Thegastronomic capital of France, Lyon has a culinary tradition in which the flavours of a poor, working-class cuisine are combined with the complexity of an upper-class bourgeois cuisine. To these two trends, a hint of Italianism must be added: not everyone knows that in the 16th century, Catherine de' Medici, married to the French king, Henri II, had Italian chefs called to court, asking them to use their skills to skilfully blend the culinary traditions of the two countries.
Today, the best places to taste typical Lyonnais dishes are the bouchons, the old inns that once housed workers. Here are the dishes that you simply must try if you are in town: we are sure you will not regret it!
1 - Salade Lyonnaise
This is the typical salad of Lyon, combining poached egg, onions and chicken liver laid on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves and accompanied by bread croutons. In some cases, you will also find it served with bacon and sausage, which, however, are not included in the original version. It can also constitute a single dish.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €8/10 approx.
Main ingredients: chicken, egg, lettuce
2 - Rosette de Lyon
Together with the Jèsus de Lyon, this is the typical sausage of the area. Both are made from pork: the Rosette de Lyon, in particular, is made from the animal's feet. Delicious, simple and flavoursome, this sausage is served as an appetiser but can also make up a light lunch or snack, cut into thin slices and accompanied by typical cheeses and other bites.
Recommended for: lunch, snack
Average cost: between €5 and €10
Main ingredients: pork
3 - Foie de veau à la lyonnaise
A triumph of intense and decisive flavours, calf's liver à la lyonnaise is one of the many tasty meat-based main courses that form the foundation on which the entire cuisine of Lyon rests. An excellent side dish that is usually paired with this dish are Lyon potatoes, cooked with a little butter to give them a creamy texture and with onions to flavour them just right. A truly mouth-watering dish!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: 15/€20
Main ingredients: veal, potatoes, onions
4 - Soupe à l'oignon gratinée
On restaurant menus, in the starters section, along with Lyon salad, charcuterie platters and andouille, you can easily find onion soup au gratin, which, in the colder months, is an excellent choice for warming up after a day wandering around the city. With the crust on top, it's the best!
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: onions, meat stock
5 - Tablier de sapeur
Also made with meat, tripe à la Lyonnaise is rigorously marinated in local white wine (of the highest quality!) and flavoured with Dijon mustard. The recipe is very simple: just boil the tripe for four to five hours with celery, carrots, a pinch of salt, black pepper and a touch of aromatic herbs (bay leaf, parsley and thyme); after draining it and cutting it into rectangles of about ten centimetres each, you have to let it marinate in the white wine and mustard for at least three hours. Then the tripe is dipped in egg, flour, egg again and finally in breadcrumbs and fried. At this point, all you have to do is bring it to the table: tartar sauce or gribiche sauce will do the rest.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €15
Main ingredients: tripe, carrots, celery, Dijon mustard, white wine
6 - Andouillette
Returning to the subject of sausages,Andouillette is a French charcuterie product made using the digestive system of the pig (above all, the stomach and intestine) to create a sausage with a strong but not unpleasant taste, thanks also to the aromatic herbs skilfully used, spices and wines. It seems that the history of Andouillette is quite ancient: the sausage was highly appreciated in the time of Louis II and, later, Louis XIV, even conquering the palate of Napoleon I himself. Be careful, however, not to confuse it withAndouille (also made from pork), which is eaten cold and is therefore usually listed among the hors d'oeuvres.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €10
Main ingredients: pork
7 - Quenelle brochet
Small but appetising, Quenelles are nothing more than meatballs made with fish, chicken or other types of meat, mixed together with small amounts of egg and breadcrumbs. Until recently used as a garnish, today Quenelle brochettes have become a dish in their own right.
Recommended for: lunch, snack, dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: fish, chicken or meat
8 - Boudin aux pommes
Another popular dish in the Lyon culinary tradition is Boudin aux pommes, black pudding with apples. Simpler than the German version to which potatoes and onions are added instead.
Recommended for: lunch or dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: pork, apples
9 - Local cheeses
You really can't think of savouring the cuisine of Lyon without tasting some of the many (and very tasty) cheeses that characterise the Lyon culinary scene. The most famous is undoubtedly Cervelle de canuts, a fresh-tasting goat's cheese mixed with chives, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar. Don't be intimidated by the name, brains of the canuts (silk workers): it tastes great. Apart from this, other typical cheeses include Saint-Marcellin, Saint-Félicien and Rigotte de Condrieu: all soft cheeses with a hard rind.
Recommended: lunch, dinner, snack
Average cost: €4.00
Main ingredients: cow's or goat's milk
10 - Coussin de Lyon
Photo by Ji-Elle. Let's get to the desserts by mentioning the city's sweet-symbol, the Coussin de Lyon, whose main ingredients are chocolate and almond paste. The preparation of the dessert is a bit time-consuming but not very complicated, although attention to aesthetics is paramount: the original Coussin de Lyon is a small, pale green square of candied almond paste with a darker stripe in the middle and is filled with a chocolate ganache scented with curaçao (orange peel liqueur). In addition to being enjoyed by young and old alike for the taste, they are also visually stunning. Wouldn't you like to try one right away?
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €4.00/6.00
Main ingredients: chocolate, almond paste
Where to eat in Lyon: best restaurants, typical establishments and street food
Discovering Lyon also means sampling its typical cuisine, a cross between many regional culinary traditions. It offers various types of dishes, from lake fish to meat marinated in wine.
This city is famous for its bouchons, old inns that once housed workers and that still attract many people who want to eat typical dishes in cosy, family-run establishments.
So if you would like to try saucisson chaud a la lyonnaise, quenelles, foie de veau and many other specialities, here are some restaurants in the centre of Lyon to try!
1 - Brasserie Georges
Description: one of the oldest and largest brasseries inside an elegant establishment serving traditional dishes.
Specialities: tripe salami, breaded pig's feet, black pudding
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: 30 Cours de Verdun Perrache, Get directions - Fb page
2 - Au Petit Bouchon Chez Georges
Description: a must for those who want to try the experience of eating in a bouchon. The place is small but the owner is friendly and very helpful
Speciality: kidney with andouillettes and quenell
Average price: from €26.00 per person
Address: rue du Garet 8, Get directions - Fb page
3 - L'instant fromage
Description: small but cosy place recommended for those who love cheese and want to taste different types of cheese.
Speciality: French cheeses and desserts
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: rue Sainte-Hélène 31, Get directions - Fb page
4 - Flair
Description: This restaurant offers fusion cuisine between French and Japanese and offers sophisticated dishes. A tasting menu is available from €38.00.
Speciality: foie gras parfait of duck with apple and tamarind, pork fillet with crispy onion
Average price: from €38.00 per person
Address: rue de la Charité 84, Get directions - Fb page
5 - Les Halles
Description: a gourmet market featuring vendors of local specialities, many of whom were suppliers to the famous Lyon chef Paul Bocuse, who died in 2018. Cheese, charcuterie, fish and desserts, the best of Lyon's produce can be found here.
Specialities: oysters, wines, cheeses
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: cours la Fayette 102, Get directions - Official Website