Cinq Mains is a fine-dining restaurant in Lyon.
Cinq Mains at 12 Rue Monseigneur Lavarenne in Vieux Lyon is the Saone-front table that Gregory Cuilleron runs with his brother Thibault, awarded a Michelin.
Must order: The €41 evening tasting set, paired by the half-glass with the natural Beaujolais.
Tip: Open Tue-Sat lunch and dinner; book the €28 lunch a week ahead for the value play.
Address: 12 Rue Monseigneur Lavarenne, 69005 Lyon
La Mere Brazier in Lyon's 1er is the restaurant Eugenie Brazier opened in 1921 and Mathieu Viannay now runs at two-star level on Rue Royale.
Order: Volaille de Bresse demi-deuil with the original 1933 service.
Tip: Lunch is half the dinner price; the dining room is the original 1921 one.
Takao Takano in Lyon's 6e is the two-star Japanese-French tasting room on Rue Malesherbes, with a 22-seat dining room cooking six and nine-course sets.
Order: The nine-course tasting; the wine pairing is the move.
Tip: Lunch on Wed-Fri is the easier seating; closed Sunday and Monday.
Paul Bocuse's L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges sits on the Saone north of Lyon, the dining room that held three Michelin stars from 1965 to 2020.
Order: Soupe aux truffes VGE, the 1975 dish for Valery Giscard d'Estaing, still on the carte.
Tip: A taxi from central Lyon takes 25 minutes; the suburb is unfit for walking back.
Tetedoie on the Fourviere hill above Lyon's old town is Christian Tetedoie's one-star dining room with a glass-walled view across the Saone to the city below.
Order: The five-course Saveurs tasting; the Bresse poultry course is the highlight.
Tip: Reserve a window seat; the cheaper bistro Phosphore sits beside it.
Prairial in Lyon's 2e Confluence is Gaetan Gentil's one-star vegetable-forward dining room on Place Hubert Mounier, with a tasting menu rooted in foraged.
Order: The vegetable tasting; ask for the herbal-juice pairing instead of wine.
Tip: Closed Sunday-Tuesday; the lunch menu is half the price of dinner.
Les Muses de l'Opera sits on top of the Lyon Opera house in the 1er, with a panoramic rooftop dining room above Place de la Comedie and signature cocktails.
Order: Book the rooftop terrace at sunset; the dome view from the dining room is the draw.
Tip: Reserve a window seat on the opera-house side at sunset for the full payoff.
