Day 3328 (Sunday) 19th July 2026
This is Monaco
and this is Antibes.
Does Lyon really deserve its title as the 'French gastronomy capital’?
Lyon, in south-east France, is often referred to as the country’s ‘capital of gastronomy’ – but is it really all that? We asked foodie expert and Lyon resident Caroline Fazeli
during a discussion about Lyon you're highly likely to hear the phrase 'foodie capital' or 'capitale de la gastronomie' - but is the food scene in Lyon really better than the rest of France?
Lyon-based food writer and co-host of the podcast Fishwives of Paris Caroline Fazeli contends that: "Lyon is the capital of gastronomy for one really good reason, and that is that we are a crossroads. This is where all the best food in France kind of gets funnelled into."
She told The Local: “Lyon is in between these two huge mountain ranges, the Alps and the Massif Central, and where two rivers meet, the Saône and the Rhône. We are in between the La Drôme Provencale, which has some of the best produce in all of France, Burgundy in the north; we have the Alps, their cheeses, their meats, cheese and meat and also in the mountains on the other side.
“We basically are at this nexus of extraordinary quality produce. Everything good has to come through Lyon to make its way up to Paris.
“We have more restaurants per capita than Paris. They are tiny, though. Our restaurants don’t tend to turn tables either. They are open for lunch and dinner and not in between. So, when you’re coming to Lyon, you need to be careful about opening hours.”
So far, so good. However, there is a catch, Fazeli said. “Yes, we have amazing food. Yes, we have this extraordinary produce, but it’s also marketing.”
And it begins two hours or so away in Clermont-Ferrand, home of multinational tyre manufacturer – and high-end food guide publisher – Michelin.
“The Michelin Guide is out of Clermont-Ferrand and was developed by the Michelin Tyre Company. In order to sell tyres, they wanted people to get out into their cars and go travel the country discovering new cuisine. It was a brilliant example of adjacent marketing.”
Early in the 20th century, Michelin hired acclaimed food writer Curnonsky, dubbed the Prince of Gastronomy, who handed Lyon its cuisine crown.
“He loved Lyonnaise cuisine,” Fazeli said. “He loved Lyon. And that banner really gets picked up. And [chef] Paul Bocuse really took it to another level, made Lyon really famous around the world as the capital of gastronomy.”
But is Lyon cuisine really better than elsewhere in France, better than Paris, for example?
“Obviously, Paris is Paris,” Fazeli said. “I’m not trying to pretend that Lyon has better food than Paris.
“Paris is always going to be bigger, it’s going to be more diverse and probably more innovative.
"But we’re talking about a different scale for the size of the city. Lyon has an extraordinary culinary scene, and we really do have the best ingredients here.”
Caroline's foodie recommendations
In 2023 it was estimated that the city was home to around 4,000 restaurants - so how to choose?
Caroline has some tips for a visit to Lyon.
“First off, you’ve got to go to the farmer’s market,” she said.
Then it's off to the restaurants, beginning with the classic bouchon Lyonnais.
“Bouchon is the local answer to a casual bistro. They are a very specific type of restaurant. They all look the same: they have the red checkered tablecloths, you’re rubbing shoulders with your neighbours, you are really crammed in there.
“They're lively and they have questionable pork art everywhere. They’re the kind of places that are really, really kitsch.
“But actually the kitsch is just part of it. It’s the vibe. And the menu is going to be these staples. This is rich cuisine. It’s is not the easiest for the summer, but you can still find great stuff in a bouchon.
"You have to go to a bouchon when you’re in Lyon - but I would argue that you really only need to do that once.
"Then you need to go to a fine dining restaurant. You can get a Michelin-star meal, especially at lunch in Lyon, for a really reasonable price. We have a bunch of one stars, we have a few two stars, and you can absolutely have an extraordinary experience at one of those.
“And then you have to hit up one of our cool, young, lively ‘cheffy’ restaurants.”
If there’s one thing to watch out for in Lyon, however, it’s andouillette – a type of coarse-grained sausage made from pig’s colon that has, shall we say, a distinctive odour.
“I don’t eat andouillette. I think it’s disgusting,” Fazeli admitted. “There’s the tête de veau – calf’s head – that’s very popular. There’s offal – but you don’t have to eat that.
“If you want to skip andouillette, but you want to try a really classic dish, I would go for quenelles de brochet. That is a pike mousse dumpling. It’s very weird. It’s like a big old dumpling. It’s huge, covered in langoustine sauce and grilled. It’s really good. It’s really weird, but it’s really delicious.”
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