Lyon's rich gastronomic heritage makes way for new tastes

Where the sinuous paths of the rivers Saône and Rhône flow in tandem, you'll find Lyon, the third-largest city in France. This ideal placement in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region means proximity to historic and natural wonders (Caverne du Pont d'Arc, the Ardèche river gorge) and affords access to two famed wine regions (Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône), seafood and some of the country's finest produce (including the blue-footed poulet de Bresse). While the city's established charms are well-known, do not be fooled into thinking there's nothing new on offer.

Lyon's gastronomic heritage is rich. It's the home to the storied L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, or simply Paul Bocuse, the restaurant of the godfather of nouvelle cuisine. The secluded restaurant is a place to which diners make pilgrimages to worship; it sits back from the road and overlooks the Saône, through a gate that opens onto a cobbled courtyard and charmingly over-the-top fresco in reverential tribute to French tradition and its giants.

Chef Daniel Boulud, head of a 13-restaurant empire spanning the globe, is another celebrated son of Lyon. Southeast of the city, the first Café Boulud opened on his family's farm in Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, and as a child, Boulud would help his father sell their produce at the farmers market at the Quai Victor-Augagneur every Saturday. Then there are the bouchons, the Lyonnaise equivalent of a bistro, but resolutely committed to their difference. Perennially unchanging, the bouchon is a testament to the generous, hearty homestyle fare specific to this place.

In contrast, the contemporary progression of Lyon's food is fresher, sprightlier.

The third restaurant in the city bestowed with coveted a two-star rating from the Michelin guide, Takao Takano's namesake restaurant, is a study in subtlety and precision. Japanese-born but trained in the kitchens of Lyon, Takano has a masterful fidelity to the French style informed by an ever-present awareness of his home country.

Café Sillon, Mathieu Rostaing-Tayard's spot in the 7th arrondissement, presents remarkable examples of bistronomy or neo-bistro cooking, such as a striking composition of Saint Pierre (John Dory) beneath a tumble of robust purple beets, briny-sweet cockles, rhubarb, radish, olives and mint. The menu changes every fortnight, but you can expect originality and an impressive list of natural wines.

At Les Apothicaires, Tabata and Ludovic Mey artfully meld their disparate heritages into a Latino-Franco-Nordic hybrid. The results are breathtaking, in both their consideration and restraint. The dinner menu is reviewed monthly and the lunch changed each week.

Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse is an institution. The city's indoor food market housing 50 or so diverse purveyors – think cheesemongers, chocolatiers, charcuterie, butchers, fishmongers and boulangeries – dates to 1859 at Place Cordeliers in the city centre, or Presqu'île. Opening this month, La Commune is an alternative food hall, with 15 stalls and branding itself as a gastronomic incubator and venue for artistic and cultural events.

If looking for a place to stay, this spring marks the reopening of the oldest hospital in the city, the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, seated between the Rhône and Bellecour Square. Renovated and reimagined, including a 11,500-square-metre expansion, the stately façade will front a five-star hotel, nine restaurants, 45 shops, convention centre and a food museum holding workshops and exhibits. A trio of domes and interior courtyards divide the complex into specific "worlds" to explore.