Traditional Bouchon restaurants in Lyon

Les Poelon d'Or in Lyon, France

Lyon is France's gastronomic capital. Yes, more so than Paris. Most people in Paris would admit to this fact. Everywhere you go in Lyon, you will eat well. We had one of the finest meals of our lives at lunch in a small restaurant in Lyon whose menu was a chalkboard (this is quite common in Lyon and all over France).

But, Lyon is perhaps most famous for a type of restaurant called a Bouchon. Bouchons were started in Lyon sometime in the 17th century in order to feed the traveling silk workers in the area. Fun fact: these silk workers were from Italy (Florence, mostly, but other places in Italy as well) where silk manufacturing was perfected. This explains the Italian influence in Lyon.

Bouchons traditionally served hearty French peasant food. Heavy on the sausage, pate and roast pork. But the thing about bouchons is the extraordinary high quality ingredients used. Also, you should note that bouchons were usually thought of as places to grab a cheap, but tasty meal. While the tasty part is still true, bouchon meals can no longer be considered cheap. Tourists and locals alike frequent bouchons and prices have risen accordingly.

Today, you can get those dishes, but some other dishes as well. In the picture above, you can see Karen got a French style eggplant parm (see? I told you there were Italians in Lyon) and I got mushroom ravioli (more Italian influence!).

I can highly recommend the restaurant we visited, The Poêlon d'Or, as a bouchon worth visiting. One bit of advice, make a reservation. We were very lucky that we were able to sneak in, popping in off the street. We happened to talk to the owner and he agreed to seat us, but only if we promised to be "finished by 9." Since is was 7:40, this wasn't a problem, but to us Americans it is funny that a restaurateur would feel so self-conscious about only being able to offer a table for 80 minutes. 

***

If you enjoyed this story, you might like my novel Truffle Hunt
Order the Truffle Hunt ebook at Amazon
Order a softcover copy of Truffle Hunt at Eckhartz Press