Bistrot de Lyon,
Restaurant on rue Mercière, Lyon 2
Today, it’s difficult to imagine what rue Mercière was like in the 70s. Known as a hot spot for carnal, rather than culinary, pleasures, it wasn’t an inspiring choice for restaurateurs looking to set up shop.
Driven by his firmly held belief that the neighbourhood was about to undergo a profound transformation, Jean-Paul Lacombe, with his friend and partner Jean-Claude Caro, whom he had met at Grenoble’s catering school, chose this street as the location for a restaurant with his own signature style: a relaxed bistro with a friendly feel, serving simple, tasty cuisine.
At the age of 25, he had already worked for various prestigious restaurants, but he was driven by a desire to make the most of life, his friends and a place of his own which would offer him a breath of fresh air. And so the young chef took a bold decision which would prove to be a resounding success over the next few decades.
20th September 1974 isn’t just the official opening date of the Bistrot de Lyon, the first restaurant to open on rue Mercière – it also marks the start of a pioneering generation of “chef’s bistros”.
50 incredible years
of traditional values!
“Pleasure, rather than success, has always been my driving force”: as a man who puts happiness at the heart of everything he does, this has long been Jean-Paul Lacombe’s mantra.
He has always aimed to make the diners who come to his restaurants happy, inspired by the “living for joy” attitude which was so important to Paul Bocuse, a close friend of his father Paul Lacombe and a loyal supporter of his early career when he started out as a young restaurateur.
Exemplified every day by the restaurant’s teams, his founding values are as strong as ever: hospitality, boldness, generosity, enthusiasm and authenticity.
“Pleasure, rather than success, has
always been my driving force”
The Lacombe family, from one star to another
Jean-Paul Lacombe’s story is bound up with that of the iconic restaurant known as Léon de Lyon, opened by his father Paul Lacombe in 1949 as a simple “pitstop”, which went on to become one of the most iconic restaurants in the city, receiving a Michelin star in 1955.
As for Jean-Paul, he attended a catering and hospitality school, crossed the English Channel to learn English and honed his skills in various restaurants, culminating with a period at what was considered to be the Holy Grail of the restaurant world at the time, the prestigious Parisian restaurant Lasserre.
Welcoming the country’s political and artistic elite, this magical place boasted precisely choreographed service and a luxurious setting (made all the more impressive by a sunroof for use in summer); in the kitchen, meanwhile, Jean-Paul Lacombe’s experience was resolutely focused. His time here gave him the opportunity to join another legendary restaurant, Maxim’s, but fate had other ideas with the untimely death of Paul Lacombe.
It was time for the 23-year-old chef to give up on Paris and to turn his attention to Lyon. Supported by a loyal and close-knit group of friends including Paul Bocuse, Gérard Nandron and Christian Bourrillot, he took over the running of Léon de Lyon, retaining its Michelin star in 1973 and earning a second star in 1978; at the age of 28, he was the youngest chef to ever be awarded two Michelin stars. Just like Lasserre in Paris, the restaurant on rue Pléney was visited by heads of state, including during the G7 summit in 1996, along with famous actors and other celebrities. And yet the restaurant always retained its founding values, serving fine dining with a wonderful sense of simplicity. At the same time, Jean-Paul Lacombe founded his Bistrots de Cuisinier®, serving traditional Lyonnaise dishes, inspired by the region’s finest ingredients.
1974, the renaissance of rue Mercière
Rue Mercière was a dynamic and prosperous street in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, home to cloth merchants, printers, glassmakers and more besides. Its decline and ensuing poverty in the early 20th century threatened its very existence.
Having become known as a street for the world’s oldest profession, it was threatened with demolition to make way for a new neighbourhood before it was saved, just like the Vieux Lyon area, by André Malraux, a Minister of Culture who recognised the historical importance of these places.
But in the early 1970s, when Jean-Paul Lacombe decided to open his “relaxed bistro with a friendly feel”, a lot of imagination and ingenuity was required to open a restaurant here, amidst the ruins, the rubble and the roadside trenches which could only be crossed by walking on planks.
The first reason for opening his restaurant here was its immediate proximity with Léon de Lyon, just a few minutes’ walk away. With the help of his friend and partner Jean-Claude Caro, the run-down building was transformed into a welcoming restaurant.
Both men turned their hands to painting, plastering, decorating and more. They came across a superb decorated glass ceiling in a bakery and spent countless hours looking for the many decorative pieces which would give the restaurant its unique style and character.
An atmosphere unlike any other
Since it opened in 1974, the Bistrot de Lyon has always enjoyed incredible success. Stylish yet welcoming, its atmosphere is truly unique. From French onion tart, poached egg on cold ratatouille and cheese-filled pastries to calf’s head with ravigote sauce and local sausages and fried potatoes, all served with carafes of Beaujolais wine: diners here eat well at a reasonable price and are treated like friends.
From the very beginning, the restaurant attracted a loyal following. Initially opening only in the evening, the Bistrot de Lyon decided in 1984 to extend its opening hours with a lunchtime service. Two years later, it opted for almost constant activity, welcoming diners with the rhythm of a brasserie, seven days a week, all year round.
Boasting a prime location in the heart of Lyon, easily accessible on foot and by public transport, it may seem that Jean-Paul Lacombe’s supposedly crazy idea was always going to be a success.
And yet, who then would have guessed that rue Mercière would one day become Lyon’s most popular street with tourists? It’s visited almost year-round by those in search of traditional dishes from Lyon and the Bistrot de Lyon remains an iconic address on rue Mercière, renowned for the quality and freshness of the ingredients cooked here every day.
