Lyon’s best food & drink

Quenelles  – creamy, floury dumplings, made most often with pike served in Nantua (crayfish) sauce – is a classic dish.

Also look out for garlicky snails, offal dishes, poultry, pistachio peppered sausage, tablier du sapeur (tripe boiled in white wine) and bright pink praline tart.

Also see our round-up of traditional French foods to try in France.

The most famous chef on Earth was the Lyonnais Paul Bocuse, hailed the ‘Pope’ of French cuisine. His legacy lives on in his award-winning restaurants and in the hearts of almost every top chef today – many of whom are making their own culinary waves in restaurants across town.

Make sure you dine at least once in a traditional bouchon – a welcoming, typically family-run bistro that serves Lyonnais dishes (using every part of the animal) with pitchers of local wine. Many, though, are only open on weekdays and close during August.

Fabulous food halls are another recent addition to the food scene. They’ve popped up all over town with one thing in common: locavore ingredients used by emerging chefs to make memorable and creative French street food. See our recommendations below.