Lyon has more than 2000 restaurants. The highest number per inhabitant of all France. Lyon is literally full of bars, restaurants, pubs: from downtown to the outskirts, even inside the new Musée Des Confluences. And that’s not by chance. The reason lies in its culinary tradition, which is still alive in its incredible bouchons. Here, people ate in the past (bouchon is apparently the name of the bundle that used to be outside these places to show that you could eat in there); here, tradition is still preserved nowadays.
What is a bouchon? We could say that a bouchons is a traditional “tavern”; in a bouchon you can eat Lyon culinary specialties in the truest sense; even the furnishings reflect the tradition…it’s like eating at grandma’s!
What can you eat in a bouchon? The typical cuisine of the mères lyonnaises (“Lyon’s mothers”), the ladies who cooked for the bourgeois families and then decided to open the bouchons.
Which bouchon to choose? We asked real lyonnais and they suggested to avoid the ones downtown, too touristy, and they sent us to Le Bouchon des filles (important tip: always make a reservation; we had to go back to find a seat)
They have a fixed menu (€26). We had: green lentil salad; smoked trout with curry mustard; rillettes (pork cheek spread) with citrus; andouillette (sausage made with pork offal) and salad; crispy tripe with chorizo and peppers (superb!!! We also asked the cook the procedure so we could make it home). We had cheese included in the menu: we tried Cervelle de canut (goat cheese with garlic, shallots and chives) and brillat-savarin (cow-milk cheese from Northern France)…sooo good! We also had dessert: we chose a dark chocolate and salty butter moelleux with caramel sauce and a lime cheesecake with Speculos and peanut butter.
It was a unique experience, for we LOVE tasting authentic cuisine! The flavours and the atmosphere make bouchons an absolute foodie stop!
Have you ever been in Lyon? And in a bouchon? Write us a comment, you’d love to hear from you!
(Per la versione italiana, clicca QUI)
©Where the Foodies Go
WOW! 2000 huh? That many? Really!? Now that is depth in culture. It reflects on how the people have a rich history of food, outdoors and socializing. Lyon has been promoted to my visit destinations!
Yup, it’s so hard to choose one! 😉 We’ll be posting other food discoveries we made in Lyon soon. Thank you for stopping by our blog! 🙂
Its truly intriguing! Thanks!
Let us know your experience whenever you visit!
Will do. Thanks!
Lyon’s great. So easy to eat well, like most of France
You’re so right! French cuisine is easy to love! 😉 Thanks for stopping by our blog! 🙂 Alessia