Cordeliers, Presqu'île (1er)

Cordeliers is the commercial pulse of the Presqu'île, built around the Saint-Nizier church and the great iron-and-glass Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse just across the Rhône — the temple where the city's chefs and grandmothers buy their produce. The district hums with shopping and footfall, but it guards its culinary soul in a handful of true bouchons. La Meunière, run by Lyon-born chef Maxime Méziat, is among the most respected traditional kitchens in the city, its terrines and quenelles benchmark versions of the form. Le Musée keeps the same faith on a quiet side street. This is everyday Lyon at full volume, with the old cooking holding firm beneath the bustle.