An outstanding American style coffee house in Lyon, France…read more * * * So what is the big deal about American style coffee houses in Anywhere, France? Americans can get American coffee in America. France is for French stuff. * * * Well, there is one exception to the rule of France is for French stuff. French coffee is generally bad. I have had expresses and espressos in lots of cafes both on this trip and earlier trips. French espresso is grim stuff. When Starbucks showed up in France, it got a huge popular reaction. Most of this was for wacky flavored coffees such as Pistachio Mint Lattes. But the huge crowds showed a real impatience with lame tame cafe espressos. * * * When French entrepreneurs tried to clone the Starbucks experience, the results were not good. They aped all of the worst aspects of Starbucks coffee without putting anything legitimately good on the table. * * * So the French move into artisanal coffee houses is a very big deal. They follow the American model of having a) outstanding espressos, lattes and alt-coffee drinks and b) having a small but fine menu of breakfast and lunch dishes to make the coffee house a place for a destination meal. Note that not all French artisan coffee places add on Clause c) c) People need to be able to work at the coffee house all day on their computers. The places with really good food actually frown on all-day workers. There is a line out the door of people wanting to eat that really good food. But even with no c), a) and b) are enough to give you a great place. Coffee reform has finally come to France. * * * In the new coffee movement, Slake is a stellar addition. The coffee is amazing - but most of the new coffee houses have that. What sets Slake apart is food that is absolutely positively outstanding. I had a set of Turkish eggs - which were one of the best breakfasts I had in the entire trip to Lyon. My wife did even better with a one-off special - an Indonesian pancake with caramel flour. I died and went to heaven off the one taste of pancake I got. My wife was singing with the angels and flying around the Gates of Radiant Light. A quick look at the other tables suggested that there is legendary French toast to be had as well as a number of other absolutely intriguing treats. * * * There is a line to get into Slake. Don't come expecting immediate gratification - And get out when you are done with your meal. But in return for that The Great Gods of Java will show you the Resplendent Wonders of Their Kingdom once you ditch the cheap espresso.

A modern coffeeshop with delicious Cappucino and Cortado…read more The staffs were friendly. Lots of fun seats inside and out. You see many students hanging out and working in the space.

Pancakes - so fluffy Focaccia - wished the bread was a tad…read moresofter but the pairing with eggplant and tomatoes was quite good I also enjoyed their summer watermelon drink which was refreshing.

Wonderful experience at Diploid. We were able to walk in without much of a wait. We got the smoked…read moretrout pancakes and sweet pancakes with some juices. Everything was amazing. The smoked trout pancakes were paired with some goat cheese cream and pink peppercorns that really balanced the flavor so well. The sweet pancakes had a really fresh whipped cream that wasn't overly sweet like some places can be. Service was friendly and efficient. We were very happy with our meal and would recommend for anyone looking for fresh brunch options.

Very reasonable price for a good brunch. The wait staff are kind and quick. Tight space, but that's…read moreexpected

We walked past Le Desjeuneur several times and it was always full so we decided to stop in. They…read morehave breakfast & brunch options all day, but after 12:00 they have lunch options as well. It was a really hot day and all the tables outside were full so we sat inside. They had multiple big fans as well as bringing us a personal table fan (nice surprise!). Everyone we interacted with was really nice. Our French was minimal, but our server spoke great English. I got the daily special/plate of the day. To start with, it was a watermelon salad with ricotta cheese, toasted pine nuts, and balsamic. It was SO good and absolutely perfect for the hot day. My main dish was fish with a fresh salsa, pureed carrots (great flavor!!) and broccoli. All of it was amazing and something I would definitely order again!!

This place was absolutely adorable! A great spot for coffee and a healthy brunch/lunch. Cute…read moremodern decor. I ordered the smoked trout sandwich and the quinoa salad. Everything was super tasty and fresh and the staff was very friendly. Right next to all the shops - great location.

Very inviting place, great atmosphere , great food, great service and staff…read more Highly recommend

Ordered regional menu with salad, sea bass and dessert. Flavorless, tasteless, and no appealing…read morefood. Touristy and non-authentic local taste. Overly pricey for the food. Salad had a tons of crouton and bacon. A sour dressing with no salad. Fish was served with tomato closer to cheap salsa in the US. Dessert was unappealing but huge in portion. Not classical place for culinary experience, don't get confuse with decor. Not coming back!

Stare into the windows of Le Grand Cafe des Négociants and you'll see a number of people chatting…read moredrinking coffee, hot chocolate, or a cocktail. If you decide to step foot inside this establishment, make sure you stick to this part of the menu. My fiance and I decided to let the Specialty Section of their menu do the talking. Between the two of us, we ordered a French Onion Soup, and and Lyon Andoulliete Sausage. The following hour would be considered the saddest moment of our entire trip. We sat there for 50 minutes, wondering when our food would come. No eye contact from servers, no refilling of water, no update on how far out our food was. We both plotted to dash before the food got there, but alas, as soon as we made that determination, there our food was. That's when things went from bad to worse. I watched my fiancé try to stifle her vomit when taking her first spoonful. Uncooked onions floating in a bowl of what looked like thrown up chile verde. On this end of the table, I stubbornly stuck to my guns thinking that I made the right choice with the fat sausage stewing in a pool of melted pub cheese sauce. Then i got to the middle of it. Uncooked. Depressed and defeated, we decided to cut out losses, pay the 36 Euro and drink a beer down the street until a Bouchon opened up. The waiter was confused as to why we were asking for the check so quickly. Looking at my fiance's untouched bowl of soup he had that audacity to ask if everything was ok. I could see my fiancé's eyes fill with rage and she told him we just wanted to pay and leave. To add insult to injury, he lost control of my credit card when handing it to me and my throat took the brunt of the force.

Very healthy menu, reasonably priced, great service and atmosphere! Would love to bring my wife…read moreback here!

Best coffee so far in France, we had flat white which is similar to the Latte in Australia…read more,excellent service too

A cute little cafe with friendly people. I had a cappuccino, 3 Euros. It was very sweet - I like it…read morea bit more with depth, but it was an excellent cup nonetheless. * There's a WiFi, but when I tried to connect, it said "not available/ will open again on Monday"..I visited on Sunday afternoon.

We came across this café as we were exploring the back streets of Lyon. Compared to other cafes in…read morethe area, this one has a great location (occupies a corner of a pedestrian plaza). The interior has a clean design as well as ample amount of day light. The staff is super friendly (English speaking) and the café itself doesn't feel commercial or touristy at all. A great place to kick-back, relax and people watch.

Huge fan of donuts, and since we don't have any big Donut franchise in France, I'm always excited…read moreto try places offering homemade donuts. I've been very disappointed by this place, twice, the donuts are dry, with no flavor, the texture has nothing to do with donuts, but more like dry cake. The place offers a lot of American products which is nice, but really isn't worth a detour.

This place let us down. The donuts are greasy, the coffee is…read morewatered down and the restroom is in awful conditions.

Meh. We ordered a la carte and the plat du jour. Both meals were average, cote du rhone was ice…read morecold. Service was okay. €55 for lunch... Get a sandwich across the street if you're hungry or down the street if you're looking for a nice meal.

Found this gem by accident on a Sunday morning (a quick ten minute walk from our hotel in the brisk…read morelovely morning air). The charming atmosphere was more than complemented by the helpful, attentive staff. The culinary offerings would satisfy any palette, featuring traditional French items as well as the regional Lyonnaise cuisine. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for delicious food and friendly attentive service.