Rustique is a fine-dining restaurant in Lyon.
Rustique in Lyon's 2e is Maxime Laurenson's Michelin-starred contemporary room on Rue de la Charite, with a market-driven tasting menu focused on Rhone.
Must order: The seasonal tasting; the cheese course showcases the local Auvergne-Rhone makers.
Tip: Closed Sunday-Monday; the lunch set is the price-point entry to the kitchen.
Address: 14 Rue de la Charite, 69002 Lyon
Guy Lassausaie in Chasselay, 20 minutes north of Lyon, is the Meilleur Ouvrier de France's one-star country dining room with a Rhone-rooted tasting menu.
Order: The Bresse-chicken tasting course; the dessert chariot is the closer.
Tip: A 25-minute drive from central Lyon; closed Tuesday-Wednesday.
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.
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.
