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What to eat in Metropolitan Lyon? Top 14 Traditional Foods in Metropolitan Lyon

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Foods

01
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Rosette de Lyon is a French sausage originating from Lyon, hence the name. This rich and flavorful sausage is made from pork meat that's blended with sea salt, peppercorns, and garlic in a natural beef casing. It's typically cured for a month, resulting in sweet and mellow flavors of the sausage.


The word rosette in its name is believed to refer to its rose-colored visual appearance. It's recommended to slice the sausage and serve it with a baguette and cheeses such as Grana Padano or Taleggio.

02

Sweet Bread

LYON, France and  one more region
3.9
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Praluline is a delightful French culinary creation consisting of a brioche that is infused with the sweet flavor of pink, rose sugar-coated pralines. The pastry is typically characterized by an incredibly soft, rich, and buttery texture, while the crushed pralines - a combination of Valencia almonds and Piedmont hazelnuts enrobed in rose sugar - add a distinct nuttiness, sweetness, and a nice crunchiness to the specialty.


Created in 1955 by Auguste Pralus, a renowned French pastry chef and the owner of a small bakery in the town of Roanne, this sweet bread has remained a specialty of Pralus patisseries, and is regularly featured in the shops’ window displays due to its appealing and appetizing visual appearance. 
03
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Salade Lyonnaise consists of endive, bacon, croutons, and a poached egg that is placed on top of it. It originates from the French city of Lyon, and it is one of the most popular salads found on the menus of numerous small French bistros and restaurants.


The salad is a representative of the typical Lyonnaise cuisine, which started in the 1500s when Catherine de Medici told her chefs to make new dishes from various ingredients found throughout France. Today, the salad is typically found in tiny eateries called bouchons, specializing in comfort food.

04

Dessert

LYON, France and  one more region
3.9
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Poires au vin is a traditional, world-known French dessert originating from the Beaujolais wine-growing region. It consists of pears, fruity red wine (usually Beaujolais), and flavorings such as honey or sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, peppercorns, and cloves.


The pears are poached in wine and other ingredients, and the combination is then brought to a boil. The pears, still slightly firm, are drained, while the remaining ingredients are thickened into a sauce which is then poured over the pears when served. 
05
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Saucisson brioche is a French specialty hailing from the city of Lyon. It consists of a whole sausage that's (usually) coated in pistachios, then baked inside a brioche loaf. The saucisson is a large and thick sausage, while the dough is less sweet and egg-rich than the standard breakfast brioche that can be bought in most boulangeries.


The combination is baked in the oven until the loaf becomes golden brown. Once done, it is served warm in slices. It's recommended to pair this delicacy with a glass of Beaujolais.

06
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Tarte aux pralines, or praline tart, is a traditional dessert that hails from the Lyon region. It is celebrated for its vibrant pink color and sweet, nutty flavor. The tart consists of a buttery, flaky pastry crust, typically made from a shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée), filled with a mixture of crushed pink pralines and heavy cream.


To prepare the pastry crust, you mix flour, sugar, and butter to form a dough, which is then chilled, rolled out, and fitted into a tart pan. The crust is blind-baked until golden. For the praline filling, pink pralines are crushed into small pieces and heated with heavy cream until melted and combined. 
07
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Quenelles de brochet are a traditional French dish made from pike fish (brochet). These delicate dumplings are created by finely mincing the fish and combining it with a mixture known as a panade, which consists of milk, butter, flour, and eggs.


Heavy cream is often added to enrich the mixture, resulting in a smooth and light consistency. The mixture is then seasoned with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes herbs like chives or parsley. The preparation of quenelles de brochet begins with making the panade. 
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Quenelle

MOST ICONIC Quenelles de brochet

1
08
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Soupe aux Truffes Noires VGE is a luxurious French soup created by the renowned chef Paul Bocuse. The "VGE" in the name stands for Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former President of France, for whom the soup was originally created. This exquisite dish features a rich, aromatic broth made with chicken consommé, foie gras, truffles, mushrooms, and root vegetables.


It is traditionally served with a puff pastry lid, which, when broken, releases the tantalizing aromas of the truffles and broth, providing a truly gourmet experience. Paul Bocuse has published a number of recipes for this soup throughout the years, each slightly bit different, with the most recent one also including chicken breast and white vermouth.

09
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Cervelle de canut is a fresh cream cheese spread that is often seasoned with vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and chopped fresh herbs. The spread originates from the French city of Lyon and it is the city's specialty. Regarding the name of the dish, it is literally translated to silk weaver's brains.


However, it is 100% vegetarian, as the dish was named after canuts – the silk weavers of Lyon in the 19th century. Since the weavers were mostly poor and couldn't afford real brains, they invented their own dish, a spread which was often placed on a piece of bread or a potato.

10
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Sautéed calf’s liver belongs to the classic Lyonnaise cuisine that highlights the use of authentic, local ingredients, which are prepared using traditional cooking techniques. The main components of this classic are sautéed, caramelized onions and calf’s liver.


Prepared with hefty amounts of butter, the dish is traditionally deglazed with vinegar, providing acidity to the sweet onions and earthy liver. Lastly, Lyon-style liver is served garnished with chopped parsley and accompanied by roasted or mashed potatoes.

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Sausage
LYON, France
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