recommendations for bouchon in Lyon

Cafe des Federations was really good, and a lot of fun. We pretty much asked them to bring food to us, and they obliged. Started off with a simple poached egg in a red wine sauce, amazing how good a simple dish can be. Highly recommended. If I recall correctly I called directly to reserve a few weeks before we left. You can purchase their trademark napkins to take home, too.

We also ate at Daniel & Denise, the rue Crequi location. It was very good, not as casual as CDF but very easygoing nonetheless. Excellent food. I have heard that this location is better than the one in the old town. I was able to reserve via email.

Quenelle, Cafe Fed

Cheese Plate, with Saint-Marcellin option

Chicken with morels-and that sauce!, Daniel & Denise

These probably don't exactly qualify as bouchons (and for me some of that stuff is just plain undigestible), but our 2 favorite restaurants were Amboise on rue d'Amboise near Place des Celestins, and the Paul Bocuse resto Le Sud just off Place Bellecour. Amboise is lunch-only I think and off the beaten path, and Le Sud was actually affordable.

Thanks, Wo, Dave and Dale. Good info.

Dave - I loved looking at your pictures (I peeked beyond those that you linked to...).

In my attempts to make a reservation at Cafe des Federations, I used the Contact form through their website, sent a reservation through Resadirect website, and attempted to call three different times. No one has confirmed either written attempt, and no one at the restaurant answered the phone calls (yes, they were during their business hours).
Has anyone else experienced this, and is it necessary to make a reservation ahead of our arrival? We will be in Lyon July 2 and 3.
Thanks.

Hi Celeste, as I mentioned, I called for a res at Cafe Fed. I would encourage you to be sure you are not calling during mealtimes because many restaurants won't answer then. When I called it was 3 or 4 in the afternoon their time, when lunch service is over and dinner has not begun. Alternately, have you tried asking your hotel to make a res for you? If neither way works, about all you can do is to stop in early in the day and try that way.

Bouchon des Filles- Croix Rousse neighborhood

Make a reservation, it is a wonderful, true bouchon run by 3 modern day Méres Lyonnaise. My daughter found it recommended in a Guardian article but there were no english speaking clients-all local- in May. We ate dinner in the warm room, drinking fabulous wine for 15 euro. The salads come family style with a selection of marinated lentils, carrot and herring, and red cabbage slaw(all should be gluten free).

We also at at Sud(Paul Bocuse) and Daniel et Denise(Joseph Viola) which did not compare.

A great lunch spot off Place Bellecour- InCuisine - fresh vegetables and inspired desserts. This is a 4 table lunch spot with a cafe and cookbook shop out front. They have cooking classes if you book ahead.

I blogged about our 4 days there -have a wonderful trip.
http://provenanceal.blogspot.fr/2016/05/lyon-bouchons-wall-art-cool-winds-and.html
www.elizabethmcgriff.com

Bouchon des Filles- Croix Rousse neighborhood

Make a reservation, it is a wonderful, true bouchon run by 3 modern day Méres Lyonnaise. My daughter found it recommended in a Guardian article but there were no english speaking clients-all local- in May. We ate dinner in the warm room, drinking fabulous wine for 15 euro. The salads come family style with a selection of marinated lentils, carrot and herring, and red cabbage slaw(all should be gluten free).

We also at at Sud(Paul Bocuse) and Daniel et Denise(Joseph Viola) which did not compare.

A great lunch spot off Place Bellecour- InCuisine - fresh vegetables and inspired desserts. This is a 4 table lunch spot with a cafe and cookbook shop out front. They have cooking classes if you book ahead.

I blogged about our 4 days there -have a wonderful trip.
http://provenanceal.blogspot.fr/2016/05/lyon-bouchons-wall-art-cool-winds-and.html
www.elizabethmcgriff.com

I'd also second Bouchon des Filles. We only found it, several years ago, because we were in a wine shop nearby and asked the proprietor for a recommendation in the area. He suggested making a recommendation, so we did it immediately. If he hadn't suggested that, we probably would just have showed up and been shut out.

Add me to the list of fans of Bouchon des Filles -- and btw, I was the one who suggested to them that they should sell their cloth napkins as souvenirs.

FWIW, locals looking for the sweet spot of value and quality at lunchtime will go around Place Gailleton or Place Antonin Poncet, or use your transit card to get over to Rue de Marseille...

Hi, Celeste

You can go on-line to the Lyon Chamber of Commerce to get the list of about 17 official bouchon.

We went to Le Viverais. The owner/chef is a MOF. There are other options besides offal. We had the Lyon speciality, quenelle with lobster sauce (pike fish soufflé) that was to die for. In 2013, it was 19 euro at lunch. Well worth every euro. One of our friends had duck and she said it was the best duck dish she ever had.
They do have menu in English and our waiter spoke English. The restaurant is a short walk from the main square.

www.restaurant-levivarais.fr. I just checked their website. You can make a reservation on-line.

Under NO circumstances go to Paul Bocuse Brasserie de Sud. I have NEVER been rushed through a meal like this in my life. We literally had had one-two bites of the entrée and they were bringing the plat. We DID have a delightful dinner (though not a bouchon) at Le Tasée. Reservations can be made online. There are billions of "a emporter" places here (we are here now...have been for 2 1/2 weeks). One close to us is on Place Bellecour - Pignoli, and they have wonderful food for take out. Also Giraudet off Place Bellecour right near the Saône has good take out (or they will fix there - mainly quenelle - and they are delicious). La Lyonnaise right near St. Jean cathedral quite good. For any good bouchon, look for the sign with the two puppets, Guignol and Gnafron, one holding the Lyon city seal and a stamp indicating it's a certified bouchon. You can probably get a Lyonnaise salad in most places, keeping you pretty well gluten free. If you choose any place in Vieux Lyon on a Sat., definitely make reservations. (PS the Sunday market along the Saône is just as good as Croix-Rousse AND your hubby can pick up one of my favorite salads: salade de pieds au vieau - which would satisfy his craving for offal!). Bouchon de Filles also highly recommended AND open on Sunday. Reserve...

Thanks to everyone for your comments and recommendations. We have a reservation at Bouchon de Filles for the Sunday night we're there. I will report on our experience. :)

These are great recommendations ! just what I was looking for.... We always like to try things "off the beaten path"
will be there next week.
Thanks

Bouchon de Filles was a huge success. Thank you again to all who recommended we go there. We had the hotel modify our reservation so a friend from the tour could join us, and we all ordered something different and it was all fabulous.

On a side note, we had been walking all day and we were pressed for time, so I summoned Uber from the hotel's wifi to take us to the restaurant. (I know Uber is controversial here so I don't want to spark another debate, but in case anyone is interested...) Driver showed up within five minutes in shiny new car and for 6 euro, we were delivered to the restaurant (about a mile away).

Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed the bouchon --
now tell us about your own discoveries so we can get a relay going!

The other dinner we had in Lyon was not something I would recommend, unfortunately. It was fine, but not worthy of praise.
On Sunday, we went to the market on Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. Now THAT is worthy of going out of your way! We walked through slowly, just taking it all in (taking pictures like the tourists we are), then reversed direction and picked up our chicken, cheese, berries, olives, wine (cold and uncorked), etc., walked down the hill to the little park overlooking the city and dug into our picnic. One of the most memorable meals in 16 days!

Yes! I got a loaf of heavy country bread at that market that sticks in my memory as a major find,
and I regret not taking any notes about the provider -- I think their name was Robineau and they had a large variety of artisanal items, and I got the last crusty heavy-crumbed bombshell that they had, and it got me through the next couple of days of snacking.

I would have to agree that Bouchon des Filles was outstanding. It is away from more "touristy" areas, ambience is wonderful, and the food .....yum.
BT

I was one of the people who recommended Bouchon des Filles, so I'm glad to see it's still top-notch. And yes, the outdoor markets in Lyon are great.