playbook
Secret Cafés in Lyon
A half-day between Croix-Rousse and Presqu'île to explore Lyon's specialty coffee scene, with narrow counters and local roasters.
4u
duration
€ 12–40
budget
Ground
pace
Lyon has long been a city of bouchons and chocolates, but its specialty coffee scene has firmly established itself on the slopes of Croix-Rousse and in the Presqu'île. The spots are small, sometimes tucked away in a courtyard or around the corner of a pedestrian street, and the baristas know their producers by first name. The menu changes with each shipment and harvest season.
The format is simple: a half-day on foot, three or four stops, a mix of espresso and pour-over methods. Between cups, you climb or descend the slopes, pass through a traboule, and pause on a square to let your palate reset. A notebook helps you compare origins and remember the names of local roasters. You head home with a bag of beans, sometimes two, and a new map of the city in your head.
Checklist
0 of 5
Chaussures confortables (pentes raides)
Carnet pour noter les origines
Bouteille d'eau
Espèces pour les petits comptoirs
Vérifier les horaires d'ouverture
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Head up the slopes of Croix-Rousse to Café Mokxa, 3 Rue de l'Abbé Rozier: order a single-origin filter and take a look at the roasting room.
Make your way back down via Montée de la Grande Côte and take a ten-minute break on Place Sathonay to jot down your first impressions.
Continue to Slake Coffee House, 1 Rue de l'Ancienne Préfecture: try an espresso and compare it with what you tasted further up the hill.
Walk five minutes to Place des Terreaux to sit down and take in the Bartholdi fountain before your last stop.
Finish with a coffee to go and pick up 250g of beans from your favourite roaster of the day.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Avoid Sundays, several spots are closed
- Start on the slopes heading up, then make your way down to Presqu'île
- Ask which beans just came in this week
- Alternate between filter and espresso to mix things up
- Plan a light lunch break between two cafés
Variations
- - Version Vieux-Lyon: ajouter une adresse sur la rive droite de la Saône
- - Version bouquiniste: associer chaque café à une librairie d'occasion
- - Version photo: ramener un cadre par lieu visité
- - Version débat: lire un même texte court à chaque arrêt et en discuter