Over the years, I’ve read many wonderful things about the bouchons in Lyon, it’s always been my dream to dine in one – which is my main reason for visiting Lyon.

The bouchon, for the uninitiated, is the Lyonnaise version of the classic French bistro. It serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine; the food is rich, humble, generous, and flavourful.

We managed to get a table at Café des Fédérations – one of the few Les Authentiques Bouchons Lyonnais (certified authentic bouchons in Lyon). It was one of the best meals in my life.

Stepping inside Café des Fédérations, it felt as though we were transported back in time. It’s true when they say that the decor of bouchons has essentially remained unchanged over the years.

Most bouchons have a limited menu, and Café des Fédérations is no exception. You eat what you are served, and you only get to choose the main course. I have no problem with that. I am more than happy to eat what the locals eat.

The first course was a beautiful poached egg served in a soulful red wine broth. It was very good.

Next, we were served a simple salad, cured meat, and lentil salad.

For the main course, we had a selection dilemma. There are seven items to choose from: black pudding with apple; small chitterling sausage with mustard sauce; stew of pork cheeks; quenelle with nantua sauce and crayfish; calf head with ravigote sauce; chicken with vinegar; and cake of chicken livers – we were tempted by everything.

We wanted the classic Lyonnaise quenelle (fish dumpling), so that was easy. Then, we had to choose between the stew of pork cheeks and calf head. We eventually settled for the former after asking the owner for his recommendation.

Both the main courses were brilliant. In fact, I think brilliant is an understatement, but I cannot find a better word to describe them. The food is simple, but earnest and delicious.

For desserts, you get to choose between a chocolate cake, tart, fruit, and cake with alcohol.

By the end of the meal, I was already breathing heavily, hoping that time would pause at that moment. I was very happy just by sitting there, and soaking in the atmosphere. Eating in a bouchon was a dream come true. We paid less than 30 euros/pax for the amazing meal.

If you are going to Lyon, make sure you make an advance reservation for a table. Most of the best bouchons are located near Lyon’s City Hall; you shouldn’t have any problem finding them.

Writing this post really makes me miss Lyon, I can’t wait to visit it again.

Cafe Des Federations
8 Rue Du Major Martin
Tel: + 33 472 73 04 27
Nearest Metro: Hotel de Ville

Lyon is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Many guys have heard of Lyon because of the football team Olympique Lyonnais’s involvement in European football championships.

For food lovers, Lyon is known for a different reason. Widely acknowledged as the food capital of the world, it is a place that one must visit at least once in his/her life.

I am glad that I chose to go to Lyon. While it was a shame that we could not stay longer (we were there for only three days), we got to see the beautiful city, and eat at a bouchon. Below is a short summary of what we did during our stay. Do note that it is not meant to be a complete travel guide to Lyon.

Getting to the city from the airport is relatively easy. The Rhônexpress (€13 for a single journey, €23 for a return) connects to the city – at the main Lyon Part-Dieu station, and metro at Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie. The journey to the connecting station was around 30 minutes, and it took us another 20 minutes to take the metro to the city.

What I love about Lyon is the city centre is not so big and most attractions can be reached from each other on foot. You can start from Place Bellecour (Metro: Bellecour), and walk up to Place des Terreaux (Metro: Hotel de Ville). There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the area. The main downtown shopping spots – Rue du Président Edouard Herriot and Rue de la République – are where you can find the famous luxury brands.

After exploring the city centre, we tried to find a bouchon for dinner, but to my dismay, all of them were fully booked for the next four days because it was the Festival of Lights. After knocking on the doors of eight bouchons, I managed to “beg” for a table at Cafe des Federations (I will share the experience in another post) for dinner on the next night.

After completing the mission of getting a table in a bouchon, we had our first meal at Brasserie Léon de Lyon (1, Rue Pléney +33 04 7210 1112) – one of the well-known restaurants in town. We shared a number of items, and everything was pretty decent.

I did some research on the best Bouchons in Lyon, so if you ever find yourself in the city, you must go to at least one of the following:

Machonnerie 36 Rue Tramassac +33 4 7842 2462
Les Lyonnais 1 Rue Tramassac +33 4 7837 6482
Chez Hugon 12 Rue Pizay +33 4 7828 1094
A Ma Vigne 23 Rue Jean Larrive +33 4 7860 4631
La Meuniere 11 Rue Neuve +33 4 7828 6291
Au Petite Bouchon Chez Georges 8 Rue Garet +33 4 7828 3046
Le Musse 2 Rue Des Force +33 4 7837 7154
Cafe Des Federations 8 Rue Du Major Martin + 33 4 7273 0427

Most of the famous Bouchons are also located within this area, but they are all hidden within alleys so you need to know the name and address in order to find them. It is very easy to walk by without noticing them by the side.

All in all, day 1 in Lyon was not great. We were caught in a rain, we did not know where to go; it was a little disappointing. But luckily, day 2 changed everything.

We started with breakfast at Paul – tarte au citron, palmier, croissant, and a cup of coffee.

The farmers market along the Saône – one of the two main rivers in Lyon – was next. It was fascinating to visit the market and look at all the fresh produce.

After that, we went to Vieux Lyon (also known as Old Lyon) which is the Renaissance area along the other bank of the Saône. In fact, it is one of the largest Renaissance area in Europe after Venice.

We happened to be in Lyon during the Festival of Light; a four day festival during which the people of Lyon place little candle lamps in their windows in honour of the Virgin Mary.

The Festival of Light is one of the most important festivals in Lyon – people from all over the world fly in just for this occasion.

It was an amazing experience. Everyone came out to play and the lighting displays were quite a sight to behold.

The next day, we packed our bags and said good bye to this beautiful city.

Many people have asked me about the difference between Lyon and Paris. Both cities are very beautiful, but Lyon is quite different from Paris. The layout of the city somehow makes it feel less congested. People here are friendlier, and although there are plenty of visitors, most of the attractions do not feel touristy.

Having said that, Paris will always be my favourite city in the world (other than Singapore). It has that magical feel which you cannot find elsewhere. But if you are planning to explore France, I will definitely suggest making a trip to Lyon. It is not called the food capital of the world for nothing. The food, in general, is very good. And having a meal in a bouchon is one of the things on the bucket list.

Lyon is an adventure that I will never forget.