Saône

Rating: 13
Author: Gault&Millau

69002 LYON

13/20
Chef's Restaurant

BOOK

Cooking: French

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

39 to 65

Gault&Millau's review 2026

Les Célestins, a magnificent square in the heart of Lyon, has been the haunt of Jean-François Têtedoie, aka "Jeff", and his acolytes for the past ten years. After Café Terroir and Monsieur P, here is a third, more personal opus: Saône. The chef cooks in jeans and a black T-shirt. The unique four-course menu at €43 offers two choices each time, and miraculously, everything is written down! It just goes to show that a young chef can also do away with imposed hidden menus. The atmosphere is both chic and relaxed. We forget the codes of Lyon's bourgeoisie and imagine ourselves, for a moment, in the trendy restaurants of Copenhagen or Berlin. We watch the artists enter and leave the Théâtre des Célestins... our ears distracted by the sound, because here the music is good. Green herringbone banquettes, 1970s disco chairs... the stage is set: the chef takes the stage. He seems happy to cook with a straight face; there are no longer any boundaries between the kitchen and the dining room. A lovely cream of cauliflower, roasted chestnuts and chartreuse whets our appetites. Then, a choice of two starters: smoked scallops with Binchotan and a few long turnips and kumquat, or this very gourmet stuffed cabbage with carrots and ginger. For the main courses, this magnificent monkfish tail cooked "full butter", with its sorrel and samphire bone jus, will be accompanied by this very light pumpkin mousseline. As for the farm pigeon, it's accompanied by butter-roasted salsify and Jerusalem artichokes, which add a welcome licorice note. For dessert, a pretty Comice de Saint-Genis pear accompanied by an elegant almond cream. Lovers of regressive sweets will undoubtedly love this chocolate mousse warmed with a few dried fruits and flavored with a (superfluous) dash of olive oil. The wine list is compiled by Romain Pelosse of Muraato. A fair selection, giving pride of place to young winemakers who also have something to say. Of course, you'll be able to find some pretty labels, but let yourself be carried away by some fine gourmet flasks, at well-staggered prices. A fine launch for a restaurant that continues to surprise. The prices are honest, and all that's missing is a little personalization in the service to make this experience a flawless one... youth, no doubt...