Top 10 of Lyon’s best culinary specialities

Awarded the title of “World Capital of Gastronomy” in 1935, Lyon is an Eldorado for lovers of good food. The city is famous for its many Michelin-starred restaurants and its legendary ‘Bouchons lyonnais’.

But what do you eat in Lyon? What makes Lyon’s gastronomy so exceptional?

In tandem with Paris, Lyon offers a wonderful insight into traditional French cuisine. In fact, every region of France is brilliantly distinguished by its culinary specialities. Over the years, this regional heritage has sometimes been influenced by various flavours from elsewhere. But over the centuries, Lyon has managed to maintain, and even sublimate, its cuisine of yesteryear.

Some would say that Lyon is home to some of the best food in France! Witness the Halles Paul Bocuse, a veritable institution of French gastronomy. This unique venue is a crossroads of flavours, scents and fine produce. It’s a royal invitation to sit down and eat.

What to eat in Lyon Our selection of 10 specialities from Lyon

Eating well is a religion in Lyon. From one street to the next, you’ll be constantly discovering new recipes, some of them 200 years old or more! Specialities include the hearty weekend mâchon, Lyon cushions, brioche sausage, praluline and delicious little winter bugnes… To be devoured without moderation.

1. Hot sausage

Lyon’s cuisine has a long history of using charcuterie. Among the popular recipes, the hot sausage is surely the best example. Often garnished with truffles or pistachios, this cooked sausage is served sliced, accompanied by boiled potatoes, lentils, salad and a delicious red wine sauce. With such a generous starter, the meal could well end there!

2. Lyon salad

Developed in the 16th century, the salade lyonnaise is a revisit of the salade de pissenlits, showcasing the rustic produce of Lyon. In a balance of hot and cold, the salad leaves are topped with bacon, croutons and a runny poached egg – it’s delicious! Naturally, it was a big hit, and soon became a speciality of the city.

3. Cervelle de canut

This cheese preparation with fresh herbs is a tribute to the canuts, the former silk workers of Vieux-Lyon. At the time, lacking financial resources, the workers prepared this mixture as a substitute for lamb’s brains. Hence the name “cervelle de canut”. Today, it’s made with drained fromage blanc, garlic, shallots, chives and parsley. Served in a small bowl, it’s perfect on a slice of toasted bread as an aperitif.

4. Le Tablier de sapeur

The bouchons lyonnais – Lyon’s historic little restaurants – know exactly how to make the most of offal (animal parts other than meat). The proof is in the famous tablier de sapeur, a speciality based on beef fat. Generally prepared in breadcrumbs and cooked in white wine, it goes wonderfully well with gribiche sauce (eggs, mustard, capers, parsley, tarragon) and boiled potatoes. An authentic Lyonnais dish that you’ll be hard pressed to find outside the walls of the Capital of the Gauls!

5. Quenelles

Forget the traumatic spongy quenelles of your childhood. Lyon’s quenelles are in a completely different league! Prepared plain, with poultry or with pike (the most famous), they are one of Lyon’s typical specialities. Beware of small stomachs, this is a hearty dish traditionally eaten in winter to cope with the biting cold.

6. Chicken Célestine

The story behind this recipe is an ode to love! The story goes that it was invented by Rousselot, a chef from Lyon who fell in love with his boss, Célestine Blanchart. The suitor is said to have developed this gourmet preparation in an attempt to seduce her… And it was a triumph! To know what a successful marriage proposal tastes like, imagine a whole chicken sautéed with mushrooms and tomatoes. Before being flambéed in cognac and white wine, then seasoned with garlic and parsley.

7. Cardoons

A rustic and rare cousin of chard, cardoons are all the rage in Lyonnais kitchens. The locals often prepare them in the run-up to the festive season, because they are so expensive per kilo. However, you’ll find them in most of Lyon’s bouchons. Cardoons are baked au gratin in the oven to bring out their artichoke flavour – a real treat.

8. Praline tart

An emblematic dessert of Lyonnais cuisine, the recipe for the pink praline tart was invented in 1970 by Lyonnais chef Alain Chapel. Inspired by praluline, a delicious brioche with pink pralines (a must-try when visiting the city). The praline tart is made with pink pralines, crème fraîche and double cream, all on a bed of pure butter shortcrust pastry. It’s a simple, generous pastry that’s as good as it gets!

9. Saint-Marcellin

The Saint-Marcellin is not typically Lyonnais, but it’s just the same! Originating in a small village of the same name near Lyon, it owes its success to Mère Richard, a cheese-making institution located in the Halles Paul Bocuse in the 3rd arrondissement. Today, its creamy texture and great taste of cow’s milk are a delight both as an aperitif and at the end of a meal. Its soft, ‘bloomy’ rind makes it one of France’s favourite cheeses.

10. Beaujolais wine or a Côte du Rhône

The area around Lyon is famous for its wine production. Who hasn’t heard of Beaujolais or Côte du Rhône? It’s a great time for lovers of fine wines, as Lyon lies on the border of these two wine-producing regions. For the perfect accompaniment to your meal, don’t hesitate to ask for the chef’s suggestion! A word about the Beaujolais Nouveau tradition: the appellation comprises ten crus, all made from the Gamay grape variety. Since 1951, the whole of France has been celebrating Beaujolais every third Thursday in November. That year, a law required producers of appellation wines to wait until 15 December before marketing their merchandise. The Beaujolais winegrowers protested and managed to get their wine sold before that date. The tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau was born!