Lyon with an elderly parent

I can't help with restaurants in Lyon because I had severe bronchitis the entire time I was there and couldn't inflict my coughing on others. In general, I don't think access to restaurants themselves will be an issue; it's the restrooms that may be a problem, since they are so often up or down a flight of stairs. Under the circumstances, it will be helpful if your hotel is centrally located so you can easily get back there if you need to.

I'm curious what you would consider to be "reasonably priced" and what you see in your mind's eye when you think of a "traditional" restaurant. I lived in Lyon for 3 years before moving north to Bourgogne so I might be able to help you. Where in Lyon will you be staying? It's a pretty big town.

I think everyplace we ate in Lyon was at street level, once or twice on the street.

You will have lots of choices. This may be the foodiest town in all of France.

We're staying inbetween the two rivers, near Confluence. There are so many restaurants that it's been difficult to pick a few and ask about disabled access. Good to hear there's lots on street level- worried the toilets will be downstairs. It'll be the first time she's been abroad in 15 years so don't want to over face her! For me, reasonable is three courses for €25 or less, more for dinner and I'm especially keen to try the bouchons as I'm a chef. Mum is less adventurous so it'll just be me trying the tripe dishes!

As long as you're near the river it's flat. That's where the restaurants are. Between the river and the arenas is a funicular, use that as a rough guide to where the steep hill starts and stay in that band along the river or on the island between the two rivers which is also flat (lots of restaurants there too).

Are you sure you'll be staying in the Confluence area? That's an old industrial area that is in the early stages of gentrification (such as the new natural history museum, a shopping mall, and some newer apartment buildings) but it's still a pretty seedy area complete with hookers, cruising johns, and large areas of vacant industrial land slated for redevelopment. There's the occasional circus that's held on vacant industrial land, too. All in all, it's pretty far from places I would suspect the average tourist would be interested in seeing.

If you're interested in bouchons, they're pretty common further north, north of Place Bellecour, up on Croix-Rousse, and across the Rhône River in the (from north to south) 6th, 3rd, and 7th arrondissements. One of the more reliable choices is the local chain Daniel & Denise (https://www.danieletdenise.fr), which has three restaurants in town, one in the 6th, one on Croix-Rousse, and one in Vieux Lyon. Also in Croix-Rousse is the well-regarded Le Bouchon des Filles (no website that I'm aware of, but here's Michelin's page on them: https://restaurant.michelin.fr/5tde7dj/le-bouchon-des-filles-lyon).

Café le Jura (https://www.bouchonlejura.fr/bouchonjura/) could be a good choice. It's small and quaint, but reliably good in my experience.

One place that can be inconsistent, but when they're on is an interesting choice because it looks as if it opened in the 18th century and hasn't been touched much since, is Comptoir Abel in the 2nd (cafecomptoirabel.com). This one is closer to the Confluence area than the others I've mentioned. I know Anthony Bourdain ate there when he was in town filming a show several years ago. That part of the 2nd arrondissement isn't too bad -- you're getting closer to Bellecour there. It's near a pretty cool Romanesque church dating from the late 11th century -- the Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay.

If I recall correctly, all of these have dining rooms on the ground floor (RDC, or rez-du-chaussée in French) though toilets may be either upstairs (à l'étage) or downstairs (du bas).

Also in the 2nd near the Perrache train station (not one of the better neighborhoods, unfortunately) is a pretty famous restaurant (not a bouchon) Brasserie Georges (http://www.brasseriegeorges.com/en/). I haven't eaten there, but it's pretty well-regarded.

Any of these places would be in your budget range. Outside your budget range, but pretty famous from its role in helping to spawn a number of famous chefs (including Mr. Bocuse) would be La Mère Brazier (https://lamerebrazier.fr), named for its founder the famous Eugénie Brazier. If that's too steep for your budget, on the same street just a few steps away are La Gargotte (15 Rue Royale) and L'Ourson qui boit (23 rue Royale).

If I were taking my Mom out to eat in Lyon, and I wanted a reasonable price but reliably good food in a pleasant setting, I'd consider Le Florentin in the 6th arrondissement. That's in my old neighborhood and I've never had a bad meal there. The couple who runs it are very nice. If you're in Vieux Lyon as part of your visit, Aux Trois Maries is another reliable choice that an older person would probably appreciate.

Lastly, you might find this article from the Guardian helpful: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/feb/17/10-best-restaurants-lyon-chosen-by-chefs-experts. Look especially at Le Garet.

That really is helpful, thank you!! Looking at the map again, we're fairly near Perrache station and Belle Cour. We're staying in a chain hotel which has a few in Lyon, and they've called named their hotel as the Confluence one. Thank you for all the recommendations- doesn't look like we'll have difficulty finding places to eat now.