranteed...

Lyon was named "capital of gastronomy" by the great gastronomic writer Curnonsky in 1935; at that time there were no exotic restaurants, no diets and nobody was talking about fusion cuisine or bistronomy. Fortunately, the local gastronomy has considerably evolved since then and there is now far more to dining in Lyon than the bouchons. Kebab shops, Asian food, bistros, three-star restaurants: Lyon has them all.

The locals are generally fond of eating out and the best places get known quickly by word of mouth. Moreover, the restaurants are quite small on average. It is strongly advised to book a table, especially for dinner, otherwise you may end up in one of the multiple tourist traps. Since many good local chefs seem to enjoy a good family weekend, there are a lot more interesting options on weekdays.