Crowned in Lyon every winter, the pâté en croûte makes Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse its natural home, where excellence is savoured one slice at a time.
Some treasures you recognise at first glance. Beneath its golden, crisp crust hides a mosaic of finely seasoned meats, sometimes enriched with foie gras, pistachios or hazelnuts. The pâté en croûte is no ordinary charcuterie: it is an architecture, a patiently composed balance, a Lyon point of pride. And nowhere is it better enjoyed than at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, in the beating heart of the gastronomic capital.
Since 2009, Lyon has also been the stage of the World Pâté-Croûte Championship, created by Christophe Marguin and the Toques Blanches Lyonnaises to celebrate this demanding speciality. Each year, selections held across several continents designate a handful of finalists who compete for the title before a formidable jury. The final, in early December, turns the city into the centre of the world for lovers of fine charcuterie craft.
At the most recent edition, in December 2025, the charcutier Thibault Gonzales was crowned world champion with a pâté en croûte pairing Kintoa pork and farm-raised duck, marking a celebrated return of France to the top of a competition long dominated by Japanese masters.
At Les Halles, this excellence is no distant trophy: you can touch it, you can taste it. Maison Sibilia, an institution beneath the great glass roof, keeps the gesture alive with its famous pâté en croûte des Halles, alongside other houses that make it a daily art. Slip a slice into your basket: it is all of Lyon you take home with you.