What if the most beautiful romantic date happened at midday, beneath the great nave of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse? A platter of oysters, a glass of champagne and shared delight: here is the art of loving the Lyon way.
Far from stiff, formal tables, Valentine's Day finds at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse a setting as lively as it is romantic. Across 13,500 m², some sixty exceptional houses bring this covered market to life, voted the third best in the world by Food & Wine magazine. At noon, the light slides over the stalls, the cheerful hum of the artisans serves as music, and you quickly understand why this place so dear to Paul Bocuse lends itself so well to lunch for two.
The ritual often begins at an oyster shucker's counter. At Chez Antonin, Chez Léon or Maison Rousseau, you lean in side by side to share a platter of briny oysters, a few shellfish and a glass of chilled white wine. Nothing is more intimate than this shared gesture, standing before the bed of ice, while the shucker's knife opens the shells with a sure movement.
To prolong the moment, the tables of the Halles unfurl a festive repertoire. At the Comptoir Paul Bocuse, scallops and a glass of champagne give lunch the air of a celebration. Elsewhere, you compose your own happiness along the stalls: aged cheeses from la Mère Richard, charcuterie from the Sibilia house, Bresse poultry, and sweets from a neighbouring chocolatier to end on a tender note.
This is the whole magic of a romantic lunch in the "belly of Lyon": you do not merely choose a menu, you choose an atmosphere, that of a warm market where each house tells a story of craftsmanship, often crowned with the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. This Valentine's Day, treat yourselves to a moment for two, as close as possible to the artisans who make Lyon's gastronomy. Push open the door: here, love tastes of beauty and of the good things in life.