Best donuts in Lyon, hands down! Run and grab yourself one (or three) the owner lived in Brooklyn…read moreand so they're the real deal!

Items ordered: Caramel Donut…read moreDark Chocolate Donut Sugared Almond Donut Dulce de Leche Donut Red Velvet Muffin Chocolate Chip with Hazelnut Cookie Nymy Cookie With Donuts clearly having a 'moment' back stateside, and American culture often creeping over to Europe with mixed success, one couldn't help but be intrigued by Dorodi Pastry and entering the doors of the small space with donuts, cookies, muffins, cakes, and pies served alongside legit coffee the experience really couldn't have been more familiar - the young owner from Montreal originally mistaking me for Nordic before giving up conversational French and switching to flawless English with that familiar East Canadian brogue. Similarly priced to American artisans, and that is to suggest most items topping 3€ each, it was largely with a focus on novelties as well as recommendations before personal favorites that the order progressed, a total bill of 20€ yielding seven items which were boxed and bagged as we discussed dining back across the Atlantic, suggestions for local spots offered and appreciated despite a dining agenda that was already jammed packed. Taking items to a small park in order to enjoy, parking no doubt a hot commodity before meters engaged at 9:00, it was with little hesitation that first bites were taken of each warm donut and although the yeasty brioche-style base was absolutely immaculate, all but the dark chocolate frosting featured an 'off' mouthfeel that came off almost waxy, the sweetness nowhere near that of versions served stateside and not at all on par with Donuts Factory, a place to be visited later on the eating tour of Lyon. Moving on to the "don't call it a cupcake - cupcakes are frosted" muffin, suffice it to say that French cocoa studded with Valrhona's dark chocolate chips is likely to upgrade anything being done with food coloring and Hershey's throughout most of the American South, and although a dollop of cream cheese frosting may have upped the ante a bit it really wasn't needed in the setting of such high quality ingredients, the same to be said of a crispy-rimmed chocolate chip cookie dense with nuts amidst a soft center and the best-of-the-morning "Nymy" that featured a puddle of ganache amidst a cocoa base with streaks of caramel, toffee, and hazelnuts making each bite a new experience waiting to be found.

Bagel was dry and cream cheese was tasteless . We were very disappointed! Maybe it was the time of…read moreday. Poor selection of bagels

Got the Alaskan fire with nachos on the side. The specific ingredients in this bagel were not so…read moregreat. The chicken was a little dry and the BBQ sauce was overpowering. However, I feel like the other bagels on the menu would be really good. The nachos are exactly the same type you get at a movie theatre with the liquid cheese. Great in a guilty-pleasure kind of way.

A really pretty, clean, surprisingly large tea (Marriage Frères) and coffee house with some food…read moreavailable. Warning: on the weekends you can only order a whole menu meal, so to get a sandwich (Which is all I wanted) I had to buy another tea, a fresh juice, muffin and biscotti as well. That with a piece of cheesecake came to €24. A bit much. Also, limited amount of loose-leaf yea available for takeaway. It looks full, but it's just all the same stuff. It is really pretty and clean though, seems like a local date place. And, it was open... Hard to find in this part of Lyon on a Saturday afternoon.

A cute coffee shop in the historical part of Lyon! I had a small cappuccino for 3.2€ and it was…read moredelicious. The staff was efficient and friendly.

From the owner: Bienvenue chez Mary's Coffee Shop…read more Premier coffee shop de la Loire, Mary's coffee vous accueille du lundi au vendredi, 17 rue Cuvier à Saint-Etienne (derrière la Bibliothèque Universitaire de la FAC). Venez découvrir nos boissons gourmandes, chaudes ou glacées, à base de café, thé et chocolat dans un cadre chaleureux et convivial avec accès Wifi gratuit. Resisterez vous à l'appel de nos muffins "Fait Maison" ? Pas si sûr.. Notre gamme de pâtisserie américaine (Donuts, brownies, crumbles, cookies...etc) vous comblera de plaisir et de gourmandise ! Mary's Coffee c'est aussi les petits déjeuners ( avec pancake au sirop d'érable !!! ^^ miam ) et de la restauration rapide le midi sans oublier les smoothies, les milk shakes, les crêpes - gaufres et bien d'autre délices !! A très bientôt chez Mary's Coffee !!

Ordered a flat white and macchiato and they were okay tasting. Actually, the flat white was just…read morenot that good. Those two coffees cost almost 10 euros, pricey! Lots of breads and sandwiches here but no pretzel that I like. Service was a bit slow but friendly.

What does Paul in France and Tim Horton's in Canada have in common?…read more They are both legendary chains which top management turned into cash cows. Previously marvelous food was cheapened and cheapened and cheapened to the point of being nearly inedible. The financiers that bought Tim Horton's and Paul as investment assets got rich from more favorable ratios of revenue to outflows. Establishments that used to be a treat are now awful. * * * Tim Horton's was once the best donut chain in Canada. The donuts were wonderful. The coffee was classical. The side dishes for breakfast and lunch were solid and reliable. Tim Horton's was a defining chain for Canada the way McDonald's was for America. Only Tim Horton's was much much better. Now McDonald's is actually a first rate chain - at least in the U.S. (Outside of the U.S., you are taking your chances with a McDonald's). Tim Horton's went from excellent to fair to absolutely downright awful. It was a sad process to see. It was a worse process to taste. * * * Long ago, going to a Paul in Paris was a treat. I still remember a hot chocolate I had at a Paul near the Ile de Cite. It was being one of the biggest thrills of that particular Paris trip. (I was poor then, so Michelin starred gastronomy was not going to happen. Paul was a French comfort even a starving student could afford.) I didn't go very often. But I was always very happy when I went. * * * There were not very many Pauls back then. Now Pauls are everywhere. Some big locations like shopping centers or airports have multiple Pauls. When French intellectuals complain about "alimentation industrialisee", Mass produced baguettes are Exhibit A. Factory pastry is Exhibit B. Paul shows up under Exhibit B. Paul is all about selling engineered pastry on a Fordist scale - Thousands of identical awful viennoiseries are being churned out every hour on assembly lines in industrial parks. They are taken by truck to street corners and shopping malls everywhere. Like Tim Horton's, people come because they have memories of when the food was good. Like Walmart, people come because the price is right. * * * Eating at Paul won't kill you. Paul's coffee is bad but A lot of French coffee is bad. (Every time I have a French espresso these days, I get sad memories of the wonderful coffee of Australia and Spain.) Paul coffee is actually no worse than what an artisanal bakery would serve you. Paul pastry is much much worse than what an artisanal bakery would provide. If Americans need a base of comparison, Oreos are slightly better than Paul pastry. Chips Ahoy cookies are significantly worse than Paul pastry. In some cases, eating at Paul might even be your best choice. At the shopping center at Lyon Part-Dieu, nearly ALL of the food is industrialized fast food. Paul is no worse than the awful stuff that is for sale at the food court. We are not talking one star poisoning here. We are more talking two star disappointment. * * * When I ate at Paul, I comforted myself with remembering happy experiences. I thought about my wonderful sessions at Paul in my youth. This is no different than me remembering the girls of my dreams when I was attending high school. I am nearly seventy now, and have a lovely wife. Like Paul, some of those girls I yearned for back in the day are not exactly wonderful fifty years later.

The best vegan burgers in Geneva for sure :) Note: they do not take reservations as of the posting…read moreof this review.

From the owner: Hot-Dog, riz sauté, Cheeseburger, pâtisseries veganread more

Awesome spot for good food in Anncey.. The couple who run it used to have the best cafe in Chamonix…read moreand moved down here. If they had six stars I'd give it to them because the place is called Boston. Go Sox.

A modern coffeeshop with delicious Cappucino and Cortado…read more The staffs were friendly. Lots of fun seats inside and out. You see many students hanging out and working in the space.

An outstanding American style coffee house in Lyon, France…read more * * * So what is the big deal about American style coffee houses in Anywhere, France? Americans can get American coffee in America. France is for French stuff. * * * Well, there is one exception to the rule of France is for French stuff. French coffee is generally bad. I have had expresses and espressos in lots of cafes both on this trip and earlier trips. French espresso is grim stuff. When Starbucks showed up in France, it got a huge popular reaction. Most of this was for wacky flavored coffees such as Pistachio Mint Lattes. But the huge crowds showed a real impatience with lame tame cafe espressos. * * * When French entrepreneurs tried to clone the Starbucks experience, the results were not good. They aped all of the worst aspects of Starbucks coffee without putting anything legitimately good on the table. * * * So the French move into artisanal coffee houses is a very big deal. They follow the American model of having a) outstanding espressos, lattes and alt-coffee drinks and b) having a small but fine menu of breakfast and lunch dishes to make the coffee house a place for a destination meal. Note that not all French artisan coffee places add on Clause c) c) People need to be able to work at the coffee house all day on their computers. The places with really good food actually frown on all-day workers. There is a line out the door of people wanting to eat that really good food. But even with no c), a) and b) are enough to give you a great place. Coffee reform has finally come to France. * * * In the new coffee movement, Slake is a stellar addition. The coffee is amazing - but most of the new coffee houses have that. What sets Slake apart is food that is absolutely positively outstanding. I had a set of Turkish eggs - which were one of the best breakfasts I had in the entire trip to Lyon. My wife did even better with a one-off special - an Indonesian pancake with caramel flour. I died and went to heaven off the one taste of pancake I got. My wife was singing with the angels and flying around the Gates of Radiant Light. A quick look at the other tables suggested that there is legendary French toast to be had as well as a number of other absolutely intriguing treats. * * * There is a line to get into Slake. Don't come expecting immediate gratification - And get out when you are done with your meal. But in return for that The Great Gods of Java will show you the Resplendent Wonders of Their Kingdom once you ditch the cheap espresso.