As you probably know if you’ve been following my tips for a while now, I am originally from Lyon. Paris is only my adoptive city; even though I love this city and have truly found my place and my rhythm in the Parisian hustle and bustle, I keep a special tenderness for the city where I grew up and where I went to university. Consequently, this article compiles the few gourmet spots in Lyon (or the surrounding area) that I have tested over the past few months (or years for some, I must admit :p) during my various visits to Lyon to see my family. And obviously, I regularly update this article based on my discoveries.
Of course, it has been many years since I left, and when I return to Lyon, I am always discovering new places. My old haunts often don’t exist anymore, and I have to set out in search of new venues, which, as you might imagine, I really enjoy.
Table of Contents
Where to eat in Lyon? My favorite restaurant spots
Below, I propose a selection of restaurants that I have tested in Lyon (or in the surrounding area) that I recommend. You will find below very different styles of cuisine and venues, whether for a quick lunch or a classier gastronomic dinner.
_
Where to eat Italian in Lyon?
Carmelo Trattoria
This Lyon location of the famous Italian restaurant group Big Mamma is situated in the center of Lyon, in the heart of the Presqu’île. It offers the atmosphere of an Italian tavern; it is immense and impressive inside, with several rooms featuring different vibes. On the menu, you find classic Italian cuisine with pizzas, pasta, antipasti, Italian wines, and some Italian sweets like the famous tiramisu.
Tested in 2024 - Invitation
Carmelo Trattoria
7 rue Neuve 69001 Lyon
Price: antipasti between €5 and €15 / pasta between €16 and €20 / pizzas between €13 and €19.50 / desserts between €7.50 and €14
_
Zapilicious
This friendly spot located at the bottom of the Croix-Rousse slopes offers original pizzas with great ingredients and a nice selection of craft beers! We took the opportunity to discover a craft brewery from the Monts du Lyonnais that offers very interesting beers: Brasserie Chap’s (€7 per bottle). On the pizza side, I recommend trying the Mountain View in winter with walnuts, speck, and PGI taleggio (€16) or the Chicken Purple with beet cream, chicken strips, Paris mushrooms, almonds, and basil (€16). For dessert, we obviously got a small homemade tiramisu to share (€6).
Tested in 2023
Zapilicious
4 Rue Romarin, 69001 Lyon
Pizza prices: between €12 and €22
_
Where to eat a burger in Lyon?
Les Burgers de Papa
This chain was born in Lyon in 2013. Today it has numerous restaurants almost everywhere in France. I discovered the brand in 2022 in Paris, so I was happy to also be able to test one of their Lyon locations, the one on République. Les Burgers de Papa offers gourmet burgers using short supply chains, cooked with fresh and local products, bread delivered every morning by a partner baker in each city, and French meat minced every day in the restaurant. The homemade fries are cut and peeled on-site, cooked in two baths. The chain also offers milkshakes and a range of 3 “Binouze de Papa”, their house craft beers, as well as an artisanal lemonade.
Tested in 2025 - Invitation
Les Burgers de Papa
10 Rue de la République, 69001 Lyon
Price: burgers between €11.90 and €13.90 / set menu between €14.90 and €16.90 (children’s menu €6.90) / milkshake between €5 and €6.90
_
Bënnie Burger (closed)
This 100% organic burger chain also offers vegetarian snacks and salads based on local products in a chic industrial-style restaurant. You find very good burgers with meat (great bread, good balance of flavors) but also a selection of vegetarian burgers. The brand is clearly committed to sustainable food with a selection of local, seasonal products, self-service drinks to avoid using plastic, and even the use of local green electricity in their restaurant. And then, the place is also quite large and well-decorated, which doesn’t hurt. For children, there is also a “play” area, and you can even borrow a few board games that are available in the venue.
To try: the Bënnie Burger (€12.95) with a beef patty with gouda, a crispy portobello mushroom, old-fashioned mustard relish, and a secret ingredient (a success!); the shiitake sriracha sauce burger (€10.25); the very thin fresh fries.
Tested in 2021
Bënnie Burger
18 Rue du Bât d’Argent, 69001 Lyon
The tip: main dish + fries or fresh salad + drink menu starting from €11.95
Edit of 09/08/2023: address now closed and it’s a real shame because I really liked it
_
Where to eat near Ainay?
Restaurant l’Artichaut
During my summer visit to Lyon in 2021, we discovered with the favorite photographer the restaurant of the Hôtel de l’Abbaye (located in front of the Ainay abbey church on the Presqu’île): L’Artichaut. This beautiful gastronomic address offers, for sunny days, a quiet terrace with a magnificent setting and a view of the Ainay church. As for the food, we were treated to fresh and tasty cuisine, crafted from gourmet local products sourced through short circuits. The service is also impeccable and extremely warm, and we were also very well advised on wines to accompany our dishes, which I am always very sensitive to, as you know!
The tip: a weekday lunch menu with appetizer + main + dessert (and with 2 choices each time) for €29, which offers very good value for money!
Tested in 2021
Restaurant l’Artichaut
Hôtel de l’Abbaye
20 rue de l’Abbaye d’Ainay 69002 Lyon
_
Where to eat on Rue Mercière?
Restaurant Léon de Lyon
Aperitif moment on the pleasant shaded terrace of Léon de Lyon, located in a pedestrian area well-known to locals (Rue Mercière), sheltered from cars in the heart of the Presqu’île.
On the menu:
- Cocktails based on Belgian craft beers; we tested the Grisette des Bois (€6.90) and the Grisette des Îles (€6.90) with white beer from Brasserie Saint Feuillien.
- The Lyon basket (€7.50), a medley of fresh, raw vegetables (carrot, fennel, cucumber, celery, radish, and cherry tomatoes) and Canut-style sauce, for the summer menu.
The tip: the Belgian Hour from Monday to Friday from 5 PM to 8 PM (1 drink purchased = 1 drink free)
Tested in 2017
Restaurant Léon Lyon Mercière
41 rue Mercière 69002 Lyon
7 days a week from 11:45 AM to 11 PM (midnight on Friday and Saturday) for lunch, aperitif, or dinner
_
Where to eat quenelles in Lyon?
Giraudet
This iconic brand of the capital of the Gauls is well known to all Lyon locals who love gastronomy since it has existed since 1910. The house chef, Michel Porfido, offers tasty recipes with surprising combinations. To test these delicious products, Giraudet has beautiful locations (in Lyon, Paris, Annecy, and Bourg-en-Bresse) through its soup and quenelle bars.
The house’s flagship products: quenelles (a specialty of Bresse gastronomy) and soups.
To taste:
- Salads for the summer with pan-seared mini quenelles, just succulent!
- Iced soups, particularly the orchard iced soup (with parsnip and Granny Smith apple), which I adored! It is also sold in a bottle to take away in the shop (€6.10 for 50 cl).
Giraudet soup and quenelle bars
2, rue Colonel Chambonnet 69002 Lyon
Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse / 102, cours Lafayette 69003 Lyon
16, rue Mabillon 75006 Paris
_
Where to eat Japanese in Lyon?
Matsuri Lyon Presqu’ile
I have already had the chance several times to be invited to discover the menu at Matsuri, a chain of Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurants (“kaiten sushi” in Japanese) that has existed since 1986 and has about 18 restaurants in total, including 13 in France and 3 right here in Lyon.
The principle: the chefs prepare sushi, maki, california, sashimi, yakitori, salads, and desserts in front of you… Sitting facing the conveyor belt, you can freely compose your menu by grabbing the plates as you wish. It is, incidentally, the first chain of Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Europe, whereas this type of restaurant is very widespread and popular in Japan.
I liked: the brand’s visual identity, with a neat and typically Japanese decor designed by Hiroko Kusunoki and Nicolas Moreau. This interior architecture is currently in place in 2 establishments that I have already tested: Paris La Boétie and Lyon Presqu’île.
The tip: a creative menu at low prices composed of 90% fresh products. The price of the plates varies between €2 and €6 (you can distinguish them thanks to an ingenious color system).
Tested in 2017
Matsuri Lyon Presqu’ile
7 rue de la Fromagerie, 69001 Lyon
_
Nishiki Ramen
This restaurant specializing in ramen is not run by Japanese people, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ramen. They are homemade, just like the noodles, and some are quite original, like the Laï Ramen (€15.80) with a chicken and bonito stock broth, with sea bream fillet with Sancho, which I liked a lot. I also recommend the Tonkotsu Ramen King Noir (€14.80) with grilled garlic oil. The appetizers were a little less interesting, however, and for dessert, one never refuses a small iced mochi, and we also tested a matcha roll which was quite nice. And we accompanied everything with a little Japanese green tea (€3).
Tested in 2023
Nishiki Ramen
9 Rue des Marronniers, 69002 Lyon
Price: ramen between €12.80 and €15.80 / set menus at €16.80 or €20.80
_
Where to eat in a starred restaurant in Lyon?
Les 3 Dômes
The Sofitel Lyon Bellecour is an establishment well known to Lyon locals and has been part of the city’s landscape since the early 70s. And it was for a high-flying lunch at the gastronomic restaurant Les Trois Dômes (1 star in the Michelin guide) that I took the plunge and walked through the glass door of the Sofitel Bellecour for the first time in 2016. An experience that I recount on the blog in a dedicated article if you want to know more. The chef Christian Lherm, who already has great experience behind him, arrived at the Sofitel in 2012 and offers cuisine of great refinement with a selection of exceptional products.
Tested in 2016
Gastronomic restaurant Les Trois Dômes
Sofitel Lyon Bellecour
20, quai Gailleton 69002 Lyon
Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM and from 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM
_
Where to eat by the Saône, near Lyon?
Restaurant Le Canotier
This restaurant has a charming terrace for sunny days by the Saône. You can notably eat frogs’ legs with garlic and parsley for enthusiasts or fried smelt. Do not hesitate to enjoy the banks of the Saône for a short digestive walk after the meal.
Tested in 2021
Restaurant Le Canotier
539, Chemin de la Plage 69270 Rochetaillée-Sur-Saône
_
Where to eat potatoes in Lyon?
La Pataterie (closed)
My first memory of this type of restaurant, centered around a flagship ingredient, the potato, comes from Lyon. Not this restaurant, obviously, but a restaurant with the same theme that was in Old Lyon, right in front of the Saint Jean cathedral, which today no longer exists. It is therefore with a little nostalgia that I went to discover with a friend from Lyon one of the Lyon restaurants of this group present throughout France since 1996.
To taste:
- To start the meal, a small mojito (€5.30).
- La Norvégienne, oven-baked potato, smoked salmon, lemon, herb sauce, and salad (€11.90).
- For my part, I tasted a patata burger, with a simple concept: the buns are replaced here by potato rösti, and the whole thing is served with a salad and a sauce of your choice (price between €9.50 and €21.90 depending on the number of patties and the toppings).
- The great idea if you still have a little room is to finish with the Patata Café (a coffee or tea + the three mini-desserts of the moment / €4.80).
- Or else you can opt for the café choux vanille (A coffee or tea + a small choux craquelin filled with vanilla cream) to finish on a slightly less heavy note (€3.20)….
La Pataterie also offers summer animations and new promotions with special family offers.
The tip: the loyalty program that allows you to receive special and personalized offers all year round (like for birthdays) and to benefit from discounts of up to €15.
Price: Patata burger (€9.50) / Pom Four Norvégienne (€11.90) / 1 potato coffee (€4.80) / 1 choux coffee (€2.90)
Today, this restaurant that I tested in Gerland no longer exists, but in the surroundings of Lyon, there is still a Pataterie in Vaulx-en-Velin at the Carré de Soie shopping center if the concept appeals to you.
La Pataterie
open 7 days / 7 for lunch and dinner
Where to brunch in Lyon? My favorite Lyon brunch spots
In this section, I propose my great addresses for brunching in Lyon that I have had the opportunity to test over the last few years.
_
Where to brunch near the Subsistances? Le Quai des Arts
The setting of the brunch at Quai des Arts is quite atypical, as it is located inside the Subsistances, a place for confrontation and experimentation dedicated to new languages of live performance: dance, theater, new circus, music. An interior courtyard in the Subsistances complex allows you to be in the sun in the summer, but I really like the upper room, with high ceilings, exposed beams, and a magnificent view of the Saône.
The brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday and is presented as a large buffet in that famous upper room (hence the practical side of also sitting there to brunch). The buffet is extremely varied (savory and sweet) and restocked very regularly until late (from what I could observe). Do not hesitate to check out my full article on this address!
Tested in 2012
Quai des Arts / Restaurant des Subsistances
8 bis quai Saint-Vincent 69001 LyonPrice of the brunch: €29 per person (+13 years old) / children from €9 to €15
_
Where to brunch in the 2nd? tea salon My Little Petits Gâteaux
This girly-to-the-max chain of cupcakes, but not only, is located a few streets from the beautiful Textile and Decorative Arts Museum of Lyon. You can enjoy a pleasant (and inexpensive) brunch on Saturday and Sunday for €14.90. Do not hesitate to check out my full article on this Lyon address on the blog.
Tested in 2013
My Little Petits Gâteaux
30 rue des Remparts d’Ainay – 69002 Lyon
My coffee shop and tea salon spots
Below, I propose a selection of coffee shops and tea salons that I tested in Lyon that I recommend.
_
Loutsa
I discovered this little coffee shop and roaster a bit by chance, and obviously, there are several shops in Lyon and even in Paris. Here, the coffees are roasted artisanally in small quantities at the Loutsa locations and in full view of everyone. So, already, it’s a great place to buy your coffee, but the venue (the address in the 1st arrondissement, I don’t know about the others) also offers a coffee shop area with tables to sit down and drink a hot beverage.
Tested in 2021, 2024, and 2025
Loutsa
1 Place d’Albon, 69001 Lyon
_
Konditori (closed)
This brand with a healthy and trendy concept had 2 locations in Lyon at the time, but for my part, I only tested the one located in the 3rd arrondissement.
Konditori
85 rue Paul Bert 69003 Lyon
open 7 days/7 from 11 AM to 3 PM
Price: lunch set menu dish at €12.50 / dish + dessert €14.50 / dish + dessert + espresso
€15.50Edit of 16/08/2021: address now closed and which continues via a specialty coffee roasting brand, Café Mokxa
Where to have a drink in Lyon? My favorite bar spots
Below, I propose a selection of cocktail bars that I tested in Lyon that I recommend.
_
Cocktails and Peruvian tapas in Lyon? YKA
YKA is the cocktail bar of the Peruvian starred chef Carlos Camino. Next to his 1-Michelin-star restaurant located in the Brotteaux district, Miraflores, there is a small address where the famous Pisco reinvents itself in original mixological creations. In this 2nd address, Carlos Camino offers to discover the culinary traditions of his home country, Peru, and notably the Peruvian ceviches (the classic version at €19 and the Nikkei version at €20). On the menu, you also find papa huancaina, smoked baby potatoes on the barbecue and served with a fresh yellow chili cream and olives (€13). Or the beef empanadas, puff pastry turnovers filled, slightly spicy, and sprinkled with powdered sugar (€11 for 3 pieces). For desserts, we tasted the Peruvian cocoa tart (€11), the house classic, and also the tres (3) leches biscuit (€10).
Tested in 2024 - Invitation
YKA
112 Boulevard des Belges 69006 Lyon
_
Where to drink a cocktail with a view in Lyon? Bar le Melhor at Sofitel Lyon Bellecour
I had already told you about this establishment and its superb view of Lyon during my lunch at the gastronomic restaurant Les Trois Dômes (1 star in the Michelin guide). This time, I returned to discover the establishment’s new cocktail menu. The Bar Le Melhor is located, like the restaurant, on the top floor of the hotel and offers a stunning, panoramic view of the capital of the Gauls with its large bay windows. It is the perfect spot for a romantic evening in a cozy and intimate atmosphere while sipping a delicious cocktail.
Cocktails to taste:
- Le Corsair cocktail
- Voluptueux lyonnais
The little extra: you order your cocktail by choosing what you would like on an iPad
Tested in 2017
Sofitel Lyon Bellecour
20, quai Gailleton 69002 Lyon
Cocktail prices: between €12 and €28
_
Where to drink a drink in the Old Lyon? The Baràgones
This cocktail bar with a Latino decor inspired by South America and the Caribbean is located in Old Lyon, right next to the Collège Hôtel (which belongs to the same group). It offers very good cocktails that make you travel (Mojito, Caïpirhina, and Pisco Sour sit alongside house creation cocktails) and some well-made tapas. A beautiful address in the district!
Tested in 2021 - Invitation
Le Baràgones
5 Pl. Saint-Paul 69005, 69005 Lyon
Cocktail prices: between €10 and €13
_
Where to drink a drink at Fourvière? Bar Les Collections at the Fourvière Hôtel
Housed in a converted former convent dating from the 19th century, this 4-star hotel is located at the top of the Fourvière hill and overlooks the green spaces of the Visitation park. Its bar, Les Collections, is installed in the former cloister of the site, around the interior garden. You can find very good cocktails there (special mention for the Chartreuse cocktails, very successful) but also some boards of charcuterie and cheeses to share (from 11 AM to 11 PM and from €11 per person). A quite unique setting for a chic aperitif with your lover or girlfriends in a historic place with a privileged geographical location.
Tested in 2021 - Invitation
Fourvière Hôtel
23 Rue Roger Radisson, 69005 Lyon
Cocktail prices: between €12 and €16
_
Where to drink a drink near the Sucrière? Rooftop of the Sucre
The Sucre is a club and cultural venue, located on the roof of the Sucrière in Lyon. As a result, their rooftop is really a great spot for a drink in the summer with a beautiful view of the Saône and a very nice atmosphere.
Tested in 2021 - Invitation
Le Sucre
50 Quai Rambaud, 69002 Lyon
Where to eat Lyon specialties? My gourmet shopping spots
Below, I propose a selection of gourmet addresses that I tested in Lyon to taste some Lyon specialties, buy gifts, or bring them back home.
_
Where to buy a pink praline tart? Sève
This iconic Lyon chocolate maker and pastry chef, Richard Sève, offers a praline tart which is, in my opinion, the best I have tasted in Lyon and in any case the most authentic and traditional. This Lyon specialty exists in individual version, for 5, 7, or 10 people. But also in a mini version for small hungers.
Richard and Gaëlle Sève started the adventure over 30 years ago, he as a young artisan pastry-chocolatier and she as a Fine Arts graduate. After opening several shops in Lyon, they created MUSCO in 2017, a chocolate museum-manufactory of Lyon. Throughout their travels, they create their own trend books, source the best cocoa vintages, and bring back treasures from producing countries that feed their Museum, a cabinet of curiosities. There is also a space for chocolate-pastry classes and demonstrations. In 2020, Richard Sève was named Academician of chocolate by the very confidential French Academy of Chocolate and Confectionery.
Tested in 2022
Sève, chocolate maker and pastry chef
29, quai Saint Antoine, 69002 Lyon
Rates: praline tart for 5 people €29.90 / for 7 people €39.90
_
A chocolate maker in Lyon? Richart
Impossible for me to carry out a proper Lyon food tour without making a stop at Maison Richart, true goldsmith of cocoa since 1925. Located a stone’s throw from the famous Place Bellecour, this Lyon institution has revolutionized the art of tasting with its famous “Petits RICHART”: tiny 4-gram squares, as elegant as they are powerful in aromas. Here, chocolate is worked between ganaches and pralines, always with a lot of originality. It is the perfect address for aesthetes of gluttony looking to bring back a refined and emblematic souvenir of Lyon gastronomy.
Richart
1 rue du Plat / angle rue Chambonnet 69002 Lyon
_
A caterer in Lyon? Maison Pignol
This famous pastry chef and caterer in Lyon offers simply delicious gastronomic products! To taste some sweet specialties of Lyon, I advise you the Panier Sucré Lyonnais (price €38) which contains 1 pot of Lyon cocoons (a Lyon specialty that pays homage to the work of the silk workers of the Croix-Rousse slopes), 1 pot of pink pralines, 1 pot of praline cream, 1 lemon cake, and 1 pot of mendiants.
Pignol Bellecour
8 Place Bellecour, 69002 Lyon
_
Where to eat éclairs in Lyon? Les Eclaireurs Pâtissiers
This Lyon brand by the Luyat brothers offers savory and sweet éclairs with original recipes that respect product seasonality. Each week, there are 7 sweet recipes and 3 savory recipes. We were truly convinced by these éclairs, which are really super gourmet, and the quality of the products is clearly present. The brand has 2 locations in Lyon, and we personally went to the corner found in the La Part-Dieu shopping center.
We tasted: pistachio (crispy and pistachio pastry cream and toasted pistachios), peach verbena (peach creamy, almond shortbread, peach whipped ganache, and peach-verbena gel insert), pink praline (pink praline diplomat cream and praline chips), passion (perhaps my favorite! passion crisp, vanilla cream, tangy passion creamy, blood sorrel, grilled passion seeds), and salted butter caramel (like a little taste of snickers).
Tested in 2023
Les Eclaireurs Pâtissiers
Crayon, Part-Dieu shopping center, 69003 Lyon
Jacobins, 32 rue de Brest, 69002 Lyon
Price of a classic éclair: €4.95
link to the brand’s website
_
A wine merchant in Lyon? Yard l’Epicerie
This address is the latest opened by the brand in Lyon (which has 3 locations in total in Lyon, Yard). It is a grocery store where local products, cheeses, charcuteries, and of course natural wines (+250 vintages), the brand’s specialty, are sold. Over time, this address has established itself as a high-quality grocery store, to the great pleasure of Lyon locals. Its reputation now embraces the entire region, and people come from far away to restock their favorite product or scan the shelves and displays in search of new commodities. And the venue also offers monthly tastings of natural wines, meetings with winemakers, or thematic workshops (between €30 and €40).
Tested in 2023 - Invitation
Yard l’Epicerie
4 Place Bellecour, 69002 Lyon
_
“Mille et une papillotes”, temporary venue by Révillon for the holidays
Révillon, a brand specializing in the papillote (foil-wrapped chocolate), well-known to Lyon locals, opened for the first time in the heart of Lyon a temporary boutique in December 2014, “Mille et une papillotes”. Révillon perpetuates the tradition by carefully wrapping each chocolate in pretty gold-fringed paper and slipping in an author’s quote. A true heritage of Lyon culture, the papillote is synonymous for young and old with enchanted gluttony and marks the beginning of the Christmas festivities.
On the program:
- a fun and interactive space to know everything about the papillote
- thematic workshops intended for the whole family to explore all facets of the papillote
- a “message” space to allow visitors to appropriate the legend of the papillote and write their own messages themselves
- a gourmet tasting area to discover the multiplicity of papillote recipes
The Tip: friends from Lyon (or Lyon visitors), I am going to reveal a family tip usually transmitted only by word of mouth among insiders… Anyway, we are going to make a small exception for you today because it’s Christmas! There is during the holiday season in Lyon a warehouse at the beginning of Rue Cuvier (6th arrondissement), towards the Brotteaux station, where you can buy papillotes in bulk (including many Révillon) at very interesting prices…
Tested in 2014
"Mille et une papillotes", temporary venue by Révillon
99 rue du Président E. Herriot 69002 Lyon
from December 1st to 27th, 2014 every day from 10 AM to 7 PM
_
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover or re-discover Lyon and if you also have your great addresses for eating there, do not hesitate to share them in the comments!
Find below all my articles on the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region:
⇒ All my articles on the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region
⇒ All my articles on Lyon
MY ARTICLES ON LYON
⇒ Les Nuits Sonores
⇒ Food tour and great spots in Lyon
⇒ My Lyon tips
Photo credits: Mademoiselle Bon Plan and Nicolas Diolez Photos not copyright-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
