The salade lyonnaise is a warm salad of frisee dressed with lardons, croutons and a poached egg on top, dressed with a mustard-and-vinegar vinaigrette that wilts the leaves slightly from the heat of the bacon fat.

The salade lyonnaise is the starter that separates a bouchon from a restaurant: frisee was the cheap green of the Lyonnais working table, bacon fat the luxury the weaver's kitchen could afford in modest quantity. The warm format, with a poached egg releasing its yolk into the vinaigrette, appeared in Lyon bouchon recipes from the 19th century. It travels poorly to other cities because the frisee needs to be dressed at the last second with the hot fat, which is why the best versions are always eaten two minutes after leaving the kitchen.

3 editor picks for Salade lyonnaise in Lyon, ranked by editorial score. All Lyon signature dishes · Salade lyonnaise across every city.