A real Lyonnais bouchon experience where trying all the classics won't break the bank!…read more Hidden on a little side street amidst other restaurants tailored to locals, chez George really delivers that's authentic Bonchon experience you've been looking for. You can expect the classical checkered table clothes, a tight seating arrangement where the person sitting next to you is a complete stranger (that you'll get to chat and know along the evening) and a boisterous chef that welcomes you and comes to check on you many times during the meal. The menu has all the classics and you can even afford to try them all in one sitting without exploding the bank. However, if you eat everything, your tummy might explode ;) Given it was our last night, we went for 'la totale'. The plate of cold cuts was packed tightly with generous servings of terrine, pate de foie gras, saucisson. The quenelle was so fluffy and well souffled that it was like a pillow in your mouth. The tripes although not for everyone, satisfied our desire for offals. The andouillette was crispy on the outside and served with a well flavoured mustard sauce. All in all, for four hearty dishes, 2 glasses of kir and a 46cl bottle of wine, the total came up to 78€! Reservations highly recommended :)

We arrived a little late for our reservation at 7.30, I had thought I had booked 8pm but apparently…read moremy res was at 7.15pm. My mistake, I apologized. We were abruptly told by a little rude waiter that we were late, he made such a fuss I thought he was going to say he couldn't seat us but then he gave us a table in the corner outside! The table was uncomfortably small (we are not big people) it was cramped! We ordered some drinks and apps and within about 20 mins I had water dripping down my back and on my arms which I thought was raindrops! I realized that actually it was water leaking from the apartment drains above. The water was also hitting the table and going in our food! We asked to be moved indoor where there were tables but we were promptly told to shift to the table next to ours outside. We did so but realized more water coming down on the food! When I complained and said it's unacceptable, the waiter asked do we want a table inside? Lol, so now you have space but before you didn't! The waiter just shrugged and said it's normal when you have apartments above! Absolutely disgusting attitude and rude treatment of paying customers! We left without finishing our contaminated food! We paid for it but there was no compensation or apology! Don't bother going here, most other restaurants we went to we received excellent service and pleasant people!

We were a group of 6 spending a night in Lyon looking for some traditional fair at a reasonable…read moreprice point. None of us eat the traditional Lyonaise food of innards. Search narrowed down to three locations and we settled on La Mere Jean. A friendly staff named Georgia took the time to translate every item on the French menu for us six in English. I can only speak for the dishes in had tried. The Lyonaise salad was very tasty, the bacon was thick diced pieces crispy and melt in your mouth. You can't be afraid of a bit of fat as it's what makes it so good. I had the cold appetizer mix plate of meat and lentils. I felt it was to unlock your senses with different types of texture pleasure in the mouth than going for a flavour palette. The Quenelle was my main. It was an absolute unique delight with the fluffy and spongy texture smoothered with the seafood cream sauce with potato gratin. It's a rich heavy dish and hits you when you least expect it. Tried a piece of marinated fish that was also a suprise to the pallette. The texture and flavour was like smoked ham than eating fish and very tasty. Dessert was the traditional red praline tart. My mind kept getting fooled with it being red but it's not cherry, not strawberry, just sweet praline. All paired with a Cote du Rhone wine. It is one of those meals you have long memories of as it's so different to N.A. dishes. All in all our group was very happy to have tried the food, appreciate the reviews/photos and most of all thank the friendly staff at la Mere Jean to make it a wonderful experience as we had no idea what we were going eat in Lyon but wanted something local.

Ambiance was charming, service agreeable, plates could have been done better…read more La mère jean was my first bouchon expérience in Lyon and it was very nice. However I knew it would not be my only bouchon dinner after trying the typical dishes of eggs in red wine sauce and fish dumplings. I had never had these food before but I know how to cook so I knew something was off. The red wine sauce was thin and watery and the fish dumplings dense and pale. It was a Monday evening so perhaps the best chef had the night off. The wine was very good and the atmosphere was perfectly lyonnaise.

A must-try when in Lyon!…read more What a cool restaurant in the heart of Lyon surrounded by many other fine establishments. This one stands out for its commitment to great service and outstanding sandwiches (tartines/toast) hot and cold. The decor here is beautiful with the stonework inside with quite a few tables as well as tables outside. Our server was outstanding, we ordered wine, cider, foie gras and egg salad tartines, and a couple of desserts. The toasts were excellent. The raspberry dessert was too mushy and the coconut dessert too dry. But we will be back for more tartines and to try their burgers.

One of my favorite meals in Lyon! Lyon is apparently known for their tartines and this place was…read moreperfect. Super quaint (albeit hot in mid-July because no A/C), and delicious. Only one waitress spoke English, and she wasn't serving us - however she did explain about the different specials of the day. Our actual waiter was super nice and patient as we ordered and the food was amazing. We chose one tartine each (party of 3) and cut them into thirds so we could each sample everything. - Tomato burrata tartine with balsamic: very fresh, pretty much what you would expect from a tomato/mozz sandwich - The special that I ordered was pork with polenta and olives. It was amazing!!!!! - Croque Monsieur was also tasty - ham with tomato and cheese. We shared potatoes gratin and a bottle of wine. Really nice meal in a traditional Lyonnaise cafe. Cobblestone streets and adorable awnings - so picturesque!

Where do I even begin? This was hands down, without question, the best dining experience I have…read moreever had and likely ever will. I had some last minute unplanned travel changes that landed me in Lyon for a few days. Being the gastronomic capital of France, I wanted to dine at as many Michelin Star restaurants as I could. As fortune would have it, I only had a day or two in advance, so I was only able to reserve a table at one. That meant I had time to visit a little restaurant my friend told me I absolutely HAD to try. I'm so glad I took his advice. Words can't do justice to how truly incredible it was, but I'll do my best to describe my experience... Atmosphere: 5 The restaurant was very nice but not pretentious. The kind of place you could go to dressed up for a very special occasion or dressed casually for a delicious lunch. I was dressed very casually and felt as welcome as the man dressed to the nines a few tables from me. Service: 5 I don't typically write reviews about service because, frankly, I care much more about the food. However, the service here was so above and beyond excellent, I had to include it. My waiter was not only incredibly professional and knowledgeable, but was genuinely kind. I could really tell how much he cared about me and my experience and how passionate he was about the food he was serving. I had similar positive interactions with the rest of the staff as well. In fact, the chef personally reached out to me on Instagram to thank me for mentioning them in my stories. How cool is that?! Food: 5 I honestly don't know how to even put the food into words. It was indescribably delicious. Every aspect of the meal, from start to finish, was absolutely perfect. No exaggeration, my brain released so much dopamine in response to the meal, I legitimately felt high for at least an hour afterwards. I didn't even know food could do that. It was really that good. In conclusion: I cannot recommend this restaurant more highly. It's been over a year since I've been and I still think about it almost daily. I feel no need to return to Lyon except to eat here again. You can bet I'll go well out of my way to return. If you have an opportunity, GO! To the staff, thank you SO much for everything. Dining with you was by far the best part of my trip to France. I can't wait to see you again someday soon!

Certainly one of the best meals I've ever had in my lifetime. We walked in and were immediately…read moregreeted by a very friendly waiter who owns the restaurant with his wife - it's french italian fusion because they are french and italian if i recall correctly. My mom and i got the three course tasting menu with a wine pairing - I got the octopus and my mom got the quail (you didn't pick the appetizer) for dessert i got the marscapone heart and my mom got the cheese plate. The octopus was FABULOUS - tender but not mushy and full of flavor. The wine pairing was literal perfection - every wine paired flawlessly with the dish I was impressed. Seriously floored by how well all of the flavors went together. The appetizer was some carrot dish that was phenomenal - I'd have no problem getting my veggies in if they were all prepared like this. The quail was also so delicious tender and flavorful. The marscapone heart was lovely as was the cheese plate. I cannot rave about this restaurant enough. Perfect perfect perfect cuisine in a lovely little restaurant with wonderful, welcoming decor. I would come back to Lyon just to eat here. Fabulous. immaculate. wonderful. One of my all time favorite restaurants. I adore this restaurant.

We loved Cafe du Soleil…read more Very tasty food. Friendly servers. Fair prices. Lovely outdoor patio in the heart of the old town. Quaint and authentic. The baked quenelle souffles were outstanding and absolutely worth ordering. Good English spoken. If we were staying longer in Lyon, we'd DEFINITELY go back. Recommended.

Authentic and excellent service in the heart of old Lyon. Friendly bar, staff and cozy dining room…read more Quenelles are speciality here and are made to order. Île flottante was perfectly lite and not too sweet

I started going to La Cuisinerie not long after they opened when I had to go to Lyon for work…read moremonthly. Honestly the best food for the money I found in Lyon. Menu changes regularly based one what's fresh. In a food obsessed city with a ton of amazing restaurants this place always made my commute to France worth it.

This is a cool French tapas bar with nice service, good food, and great wine…read more I don't know if others would find the Côtes du Rhône here as delicious as I did, but after a long day of travel, it really hit the spot. I got their trio of tartare as well as their potatoes. The 3 tartare were: classic, vegetable, and mint. The vegetable one was far and above my favorite. Second was the mint. The mint gave it a more Middle Eastern taste which worked. My least favorite was the classic. I've had much tastier "classic" tartares and this one tasted like they put ketchup in it or something like that. I was not a fan. The potatoes seasoned with Herbes de Provence were good. The atmosphere is nice too and almost feels cave/cellar like. They have a number of other delicious looking tapas to choose from and I definitely would return.

When it's the last day of a fantastic two-week visit to France, and you're in Lyon, the country's…read moreculinary capital, and you fancy yourself a bit of a connoisseur who doesn't want to be disappointed, you have a real challenge on your hands when it comes to choosing a restaurant. Add to that the fact that it's Monday, when so many places seem to be closed, and your challenge is even greater. Fortunately for us, a reliable friend suggested (nay, insisted) that we visit this bouchon for our last dinner in France, and not wanting to upset him, and trusting his opinion implicitly, we phoned them up and got ourselves a table. When we arrived we were struck by several things--the small size of the establishment; the youth of the several young women who run the place; the limited menu; the low prices of the wines. We were also struck by how empty it was, since we were the first to arrive for dinner, just as they opened at 7pm. But before even ten minutes were up, the place was half-full, and before long, it was packed, and many people were turned away at the door who hadn't had the presence of mind to book in advance. As mentioned above the menu is small. In addition, they only do a "formule", comprising a salad course (which has no choices to be made) followed by a main, cheese and dessert, all for €27. As we sat down we were given a little amuse bouche, which I have to say was the one disappointment of the meal, being too dry and hard to swallow and not having much taste, but it was the one misstep of the evening. The salad course consisted of three dishes--a delightfully mustardy lentil salad; herring with tzatziki; and a cold terrine of eggplant with a tomato sauce on the side. When they were delivered to us, the server explained what they were so incredibly quickly that I could not follow it at all--it was only when we heard her explain it to a neighbouring table, and in English, that I picked up some of it (she spoke quickly in English, too), but I asked her again what it was and she patiently explained it again. For our mains, there were several choices to choose from and we chose the onglet with new potatoes for one of us, and the boudin with apples and herb salad. The onglet was cooked perfectly and had exquisite flavour, as did the potatoes accompanying it. But the boudin was something else--delicious black pudding in a filo pastry with apples and topped with a salad with parsley and other herbs. It was a great way to make a rather humble item--black pudding--into something elevated, and I enjoyed it immensely. Dessert was perhaps a bit less outstanding than the rest of the meal, though that's not to say that it was not good. But the choices were not as interesting to us (we have grown a bit tired of molten chocolate cake and sorbet) so we stuck to two items that were a bit different--lime cheesecake on the one hand, and "dessert à la praline" on the other. The former was fairly straightforward, with a bit of chestnut cream on top for good measure, while the latter was (to me) more interesting, a kind of semifreddo with red fruits and with praline mixed in, served with red fruit coulis. To go with our meal, we ordered a 'pot' of Crozes-Hermitage wine, which seemed a good buy at €14.50 and went very well with what we had ordered. This was an exceptional and exceptionally enjoyable evening in all respects, and the young ladies of the establishment have lived up to their reputation, as did the friend who recommended it to us.

The food was good but the service was pretty slow and unnecessarily uncomfortable. The server was…read morepoking fun at us being American to all of the other tables as part of his bit but it wasn't funny. He served all the other tables before us, so the service was very slow. Felt intentional. Four of us spoke fluent French so it wasn't that we were clueless tourists. He also dropped sauce on two guests. The server was more entertained with his own antics without any regard for how he was received. At one point one of our group asked if he minded that we were American and he assured us we were welcome but then didn't modify his behavior.

I really wanted to eat here, but France is in lock down currently, so they were only selling…read moredrinks. They get 5 stars for staying open and for being so friendly and helpful about what to visit while in Lyon. We grabbed a Stella on draft and enjoyed our drinks on the square. Lovely location. I'll be back next time to try their "Bouchon Lyonnais".

From the owner: Ici on épluche, on écaille, on poche, on braise, on émulsionne, on déglace, on réduit , on taille,…read moreon goûte et on dresse.........bref on cuisine!