Thanks to a "heads-up" by StuDudley, I realized that we will be arriving in Lyon on the May 1 holiday when some restaurants may be closed. Lyon is always touted as an excellent food place and we sure like excellent food!
Any recommendations for classic French restaurants in Lyon that we might contact for reservations? Price does not need to be an issue.

Les Frères Troisgros is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in France. Certainly worth the short trip from Lyons. I went many years ago but I hear that it's still fantastic.

I dined at Bistrot Lyon on May 1st, 2004. It was a Saturday. This year May 1st is a Monday. You might get the double whammy of "closed Monday" combined with May 1st. I pulled this excerpt from my trip report.

"I had dinner at Bistrot Lyon a Jean-Paul Lacombe restaurant. It was excellent. My kir was served with cracklin's, not pork rinds, but honest to goodness cracklin's. The foie gras de canard was exquisite as was the steak in butter sauce. The cheese plate for dessert was excellent too. For a digestif a cointreau with ice and a 25cl pichet of red wine rounded it all out. My most expensive meal of the trip at 53euros."

I found many of the cafes around Place Terreaux were open that day for a cafe or a beer.

You'll also run into all the muguet de bois (lilly of the valley) sellers on May 1st. It's amateur day for street vendors as you don't need a permit to sell that day. Buy a cheap bunch early and drag them around. It'll slow down the ridiculous number of offers you'll get.

Here's a link to the full trip report if you want to read it.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34498288

I'll be in Lyon in a couple of weeks. I'm going to try one of the Paul Bocuse licensed directions: Nord, Sud, Est or Ouest.

www.bocuse.com

Friends from Lyon took my husband and I to the restaurant La Machonnerie to showcase a fine example of Lyonesse cuisine. We were delighted.

http://www.lamachonnerie.com/

You're right that some places may be closed, especially since May 1 falls on a Monday this year, which is the weekly closing day for many Lyon restaurants anyway. However, you won't go hungry as people in Lyon love to eat out, even on public holidays!!

For dinner on May 1, a nice thing to do might be to stroll along the Rue des Marroniers - which isn't far from your hotel - and see which of the numerous restaurants are open. (Before 8pm you're unlikely to need a reservation, but places do tend to fill up as the evening wears on.) Chabert & Fils, La Cabane des Pecheurs and Le Comptoir des Bouchers are 3 sister restaurants on that street (http://www.chabertrestaurant.fr/page1.html) and are almost sure to be open. I've eaten at the first two and had good meals at both. Decent value, traditional Lyonais/regional style food, though not upscale.

As an aside, I'd suggest that you steer clear of the rip-off Paul Bocuse "sponsored" brasseries Le Nord, Le Sud, L'Est and L'Ouest. Definitely not good value for money and the food/service is nothing special either. For some reason they are often recommended in the press and in guidebooks but they really aren't representative of the quality/standard of Lyon restaurants. (I've eaten in them several times and never had a particularly good meal, and one or two awful ones)

I'd be happy to give you a few more recommendations for Lyon restaurants (I lived there for over 2 years) but unfortunately am a bit pushed for time. I'll check back in on this thread after the weekend and make a few more recommendations.

Just seen Indy's reply - was posting at the same time.
(Don't bother with the Bocuse restaurants, Indy, go to Le Caro de Lyon instead!! http://www.lecarodelyon.com/restaurant_lyonnais.htm)

Hi Robjame,

I was there in Octber 2005 for an extended long weekend. I posted a long trip report (it was my first novel ), including restos and menus...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...earchText=lyon

Hope this helps,
Mike

Hi hanl. Nice to see you're still around.

Thanks for the tip! I'll steer clear of the Bocuse direction restaurants. Le Caro looks very nice.

The Bocuse bistros are excellent, but his flagship restaurant just outside the city is like eating at the French pavillion in EPCOT -- wall murals of culinary history, medallions outside like a gastronomic Holleywood boulevard. The food at his michelin three-starred restaurant, though, is incredible, but the atmosphere is not as attractive as other top restaurants.

I should caveat my comment re the Bocuse bistros -- I only at at the one with Lyonnaise food, and I had a great bresse chicken. The others specialize in food of different regions of France, and I prefer to eat local cuisine.

I ate at the Paul Bocuse flagship restaurant. While it was an amazing experience - it is *extremely* kitsch - the food was nothing special. IMO the restaurant just retains 3 stars as the man is a kind of a national institation.

I had wonderful quennelles and pork pate at La Voute, 11 place Antonin Gourju. It used to be one of the top restaurants in Lyon, but I have not eaten here since 1999.

Thanks so much for the excellent suggestions.
Indy - I really enjoyed your trip report. I had missed it the first time around. Some good suggestions for the May 1 holiday.
Michael - It was a super preview for us - whetted my appetite for Lyon and the food.
Viajero - I think we will follow hanl recommendation and forego Bocuse and try to book at La Machonnerie or Le Caro de Lyon.

Interestingly, La Machonnerie will not be open on Monday, May 1. We have, however made a reservation at Le Caro de Lyon. I was a little concerned when I accessed Le Caro's menu and found a list entitled "diet" with the calorie count for the food offered. I think we'll skip that part.
hanl - I would welcome some additional ideas. Thank you.

I am so sorry about La Machonnerie not opening on May 1. I wish you a very enjoyable stay in Lyon. It is certainly a very interesting city.

I had dinner at Paul Bocuse's restaurant outside of Lyon. The food was very disappointing.
There is a gift shop in the restaurant that sells "everything" with his name on it.
Skip it!

Another vote for La Voute, or Chez Lea, as it is commonly known. La Poule Vinaigre was one of its signature dishes when I was there.

Hello again,

Firstly, I should probably qualify my criticism of the Bocuse brasseries in Lyon.

I have eaten at Le Nord (first of the "chain" that we went to) and had a fairly pleasant but overpriced meal.

We then tried L'Est as a birthday treat for my father-in-law, where I had a dreadful meal (overcooked, dried-up chicken with a few fried potatoes that tasted like they'd been pre-frozen). Husband's and father-in-law's meals similarly unappetising. I also realised that the starters and desserts were almost the same (give or take a few details) as at Le Nord, which made me wonder whether they weren't being prepared centrally. (It certainly wouldn't surprise me.)

We have eaten several times at Le Sud (which is perhaps the most popular of the four brasseries, due to its central location). My father-in-law loves to go there for bouillabaisse - one of his favourite dishes and hard to come by in Lyon, for obvious reasons.
I won't say I've had a bad meal there, just mediocre food prepared with little skill (the lemon & chicken tagine tasted more like lemon air freshener, the risotto was poorly cooked and sloppy, the plate of grilled fish/seafood was stingy to say the least...).

My main gripe is the price. Main courses are around 20 euros, starters between 10 and 15. For that sort of money you can eat fantastically well at many other great restaurants in Lyon.

I also dislike the way that Bocuse has turned himself into some huge brand. Admittedly his contribution to French and world cuisine is enormous, but sadly so is his ego. It really seems that he's just put his name to these brasseries as a money-spinner. And many people see the name Bocuse and assume that it must be worth the money.

Anyway, enough ranting, and on to some positive remarks!!

I've recommended Le Caro de Lyon on this board many times, as it's my favourite restaurant in Lyon. I think the setting is lovely, with old antiques and bookshelves, mezzanine floors and a pleasant, comfortable terrace in the summer. The food is always imaginative and exquisitely prepared, although we always eat à la carte rather than choosing the set menu or tasting menu, which a friend of mine found disappointing. We've had "cappucino" of foie gras, a fabulous chilled green olive soup, lobster ravioli, breast of squab en croute, seared tuna with peppercorns and rhubarb (sounds weird but was heavenly), red mullet with thyme...

The service can be a little on the slow side (not a place to go if you're in a hurry!) but it's never been poor and the food is just fabulous.

Another lovely place is the Table d'Hippolyte, tucked away at no. 22 rue d'Hippolyte Flandrin, in the 1st arrondissement, not far from les Terreaux.
This tiny restaurant is always full. They serve a ever-changing menu of the freshest seasonal food, and the chef usually comes out to explain the dishes to you. Everything is beautifully, simply prepared and the emphasis is on fresh flavours. There's a cute "fenced" terrace with old wooden dining room tables and chairs and plants.

If you have a car or are willing to take a taxi, there's a lovely restaurant in Collonges aux Monts d'Or, that's actually slap bang next door to Mr Bocuse's establishment. It's called Comme en Provence, and as the name suggests, serves provençal style food. Have eaten there a few times with parents and "en tête à tête" with my husband and it's always been lovely. There's a nice big wood fire in the dining room.

My favourite "neighbourhood" restaurant in Lyon is La Terrasse St Clair, part of the Bistrots des Cuisiniers group of restaurants which are loosely sponsored by top Lyon chef Jean-Paul Lacombe (see http://www.leondelyon.com/uk/bistrots.htm). Not the same principle as the Bocuse brasseries, as these bistrots are all independently managed and run, with totally different menus and atmospheres, but all work on the same principle of a reasonably priced, set 2 or 3 course menu and a loyalty card scheme (eat at all the bistrots and get a meal or discount at Léon de Lyon).

La Terrasse St Clair is probably a bit out of the way for most visitors to Lyon as it's hard to reach without a car/taxi, but the food is consistently excellent, with local flavours and seasonal produce and knowledgeable, friendly staff.

Another of the Bistrots des Cuisiniers, La Maison Villemanzy, is a firm favourite in Lyon. While the food is consistently good (and good value), the real attraction is the view. It's located on the slopes of the Croix Rousse hill, and the terrace and much of the restaurant offers fabulous views of the river Rhone and the city of Lyon. To be sure of a table with a view, you need to book well in advance, but it's worth it!!

Will you have a car? I can also recommend some lovely restaurants (with views!) in the Beaujolais area.

In the meantime, hope that gives you some food for thought.

hanl - Thanks for the fabulous input. We are staying only two days and then on to Provence. We pick up our car on the way out of Lyon, which poses a problem for at least one of the days. With the May 1 holiday and the possiblility of no public transit we need to find a restaurant open but also within walking distance of Hotel La Residence, 18, rue Victor Hugo.

Back to square one.... I just heard from Le Caro de Lyon and they too will be closed on Monday May 1. So that eliminates La Machonnerie or Le Caro de Lyon from our list.