Le Laurencin — Restaurant in Lyon

We ate here drawn in by the price and expecting either (relatively) low quantity or low quality (or both) but truthfully I had a wonderful meal!

We took the menu, which for 15.9€ includes an entree, the main dish and dessert, all of which were copious! Water was included too - we had a basket of bread with several pieces which I believe was as well, and it was quite good, especially for dipping in the delicious sauces. I had the oeuf meurette, which was delicious and included a fair amount of crunchy croutons and bacon. I loved the wine sauce so much that I dipped more bread in to get every last drop! For main dish, I had the bavette (flank steak) with shallot sauce. Truthfully, the meat was a bit overdone for my taste and it could have a better texture overall, but with the flavorful sauce I enjoyed it well. The side of gratin dauphinois outshined it in my opinion - it's hard to get potatoes wrong but it was particularly good, so I was happy that the serving was generous! For dessert, I had the tarte tatin. Its warmth and sweetness had a nice contrast with the vanilla ice cream, both of which were also quite copious and delicious on their own. I am used to restaurant vanilla ice cream being rather bland so I was pleasantly surprised by its taste. The apples were soft but not soggy - the crust could have been better though, especially since they give you only a spoon to cut it and it was a bit hard.

The service was attentive, with the waitress realising on her own that our entrees were taking too long and going in to get them almost right away. We were seated outside since the weather was alright when we got there, but the moment it started raining they rolled out the cover so we were barely affected by the sudden shower. All the staff was overall pleasant and helpful.

The inside looked beautiful, but definitely cramped. I can see that they make up for the price by serving more meals, which is truthfully only fair.

Overall it took us over 1 hour to eat, with somewhat long waiting times in between but nothing out of the ordinary.

Be aware of the timing though - we went in at 12:30 and there were plenty of tables available, but within 15 minutes at most they were filled and queues formed right away. I didn't keep track but the waiting time wasn't exactly short, and this kept up until we left.

Positive sides: Tasty food Unbeatable price Wonderful location Nice and attentive staff English translation included in the menu! This much should be a given, but clean tableware, changed between dishes. Toilet was decent too.

Negative sides: Cramped inside, not much space Service could be faster Some outside tables were not covered by the canopy The tables outside were simple red plastic tables with no charm, and they were tilted. We were given coca cola glasses for our water, which also lacks a bit of charm

Dish presentation was rather simple, if that bothers you, but personally I found it quite alright (even if the photos look a bit gloomy - rainy day!).

Overall, I recommend it 100%! You can probably get somewhat better food by paying considerably more, but I had a genuinely delicious and filling meal for a price you probably won't see in any...

For the really low price for the set, I really did not set my expectations up high. I would like to say that the food was below average, but considering the price it's somewhat reasonable, I guess. However, since we just ate at a nice French restaurant the day before (admittedly where a main dish costs more than the cheapest set menu here, I was somehow felt a bit let down after this place. But it's probably more of my fault! Anyways, we ordered two sets and were unable to finish anything given. The onion soup tasted sour with too many pieces of bread in it. The steak was below what you'd find at Asian street markets. The best part about the duck (?) was the dauphinoise potatoes below it, which was probably the best made thing here. The profiteroles were dried ones from the supermarket (I guess deep down I naively thought they would be freshly made), and likewise with the ice cream which had a very cheap texture and flavor. It's a classic case of getting what you paid for. If you do decide to eat here, go for the more expensive set menus or something a la carte. The stuff I see on other tables seem to be much more dignified. For the restaurant, perhaps they could get rid of the lowest-end set menu? Also, the lady who seemed to be the manager seemed very... sad? :( the waiters were all very...

I think service is bound to be a bit slow when you eat alone. But the staff was very friendly and the food was sooooo good! I ate the snails (escargot), the duck, the “fromage blanc”, and the praline pie. Snails were amazing… maybe I’ve been cheated my whole life but they were some of the best snails I’ve had thus far. The duck juice 🤤🤤🤤 the duck itself, the potatoes: listen, I’m not supposed to eat dairy, but I’ll do dairy any day in this joint. Fromage blanc was good… granted I poured a little bit of lot of sugar on mines, but I don’t like strong cheeses so, I’m not your reference point for cheese. The pie, I had never seen a pink pie before! It was different and excellent all at the same time. Sorry it’s the only thing I captured by photo but overall, you’ll have to either believe me or try for yourself.

If you’re looking for a bouchon to eat at, come to this one!...