Le Centre by Georges (Blanc, who is the Wolfgang Puck of France) is a modern, hip, two story, airy, bright, cheerful, stark red and gray hall with clean lines, and soon, clean plates. An aged wood floor adds character and job security for the clean up crew. There is a scattering of the ubiquitous kitchen kitsch for decor. It's really a Euro-Steakhouse that wants to be a French Bistro. The front of the house has large windows so you can look at the looky loos looking at you like stray dogs staring at the Butcher Shop display case. At 7:00 PM it's as quiet as viewing the Last Supper at Forest Lawn Cemetery in LA and by 8:30 PM it's as rockin' as Death and Co. Bar in NYC. The restaurant is part of the Carlton Hotel which feeds the place clientele wanting to be fed. The Vibe: Who goes there? Timid hotel guests, timid American touristiques, timid business travelers, and a few bold locals willing to share space with the timid, however, the kitchen is not timid at all. The Staff: Used to timid people and a few like yours truly. So, hail a waiter and get your Kir Royale Cassis going and before your aperitif shows up a plate of Gougere for each diner is set down within fingers reach. They aren't from the oven but were made sometime during the morning prep. (They should be as warm as a puppy in the sun). No big deal that they ain't as they disappeared quickly. The Bar Program: It's a full bar, but you're in Lyon so stick to some wine from the comprehensive wine list like the Poive et Sol Saint Joseph Beaujolais by Francois Villard 2015. There, that's all taken care of for you. The Food: There is a daily set menu and a variety of ala carte options offering all the sides you'd see at Morton's. First, the Caesar Salad winked at me. At this point let me address the recent Yelperette who complained about the "nasty fish" in her salad. These were Anchovies which, of course, belong in a Caesar Salad. Poor thing is used to the salad bar at Chipotles. Ignore her. No anchovies in a Caesar Salad is like buying a new Renault and telling the dealer to deliver it without tires. Hail to this Caesar. It was cold, garlic-y, cheese-y, and laced with sublime anchovies. So there! The Eggplant Parmigian was very French in an Italian sort of way. But then Italy got the haute cuisine ball rolling 500 years ago. But let us not nit pick. It was delicious. It was a lovely construction of thin Eggplant strips woven together like a tapestry around and over melted Parmesan (which would be great over Dust Bunnies), all settled in a pudding thick puddle of Marinara. Frenchmen, thank your Italian Brothers and this brave kitchen for bringing this to you...and me. The Double Sirloin were half inch beefy slices sliced fanned out and and nicely cooked medium. Was it the equal of Cut in LA? (Wofgang Puck's place, who is the Georges Blanc of the USA). Nope, but then what is? The meat was lean and oh so tasty. It was served with excellent Frites that were hard to beat(s). Ask politely and a cup of Bearnaise (my guilty pleasure. I would eat that on Ice Cream or my Sport Coat), Peppercorn and/or Horseradish Sauces as dense as hair pomade are delivered and they do deliver as well. The Mac and Comte Cheese was an impulse buy, like the Dark Chocolate Ginger Strips at the check out stand in Trader Joes but this worked out a whole lot better than most of the things I've done on an impulse. The Vegetable Caponata (Ratatouille) was also satisfying. It was a good balance to the balance of the meal, as otherwise you are just eating Meat n' Fries which is okay with me if pressed. The fresh Vegetables stayed that way even though they were mixed with a light Tomato Sauce. Cheese? Of course, but alas, after weeks in France I was cheesed out, but not yet overloaded on Desserts. Gotta have something sugary like a Mint on your pillow or tender a kiss goodnight? Right? Right. With luck you get both. I'll turn my cheek but won't turn up my nose at something sweet after dinner...or any other time, for that matter. So, for me it was Chocolate Ice Cream and Apple Sorbet as tart as the privileged. Besides, Ice Cream and Sorbet, I miss you so, so I signed up for this combo which reminded me of something you'd get at the County Fair only that would be deep fried. This place was fine, no frills, filling, French food doing an impression of a Stateside Brasserie. Next time, I'm in Lyon, I'll draw a Blanc. read more

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Was in Lyon on business and was looking for a very good restaurant. Yelp didn't really come up with some good ones so switched to bib gourmand. We found Le Centre. And what a great find! Great service, experienced and professional staff, good ambiance and some inspiring quotes on the wall. And then the food: We both had the Wagyu steak. Ooohhh, that was delicious! Made a lucky choice with the wine, Mercurey combines wonderully with Wagyu beef! And finished with prunes and pears. Great combination. All in all a great find ans absolutely a recommended place for a top quality dinner! read more

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Quickly greeted and seated on a Saturday evening, but it was early by French customs (7:30). English menus are a plus. Found all of the entries modestly priced compared to other area comparable establishments. The wine list was deep for a local brasserie and also full of reasonably priced selections. The sommelier came by and guided us through the list, and offered our selection by the glass as well, which was perfect. Both of us had the burgers which were excellent. Very friendly and accommodating staff. We had 2 burgers and 3 glasses of Rhone red wine total for €69. read more

Le Centre by Georges - The cozy upstairs dining room - French Near Me - Lyon, 69

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Hmm...the place inside was very nice looking, and the wait staff was superb....I needed to eat light as I was eating the heavy Lyon food for a day already. I ordered a Caesar salad with chicken..eh, it was very fair. Based on the menu this is a carnivore place, load of meat, so I should have ordered something meaty, but I was really unable. Hubby ordered lamb chops, eh, really fatty, the side dishes of spinach and mashed potatoes were fantastic. I enjoyed the spinach more than my salad. On a personal note, I know Caesar salad is traditionally with an anchovy dressing but most places indicate that there are anchovy with the salad....this did not indicate so, and there were 4 of those nasty fish in the salad, so I promptly removed them, but the smell lingered and almost ruined my salad experience as well. read more

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We found this restaurant on yelp and on recommendation of a tour guide. When we asked our hotel concierge where it was, she laughed, as it was next to our hotel, The Carlton. You can have a reasonable menu choice (they give you several choices of salad, main course and desert) at 39euro or a la carte. We went a la cart and had the Brest Chicken, salads and coffee. Salads were large and good. Chicken is a chicken leg (I prefer breast, but that was fine) with a delicious sauce. We added mushrooms at 8euro extra. Not sure what it would taste without the mushrooms, but as ordered was excellent. Ambiance is quasi-modern, but very pleasant. Our waiter Remy (as well as all staff) was very pleasant and attentive, without being intrusive. Wine list is varied, without the need to spent ridiculous amounts on wine. We had an excellent Alsace Riesling for around 38euro. After we finished and we're ready to leave we wound up getting into a pleasant 10 minute conversation about France and other subjects, something I can't recall in a long time. All in all, a wonderful meal. Recommend highly. read more

So so... Desert was excellent but main dishes were not great. Duck was extremely small and pasta with shrimps was quite boring..wine was good. We expected mucg more. read more

A good restaurant. I have been here before when in Lyon. The staff is friendly and attentive. They have an English menu and wait staff that speaks English. I had a glass of red wine and the George appetizer. The app was very tasty. But large for one person. Their menu is a bit eclectic with local options and more international selections. I chose the chicken in a spicy sauce and ginger rice. I was surprised to find such an option. I was quite good. It wasn't spicy by American standards. But there was a bit of heat. The chicken was very moist and tender. read more

I was in Lyon with my husband for the first time and wanted to have an haute cuisine experience. I read somewhere that Le Centre by Georges offered a reasonably priced "market menu" in the evenings, so we went ahead and made a reservation for 7pm. We arrived 5 minutes early but when we walked in, we were told to go wait outside because they were not actually open yet. I admit that this might have dampened my enthusiasm considering it was December and freezing. When we came back, the staff was very obliging. Since it's haute cuisine, everything is very codified and there is no room for a spontaneous interaction between staff and customers. My husband had the market menu. As an appetizer, he got some kind of beef tartare he really liked because he thought it had a great umami flavor . His main course was some kind of tripe dish that he thought was good but not amazing. His dessert was maybe the most disappointing part of his meal. He had a buche de Noel which was particularly dry and tasteless. I tried it and was also very underwhelmed by it: I've had store bought buche de Noel that tasted better than that. For my part, I had a croque monsieur with truffles. The cheese and truffles were delicious, but the (American style) bread tasted like the cheapest kind you would find in the grocery store and was burned on the sides. In general, the bread was really not great. I was surprised that such a renowned restaurant would have such terrible bread considering that quality bread is so easy to come across in France. Regarding drinks, the wine we had was good but pricy. All in all, it was an only okay experience. I wish that they would have paid more attention to small, crucial details foodwise. The food is just not as great as you would expect it, considering the price you pay for it. However, if you are looking for really great meat you might still want to check it out, considering that it is their specialty and they might have privileged access to some products read more

This is the best meal I've had in Lyon. The staff was friendly and professional. The ambience inside was inviting, modern and classy. Their specialty is beef, and it shows. I ordered the least expensive cut of meat on the menu (26 E) with a complex and subtle pepper sauce and the macaroni gratin. It was incredible! Their wine list is fabulous, and Jordan poured a red Bordeaux for me that made my night! While the prices here are at the high end of my range it was so good I feel that I got a great value. And I can't wait to go back. read more

Our concierge suggested that we try this Michelin star brasserie - and when we got here we realized that this was much nicer than any brasserie we'd been to before! The staff was all very charming and spoke very good English and the service was fast. We were recommended a wonderful wine then ordered off of an English menu and were pleased wth everything we'd gotten. All of the meat was cooked perfectly and the Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes were lovely. The dessert was also great! Prices were around 20-30 euros per plate, but expected for what we got. Ambiance was very nice and clean as well... Would definitely recommend. read more