We will be in Lyon & DIjon for the first time this winter. Would love to hear recommendations for good restaurants. We're pretty flexible in what we like to eat. Obviously want to sample local specialities but other suggestions would be great too. Pricewise it would be nice to be able to have a meal for two with wine for €125 or less. Thanks for your suggestions!

Lyon, as you probably know, is famous for its bouchons (an old but good articles: http://www.saveur.com/article/Travel...uchons-of-Lyon). I have eaten at Le Garet, Chez Hugon,and Les Trois Cochons and loved them all. Of course there are Michelin-starred restaurants there, too (Paul Bocuse is the resident star), but I haven't tried any of them.

This will cost you quite a bit more than 125E - but here it is anyway - from our '06 trip:

Stephane Derbord in Dijon – one of the top 5 meals of all time in France (we dine out about 40 times per year in France)
Michelin 1 star

- First round of Amuse Bouches
Bite sized squares of Croque Monsieurs
Carp mousse with black & white sesame seeds
Parmesan chip and a bite sized tomato “truffle” with a semi-liquid center
- Second round of Amuse Bouches
Sushi (California roll) with cockle, with Asian spices & bean sprouts
Potato puree
Leek Mousse with green beans
55E menu
-Smoked sander – thin rolls stuffed with finely julienned vegetables served with tart greens (incl dandelion greens) topped with paper thin lengthwise sliced carrots. The plate was edged with a piping of honey mustard and crumbled hazelnuts
-Perch with a wild mushrooms and green beans served in a deep plate with a “soup de poisons” reduction sauce
-cheese chariot
-Poached , pealed pear with a red wine sauce in pain epice with sage ice cream – all very refreshing

65E menu
-Sauteed scallops, each served on a cucumber “coin” with a topping of lemon cream & caviar, with julienned apples & dandelion greens
-Sandre on a bed of spinach with a butter sauce accompanied by a small tomato stuffed with diced cepes on a squash “coin”
-Filet of Cerf, served with berries & a dark berry reduced sauce with green beans & wild mushrooms with a ‘grain” of some sort
-Cheese chariot
-pre-dessert refresher
-Chocolate fondant – top & bottom layers of dark chocolate “sandwiching” lighter chocolate mousse with dark chocolate wafers & vanilla ice cream
-Post-dessert refresher

Stu Dudley

Derbord also offers a 3-course lunch menu during the week for 28€. I wouldn't miss it!

Thanks for the suggestions. StCirq, will definitely check out your recs in Lyon.
Stu, the restaurant in Dijon sounds heavenly. alohatoall, so glad you mentioned the lunch menu as that makes the restaurant possible.

Any other recommendations?

We had a very nice dinner at le Passage in Lyon. As the name implies, it is located in a passage - which Lyon is famous for.

Stu Dudley

I had a meal at Chez Hugon on Rue Pizay. Wonderful chicken stewed in white wine vinegar with lentils and a Pot (carafe) of Beaujolais. A traditional bouchon usually frequented by locals.

Not restaurants, but I really enjoyed the bus tour of all the trompe l'oeil murals around town (and I hardly ever take bus tours).

Here's a few of my favourites in Lyon, which cover all the bases from cheap/reasonable to pricey/ridiculous;

Bouchons;
Cafe des federations (my favourite bouchon)
L'Amphitryon (on rue St. Jean but don't let that put you off)

Mid range
Brasserie des Brotteaux (their four course lunch menu is really good value)
L'est (one of Bocuse's brasseries - you'll eat well in all of them, but this one is my favourite, partly due to the decor as it's in a now disused train station)

On the up
Mere Brazier (2* place so the food and prices what you'd expect)
L'Auberge de l'ile (again 2* but the setting - on the ile barbe - is amazing and the food and service makes me think they can't be far off their third one. This is one of my favourite restaurants anywhere)

To avoid
As well as a few recommendations I thought I'd suggest some to avoid;

After a few really disappointing evenings I'd suggest avoiding entirely all of the restaurants in the new Confluence area. The bars are good enough, but I've only been disappointed at the three restaurants I've eaten at in this newly developed area. I found them overpriced, overthought and far too interested in their own perceived self importance.

There's plenty more to choose from so if you need a few more, closer to where you're staying, just holler.

I'll be in Lyon for Christmas and New Year and am creating my usual list of places I'm planning to eat at whilst there. My mouth is watering already...

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Can't believe I forgot Cafe 203 (just behind the opera house on Rue de Garet).

Simple food, well priced and probably more suitable for lunch than dinner, but it's always busy (up to its closing time of around 2am) and the people watching possibilities are brilliant if you manage to get a table outside.

The drinks prices are cheap for the centre of Lyon and they have a list as long as your arm of homemade fruit cremes/sirops for your kir.

Last time I was there (in April) they'd added burgers to the menu and whilst I never thought I'd want one, it was all I could do not to order two as I wandered past at about midnight one evening. An enormous burger with bacon and reblochon was swiftly ordered and it was actually superb. Not just superb for France, superb full stop. They could do with some work on their chips though...

For Dijon, you might want to invest in David Downie's Food Wine Burgundy, since he tends to favor moderately priced meals in his books

http://www.concierge.com/travelguide...eeanddo/502803

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesgu...y_dijoncotedor

Bill Buford moved to Lyon for the food, so this might be useful

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...n-food-capital

this too might help you

http://tomostyle.wordpress.com/2009/...s-lyon-france/

Thanks, goldenautumn, for the websites -- they're great!
Jay_G, Stu & Langcraft - appreciate your recommendations. Will check them out. Jay, all the to avoid are helpful too.
StCirq - your recommendation of the bus tour may be just what we need if we have awful weather or even if we don't. thanks!

Beware that le Bistrot des Halles mentioned in goldenautum's links is no longer owned by Billoux who opened "B9" next to his starred restaurant le Pré aux Clercs (both on place de la Libération).
Le Bistrot de halles is now owned by the two chefs of l'Auberge de la Charme (outside Dijon also one star Michelin) and get good reviews on tripavdisor.

I'm going to Derbord's in a week to enjoy the surprise lunch menu and I know we won't be disappointed. Moreover they changed their decoration so I can't wait to see it.

Welcome to Dijon yestravel, hard choice for you!