My niece and I visited for a nightcap. While sitting in the covered veranda, it became cold, and we requested the heating lamp be turned on. We were informed it was broken. Despite being offered to move to another table, we opted to stay put. A few minutes later, the waiter informed us he needed to close our tab as his shift was ending. However, shortly thereafter, he seated a newly arrived couple, took their order, continued serving drinks to another table, and provided food to a couple sitting outside. Even if we wanted to order another round, we felt unwelcome. When asked why he closed our tab and continued to serve others, he curtly responded, "to think what we wanted to think." We believe his behavior might have been racially motivated. This is particularly disappointing given the influx of international guests for the Bocuse d'Or event in Lyon, of which we are a part. It's regrettable that such an institution makes patrons feel unwelcome. We are of a minority race but have never faced such blatant discrimination. Save your money and take your business elsewhere read more

At the end of a nice pedestrian mall is this spot. A spot where distinguished looking locals and tourists of all ages stop for a Moet or a pop and either sweet or savoury snack. Patio, terrace and indoor seating. White table cloths and wonderful service. We had the "crevette" sharing plate - just right for two people. It wasn't cheap but it was just what I was looking for. So good, we went back a second time. :) read more

I stopped by here for a quick afternoon pause and only had tea, so I can't speak for the food. It was a beautiful summer day when I visited, and a lot of the outdoor seating was taken, but it was virtually empty inside. The staff were polite and reasonably friendly. I ordered a black tea, which came in a pot that filled my cup about 3 times. The tea was in a teabag, so the €5+ price tag was pretty steep. However, this might be normal for a very centrally located café/restaurant. I stayed at my table for about an hour and was not bothered or hurried. Overall, an unremarkable but overpriced experience. read more

L'Institution - Tea - French Near Me - Lyon, 69

Our first day in Lyon we were turned away at all the Bouchons we visited. They only take reservations when they are open, unlike the US, so we had none. We noticed this place on the main thoughfare near our hotel. While not a Bouchon it served local dishes and we gave it a try. Mercifully we were seated here and enjoyed a fine meal. We each had the salad Lyonnaise which was better than we had later at some of the Bouchons, with a house Rhone wine and a stuffed loin of pork with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Real French comfort food. It was delicious. read more

L'Institution - Rolled, Stuffed Pork Loin with mushrroms and mashed potatoes - French Near Me - Lyon, 69

Nice relaxed atmosphere. Ordered a salad lyonnaise. More than big enough for a main meal. Service was friendly and helpful. Would go again

Best place we ate in Lyon. Its fun & bustling and food was great. We sat in the glass enclosed area. The only bad thing is that there are birds (which they say they cannot get rid of) and they pooped on my wife's coat. So we had to move seats. Food was very good, great foie gras. Had a glass of a rhone. We had to rush off to make our train but it was a great last meal in Lyon. read more

Historic restaurant with outdated menu choices. Taste on my salmon was terrible. Service was slow and disinterested. Place was dirty too. read more

L'Institution - Bacon leftover from Lyonnaise salad... - French Near Me - Lyon, 69

Beautiful interior and very on point service with English friendly menus and waiters. Still, the food was only okay. Burger (3/5) - very standard and unremarkable. It did come with a side salad with balsamic vinegar dressing that was also okay. The fries were a bit musher than I prefer. Moroccan lamb (3/5) - beautifully presented but definitely more French style than true Moroccan. It was very refined and was overall okay. read more

The concierge at our hotel suggested we have lunch here and I am so glad we did. We've heard that Lyon is city of magnificent food and our lunch here got us off to a great start. The ambiance was great. We sat on the terrace were we could watch the passerby's and it was very comfortable. The service was outstanding. They were very friendly spoke English and even had a English menu which was helpful. My husband had one of their specialties the homemade sausage with pistachios. It came with a side salad and potatoes. He loved it. I had the linguine with roasted vegetables. It was delicious. The large pour of Chardonnay made it a very leisure lunch and great way to start our visit to Lyon. read more

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Great place, I was outside the terrace aperitifs , smoked and vegetables chips. Another time for breakfast, great too. Service just the necessary. Nothing more. Need to stop buy more often. I would have much more to drink if waiter stop and ask. But bottom of it. I will come back read more

I was intending to have a nice multi course dinner at this restaurant but after I ordered beef tartare to start and they brought salmon tartare and never bothered to bring water after two requests , I cut my dinner short. The salmon tartare was fatty and not up to par. Great outside venue but the server I had was non attentive and she didn't pay attention to my order. read more

All the negative reviews are for the café/bar, not the restaurant. So this creates confusion. As far as the restaurant is concerned, it is very good. Nice decor: dark colors, low light, rich fabrics (except for the huge lighting hanging from the ceiling, which is hideous), very friendly service, lots of choices on the menu, including wines. Everything we tried was well prepared. We had a starter with a poached egg, proschiutto, spinach, benedict sauce over a toast (only the toast disappointed), great oysters (huge and fresh), braised chicken with a cèpes (= 'shrooms) sauce and French fries, and a Pralines tart. The only thing that was not great was the tart. It's a Lyon recipe, but this one was just very sweet, and you could not taste the Pralines at all. Other than the dessert, it was great. read more

So we came to Lyon from Geneva. We were ready for the "best food in France". We had early reservations at this restaurant. We started with Barrata salada and our entrees were sole and gnocchi. The salad tomatoes had little flavor and were hard, not ripened on the vine. The gnocchi was ok. The sole was tough and required a forceful fork to cut. NO flaking. It is sad when the best part of your meal is the fingerling potatoes. When I questioned the meal the maitre d said the chef said that if "sole is tough it should be cooked longer????Wine was good. Service was excellent. However this appears a tourist trap restaurant. 10% of tables were occupied. They did comp the fish, which I think I took 3 bites, without me asking. We walked down the street and the restaurants along the streets were full with locals and others. Interesting???? I would NOT go here again read more

Ignore the hater reviews. This place is G-D-Amazing. The service is freaking fantastic from the moment you walk in. I was concerned that since I was dressed like the fat, fashion-deficit American, I would be sent to the worst table. Instead, I was nice to them and they gave me a wonderful table where I could check out all the action. The dark, warm woods, the nice lighting and carpeting, white linen, Class A wait-staff who actually were not ignoramuses like anywhere else in the US, it was a really wonderful experience....taking especial care into consideration the price of everything, from the wonderful wines and apertif that the waiter recommended to the wonderful pork dish and vegetables to the yummy dessert. I blew the bank on myself, as usual, but it was totally worth it. read more

3.5 stars really. Great environment, nice service (once they get to you), which is average length, quite overpriced (which can be expected at this location) and food ranging from ok to tasty. I keep forgetting that the French shut down all restaurants at 2pm. So I was walking around checking out the shops and aspiring to go to a sushi place I had marked on my Yelp, when I looked at the clock (and Yelp) and realized everything is freaking closed! Walking back mostly hopeless I ran into this place and they told me they don't close. Wow! Then one of the waiters assured me they make martini cocktails and that's all I needed! I tried to find a smoker free place outside but on a 90 degree day that wasn't quite possible. I could sniff the darn stinkers from a mile. So I went inside where the waiter claimed there was an AC. Not sure about that but ok. He brought me a martini just to try. This was a nice touch! I didn't like it because it was tiny, lukewarm and 12 euro (and to add insult to injury with one olive only). But I returned it and traded it for wine. At 4 euro per modest glass for the cheapest. Understandable. Got one of the combo menus with salad, fish and desert. Salad was blah ok with some croutons. The fish was delicious. Jury is still out on the desert read more

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Chose a sidewalk seat. Just wanted a mid-afternoon snack. Ordered a glass of champagne for my bride, and a glass of Rhone red for myself. Ordered a club sandwich. Waiter came back with a tablecloth and full semi- formal table setting, water carafe, olives and rolls. The sandwich was very good, one of the better club sandwiches I have had. 17.5€. It came with pomme frites and a very fresh small salad of greens with a tasty vinaigrette. Service was gracious, but not speedy (but in fairness consistent with the French dining style and pace). Total bill was 42€ for the wines and sandwich. read more