Top Lyon Dining Experiences

We loved everything about this - beginning with shopping for produce at the St.Antoine market to Chef Thierry's very detailed instructions on how to make Chicken Bourguignon, mushroom ragu and 2 kinds of tarts. It was a small group (6 people), lots of laughter and serious discussions about how to prepare a delicious meal. Marianne and Peter Lyhne (Ft. Lauderdale, USA)

Very pleasurable experience. Chef was knowledgeable and engaging. Eating lunch after preparing allowed us to interact with the chef and other students. Wonderful food and conversation.

Such a wonderful few hours spent with Jöelle and Philippe. Choosing the freshest and best of foods from the places only Jöelle knew best then learning how to cook them in the French style was most enjoyable. Jǒelle and Philippe were so friendly and hospitable and very generously opened their home to us. The views from their apartment were spectacular too!

It was such a wonderful experience to have participated in this cooking class by Joëlle (the host) ! She was so friendly and lovely ! Her apartment is nice with very beautiful view over Lyon. We went shopping at the nearby markets and learned much from Joëlle and the vendors. Happy chatting and sharing the meal which we prepared together -- a fantastic lunch with Joëlle and her husband, good food and lots of laughter! A must-do activity for someone who like meeting with locals when travels, tastes a bit of the daily life of the locals, not necessarily just for learning cooking. Thank you Joëlle for providing this exceptional activity to the travellers ! It was so memorable and I definitely recommend it !

Great fun with lots of laughs. Easy to follow instuctions and great tasting treats to take away Easy to find - centrally located

Great way to spend an afternoon learning how to make french pastry ! Chef Thierry was fantastic and so fun.

This food tour with Laura was top notch. We visited three different local places for appetizers, then tapas, then dessert. I would go back to any of the three restaurants and, if I did, I would like to go with Laura again.Her knowledge of gastronomy was very, very good and we had great conversations around flavors and food in general.She was also very accommodating to my walking disability . Highly recommend this tour.

From the instant I saw Laura, our guide, I knew that we'd greatly enjoy our dining experience. She is extremely professional and friendly and upbeat. We visited 3 very different establishments, each of which featured dramatically different foods. The first stop gave us the best pate croute (Grieve restaurant) I have ever had with a lovely red wine. Mind you, this is the only time I've enjoyed a pate croute. The second restaurant served us 5 completely different small plates of the best food sampling I think I've every had (Arsene restaurant). Stunning. Honest. The next restuarant spoiled us with an amazing chocolate soufflee (Cafe Terroir restaurant) with a digestif (mine was an amazing Chartreuse).Laura's wisdom in the restaurant industry was clearly apparent. She watched over us noting our comments and tastes carefully to guide her commentary. She is simply a lovely person. Even if we didn't eat anything, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The one small point I would mention as a hint to possibly improve the experience is she could have given us a deeper understanding of why Lyon is a gastronomical center and why they excel in pate croute or have "bouchons" or why there are about 100 places to eat great food in a 1 mile radius.This was an excellent tour and I highly recommend it.

Delightful couple host/prepare the multicourse meal. Their home is lovely with a beautiful view. They made several suggestions as to where we might enjoy touring. The other three couples from the US and Australia were very pleasant. We all shared our experiences from around Lyon and in France. All in all we would recommend this tour this dinner experience

It is a unique opportunity to meet a local couple who welcomes you to their lovely home with a spectacular view of Lyon. Not only that, they prepare a delicious dinner of local favorites and sit at the table with you. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We were having trouble getting a taxi back to our hotel so they even drove us there. Way over and beyond!! It’s a must do! Thank you Joelle and Phillip.

It is hard to find a local guide with the right amount of knowledge both historical & practical, who tailors your experience to precisely what you want to see & do-even adjusting during your tour, and who does it all with a grand sense of humor & fun…..BUT this is Alex! Our group of 4 couples completely enjoyed our Lyon Food tour with him, and we wish we could go again now! He first took us to Les Halles where we so enjoyed fabulous local sausages & cheeses and truffle honey all with accompanying local wines and more, then to a confectionery shop in Old Lyon, and then on to a fascinating silk tour where they showed us the old process from wiggly worms to beautiful scarves. We then finished with a fancy chartreuse and local candies tasting to see if we could identify the flavors of the products…a fun education for us and our palates! We laughed so hard at what friends would taste. As both a guide and local professor for training guides, Alex has a true knowledge and love of Lyon & its food/culture/history and his tours will make you love it all too! So no worries about getting around at too fast or slow pace by a mechanical guide who shows you all the sights they love but not you, and no tasting adventurous organ meat foods, unless you want them! And no mysterious silence while planning your adventure far away—Communication is quick, helpful (esp with changing Covid restrictions) and fun. We cannot recommend him enough! It is all simply fun, tasty and wonderfully done! Relax and enjoy the times! You will come away loving the city and your guide!

When searching for a guided tour, we look for someone who is extremely knowledgeable, has great connections with the locals and someone who loves what he/she does. Jean-Alexandre (or Alex) was the perfect match for our group of 4. We asked for a gastronomic walking tour that included key sites of the city. He delivered in spades!There isn't a fact or figure that Alex doesn't know. Every question was well received and thoroughly answered. We started our tour by taking the metro to the famous Paul Bocuse food market. What an extraordinary market it is! After a cheese and wine tasting (with the most fantastic bread!), we continued through the city (even took a city bus), tasting freshly made and heavenly sausages, touring Vieux Lyon (after experiencing the Lyon funicular), learning about Lyon's famous silk production and sampling straight-out-of-the-oven praline brioche from Pralus --a must! We had so much fun with Alex that we asked him to join us for dinner and to choose the location.Alex has an excellent sense of humor and his command of the English language is miraculous. Hard to believe he has never lived in an English-speaking country because his English is flawless with superb and natural fluency. He is a master tour guide, even teaching the art of being a guide at a local university.While Alex does all types of tours (including tours for Cruise companies docking in Lyon), this talented man should be viewed as a rare find and perfect for the traveler who is looking for a unique experience. Just tell him what you are looking for and he will make it happen.

So much fun!!! Made great pastries and the chef was great!! Had a blast definitely would recommend to others visiting!!

This was so much fun! The chef is amazing. We made a delicious cake, cookies and candy. We were with 2 other couples, one from Australia and another from USA. We all had a great time. I highly recommend.

A truly amazing experience. Joelle was fantastic and so organised. And the meal was magnifique. Highly recommend you do this if you want a real French experience. Wish I could give it a higher score

A wonderful way to learn about the cuisine, the markets and the people of Lyon with a gracious host. Our small group was expertly and warmly led by Joëlle in the kitchen, at the local outdoor market and at the table to eat the food that we prepared. Try to book this experience at the beginning of your visit to Lyon to take advantage of Joëlle’s outstanding restaurant and site seeing recommendations.