The 13 best restaurants in Lyon

The ‘workbench’, as l’établi translates, is far fancier than the name would suggest. Décor is modern and stripped back, with tables designed to look like carpenter’s benches, artistically scored with ruler-straight lines. Customers choose their own bread knives when they arrive, before tucking into one of three fixed menus for lunch (three, six or seven courses). In the evening it’s the full seven or à la carte. While every dish is served with exquisite artistry, it's in the simple things that you truly appreciate the quality of their produce. It’s impossible not to cut another slice of the crusty cob served with black sesame butter, even when you’re on course five.

22 rue Remparts d’Ainay 69002

Pulling fresh pizzas from a giant turquoise mosaic oven, Maria is a buzzing Croix-Rousse spot you won’t want to miss. The menu comprises eight wood-fired pizzas, all of which pack a serious Neopolitan punch. There are classics like the La Sanita – San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, grana Padano, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil – or more adventurous blends like the Mergellina: Provola cheese, fior di latte, fennel sausage, cream of broccoli with ricotta and walnuts. Each week, staff design a new pizza, so come with a group and try as many as you can.

1-3 Rue des Pierres Plantées, 69001 Lyon

Neighbouring her husband Xavier’s Ravigote, Marie-Laure Radojewski and her team whip up some of the city’s best sandwiches. Adorned with retro school furniture and her grandmother's porcelain, this sunny canteen offers a serious lunchtime lift. The fried chicken sandwich has decadent additions, like a brioche bun and beetroot ketchup. A twist on the croque monsieur includes roast pork, smoked raclette cheese, béchamel and confit onions in sourdough. (Don’t worry, vegetarians: there’s plenty of choice for you too.) For €12 all in, get a sandwich, a soft drink and a dessert such as chocolate chip babka, crème caramel or rotating specials like chocolate peanut pie. You can also buy cheeses and charcuterie from Marie-Laure’s stellar suppliers – though you’d be pushed to make sandwiches this good at home.

76 Rue Mazenod, 69003 Lyon

While living in Kuala Lumpur, friends Amélie, Caroline and Paul discovered the incredible mix of Indian, Chinese and Malay cultures that make up Malaysian cuisine. They returned with the dream of opening their own Sino-Indian mamak street food spot in Lyon. Boleh Lah is the realisation of that dream. Under purple neon lights, the open kitchen bustles to a hip hop soundtrack as diners perch on stools to enjoy a short but perfectly formed menu of dishes like beef rendang, char siu pork and vegetarian nasi goreng. Start off with a flaky, buttery roti flatbread – plain, cheese-filled or garlic – to dip in dhal curry sauce, then order as many plates as you can. Even better, come with a group to try everything. For the caffeine heads, don’t miss the teh tarik: a sweet and frothy pulled milk tea.

11 Rue Salomon-Reinach, 69007 Lyon

Located in the 1st arrondissement between the Halles de la Martinière and the Mural of Lyonnais, is chef Arnaud Laverdin’s casual Asian-fusion bistro. Meaning ‘dream’ in Hindi, the globe-trotting menu of Sapnà will certainly transport you away from southeastern France. Mix up small plates like smoked trout gyoza, lamb satay bao burger and Okonomiyaki with Katsuobushi and bacon. Always leave room for dessert though - pastry chef Rémy Havetz works on a regularly changing selection for the patisserie bar. With exposed brick walls, mauve velour banquettes and touches of pine green, it’s the kind of space you’ll want to linger in long after your last forkful. 

7, rue de la Martinière, 69001 Lyon

Shortly after opening in February 2024, SÖMA was already the talk of the town. Even with its rather limited opening hours (Friday-Sunday lunchtimes and Wednesday-Saturday evenings), people were booking well in advance to sample the Franco-Middle Eastern fusion dishes. Chef Sarah Hamza grew up cooking with vegetables from her father’s vegetable garden and fresh, local produce from markets in Condrieu, just south of Lyon; a seasonal approach that has influenced her cooking today. The menu changes according to the time of year, but expect dishes like tempura medjool dates with wild garlic pesto and cauliflower tabbouleh, all served in a clean-looking minimalistic restaurant in Vieux Lyon. It’s quite the contrast from the red checked tablecloths of the bouchons that fight for space here, and it’s a refreshing change to see a restaurant in Vieux Lyon that doesn’t just serve offal.

9 Place Saint-Paul 69005

There’s no mistaking the theme at Canard de Rue. The décor and menu alike are a duck fest. Rubber ducks all over the bar. Brash murals of ducks in baseball caps all over the wall. Duck burgers and hot dogs all over the menu. It’s a homage to culinary specialities in Carcassonne, hometown of owner Christelle. The food is hearty, with no frills attached; vegetarians can swap out duck patties for vegetable galettes or cheese platters. On the corner of a very unassuming-looking street, the real reason you leave the Presqu’île to come here is to drink. It’s the kind of place that’s reliably busy and warm, even if you come for a pint in the middle of the afternoon, where opening hours are fluid according to the owner’s whim and the customers that evening, and where you already feel like it’s ‘the local’ the second time you go.

2bis Rue Saint Maximin 69003

A restaurant, coffee shop and after work drinks spot, La Maison Cobalte is a jack of all trades. Unlike a scarily long restaurant menu, where you know everything will be average at best, La Maison Cobalte juggles its many faces with ease. Dishes are often classic with a twist, like an œuf parfait with a spicy kick to the sauce, or a vegetarian take on traditional French favourites. The exterior is a vivid cobalt, with tables primely placed for people watching, looking over the honey-coloured façade of Saint-Polycarpe Parish Church in the pentes de la Croix-Rousse (the hill leading up to Croix-Rousse). Save room for dessert, half the menu is a sweet tooth’s sugary dream.

23 rue René Leynaud 69001

Within spitting distance of Louis Lumière and Jean Moulin Universities, Kitchen Café is a daytime spot favoured by students, locals, and out-of-towners alike. Choose between its sunny terrace or Art Decor-meets-Scandi dining room to enjoy generous helpings of Connie Zagora and Laurent Ozan’s ultra-fresh, seasonal fare. Both graduates from Ferrandi, the French school of Gastronomy, flavours are gourmet, but reasonably priced. The menu changes daily, but expect dishes like tuna tartare, beans and preserved lemon, and for afters, a spectacular dessert and patisserie bar. We’re still dreaming about Kitchen Café’s cinnamon and cardamom brioche. 

34 rue Chevreul, 69007 Lyon

Tabata and Ludovic Mey’s Food Traboule is much more laidback than their previous Michelin-starred restaurant. Born from a desire to mix the best of French cuisine with world flavours, this food court hidden in the historic Tour Rose (Pink Tower) offers the very best of the city’s food scene. A dozen restaurateurs are gathered in the 660 square metre space, all of whom share a desire to have fun around experimental gastronomy. Ensure to book in advance as it gets busy – and try as much as you can when you’re there. Our must-haves? Octopus arancini from Comptoir des Apothicaires, Substrate’s steamed buns and Lobsta’s Maine Lobster roll with lobster, prawns, marinated white cabbage and pickled radish. Prepare to roll on home.

22 rue du Bœuf, 69005 Lyon

Formerly a butchers and sauerkraut shop, Daniel et Denise has been a typical bouchon since 1968, with copper warming-pans, wood panelling, and gingham tablecloths. Chef Joseph Viola’s cooking straddles tradition and modernity, with signature dishes including calf head with ravigote sauce, Bresse chicken with morel mushrooms and pike quenelle in crayfish sauce. Unlikely to be a hit with vegans and vegetarians, it’s a veritable carnivore’s heaven – the award-winning foie and sweetbread pastry has no less than 20 ingredients. Dishes are quite literally to die for, while the service, under the watchful eye of wife Françoise, is both attentive and thorough.

156 rue de Créqui, 69003 Lyon

Groove on down to Groom, a basement cocktail den hosting an excellent line-up of bands and DJs throughout the week, from swing and indie rock to funk and jazz. Its ’80s-style neon bar is well-stocked with an exciting array of spirits, wines and beers on draught (like Orbital’s Archi IPA and the sake-infused B7 Panda Bear). On the cocktail side (€11-13), expect concoctions like Groom Libre, comprising Dark plantation rum, pear brand, ginger ale and cocoa bitters, or Papillon, with bourbon, bitter floral, lemon and sugar syrup, and Empirical Spirits’ Ayuuk (based around Pasilla Mixe, a smoke-dried chili pepper). There’s plenty of non-alcoholic choices too: think Leamo mate, Chilled CBD and several alcohol-free cocktails. You won’t go hungry either, as there’s a bar menu of chips and dips, charcuterie and cheeses.

6 Rue Roger Violi, 69001 Lyon

With its checkerboard floor, modernist furniture and brass chandeliers, La Madone could easily have dropped straight out of a David Lynch film. In fact it’s housed in a former rectory in La Croix-Rousse, hence the Biblical name. The main event is booze: beers from the Georges brewery and stunning cocktails based around forgotten spirits like Lillet and Byrrh. But it’s worth a visit even for non-drinkers thanks to the atmosphere and its platters of cheese, Italian charcuterie, and grilled vegetables, best enjoyed on the top terrace. With the owners being former DJs, La Madone’s soundtrack is always on point, from early doors to late in the night.

1-3 Place des Capucins, 69001 Lyon