Vegan in Lyon
Mostly I cooked for myself or ate (terrible) conference food, but on a couple of occasions I ate out in Lyon...
Aux Bonheurs des Chats
Arriving by nightbus first thing on a Sunday morning didn't yield a lot of breakfast options. Aux Bonheurs des Chats, a vegan cat cafe, opened at 11 though, so I waited.
A wonderful decision! I sat down at a window table, already occupied by a moggie who declined to move, and inched closer and closer to my laptop over the course of the morning. Everything was covered in hair. They offered brunch for 16eur which seemed a bit much, and I wasn't that hungry. I had a hazelnut chocolate brownie (big!) and a super creamy matcha latte.
Hank Vegan Burger
Good burgers, lots of different toppings, and coleslaw or potato wedges as a side, and some vegan cakes. Small meal deal (drink and side) or large (plus dessert) at 13 and 15eur respectively. I just ate a burger and potato wedges.
Like An Elephant
A trek across town and up a hill was absolutely worth it. The menu wasn't huge, which means I wasn't paralysed by choice. Between two of us, we shared two starters, two mains, and two desserts, which came to 49eur. Delicious gazpacho soup, and an avocado mush thing were the starters. The avocado mush was seated upon a cheesecake-like grount nut crust, and topped with dark chocolate flakes. It was as close to dessert as you can get without actually being sweet. The mains were seitan with bok choi and mango noodles, and a burger with baby potatoes. And the desserts were two tiny cakes; one with chocolate and one with pear. I loved all of it. It was also a nice cosy place, with friendly staff and witty signage.
YAAFA
Recommended for the 'potato things', and it was open late, and there is a branch not too far from the bus station, I went to YAAFA on my last afternoon. There are many falafel pita options, half of which are vegan (all vegetarian), plus homemade bottomless lemonade and iced tea, and indeed good potato things - something between wedges and US style homefries. I had a falafel pitta with orange carrot salad, and stayed there for several hours. Seating upstairs was nice. No wifi.
Modjo
Not far from the Part-Dieu train station and the central library is a big glass fronted cafe on a corner. Stopped in for coffee, and to enjoy sitting in the sun whilst still being inside, and spotted a chia bowl with coconut milk on the menu. It was pricey, but a nice breakfast.
Un Monde Vegan
I stopped by this all vegan supermarket just to see. Picked up some Vego of course, and some chocolate almond milk and tofu sausage to snack on for lunch. They have a whole arrary of fancy looking vegan cheese wheels, in good French style. Had I come here at the beginning of the week, I might have invested.
I didn't do any touristing in Lyon, I was just at TheWebConf.