French bistroChef Gregory Cuilleron€€€€Lunch set €28, dinner and Saturday lunch €41Mon Closed, Tue-Fri 12:00-14:00, 19:30-21:30, Sat 12:00-14:30, 19:30-21:30, Sun ClosedBook 1 week ahead
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.
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.
French fine diningChef Mathieu Viannay€€€€€195Mon-Fri 12:00-13:15, 19:45-21:15, Sat-Sun ClosedBook 3 weeks ahead
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.
French fine diningChef Takao Takano€€€€€165 to €245Tue-Fri lunch and dinner, Mon dinner onlyBook 4 weeks ahead
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.
French fine diningChef Olivier Couvin€€€€€295 to €445Wed-Sun 12:00-13:15, 20:00-21:15Book 6 weeks ahead
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.
French fine diningChef Christian Tetedoie€€€€€105 to €175Wed-Mon 12:00-13:30, 19:30-21:30, Tue ClosedBook 2 weeks ahead
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.
Tasting menuChef Gaetan Gentil€€€€€89 to €159Fri-Sat 12:00-13:15, Tue-Sat 20:00-21:15Book 2 weeks ahead
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.