This is a restaurant you pick when you’ve been living in the city for one day and you don’t know where to eat. If you want some authentic French or Lyonnais cuisine, keep looking. But if you’re missing America, this could be the spot for you. The menu features burgers, salads, french fries, and a few other plates. Some good, just nothing notable. Their second-best feature was the cocktail menu. My favorite was the Pornstar Martini, but the strawberry mojito was lovely as well. The best part? A killer view of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière on the hill.

★★☆☆☆

Speechless.

This gelato was better than any gelato or ice cream I’ve ever had. Truly! Plus, Amorino is a French gelato chain, so you can find it outside of Lyon, too. I tried the Amarena, Tiramisu, and Biscotti Amaretto flavors. All were fantastic! You can’t go wrong here. They also sell gelato macarons if that suits your fancy.

★★★★★

Excuse my hyper-specific reference, but if you’ve ever been the president of a high school French club, you’ve probably run out of ideas at some point and just decided to theme your meetings on various French foods. I present one of these well-known delicacies: the Croque-Monsieur. I’ve waited years to try this chic ham-and-cheese sandwich, and I was not disappointed.

My first impression was of a suspiciously smokey flavor in the ham. After eating half my sandwich, I realized my friend had ordered the Croque-Monsieur au Saumon (with salmon) and we had accidentally switched our plates! A happy accident: I was able to try both.

Fun fact: a similar sandwich is the Croque-Madame. She’s just like her “masculine” counterpart, but with a fried egg on top!

Comfort food at its finest.

★★★★☆

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I don’t like coffee. I’ve lived my life as a strictly tea person, but now I feel like a fraud. I hope this doesn’t come as too much of a shock, but I have been obsessed with the coffee in France. Lattes are an every day necessity now. They revive my brain, soothe my soul, warm my heart. Maybe it’s the coffee, maybe it’s the milk, or maybe it’s just something in the air (cigarette smoke, perhaps).

Oh, and the apricot scone was phenomenal. It was quite soft and buttery, and the perfect treat to hold me over until dinner.

★★★★☆

Let me start with the positives here: one star for free table bread, and another star for the burrata. Burrata is that cute little blob of cheese that you cut open and let the cream cover your food. I’ve always wanted to try this!

I have nothing against Tony’s Italian food — except for when we asked for takeout boxes and he brought back everyone’s food but mine! The food was good, just nothing out of the ordinary. Tony’s is situated on the corner of Rue des Marrioners, which is the most idyllic street for dining out that I’ve seen in Lyon. Unfortunately, all the other places look more intriguing than Tony’s, so I’ll be respectfully walking past next time I visit this area.

★★☆☆☆

After popular demand, I was finally able to capture my host mom’s cooking! I wish I remembered what any of this was called, but Anne made an exquisite African dish featuring fish and mashed plantains. The sauce was my favorite, as always. Now you know why I’m so excited for dinner every day!

★★★★★

Well here you have it folks: my first legal drink from a bar! I’m still trying to decide if this Aperol Spritz was as delicious as I remember or if it was just the sweet taste of legal drinking. There was a surprisingly bitter aftertaste, however. Needless to say, I’m still trying to find my drink.

★★★☆☆

My professor recommended this ice cream shop to us after we toured the Croix-Rousse neighborhood. Nothing is better than ice cream after walking around in 90 degree heat for two hours! I tried the Ananas Hibiscus (pineapple hibiscus) flavor and it was quite refreshing. They have just about a million flavors to choose from, so I will be going back to review again!

★★★☆☆

Every night I eat Anne’s dinner and think it’s the best meal I’ve ever had, only to be proven wrong the next day. It’s a delicious cycle. This is a traditional French dish called Blanquette de Veau (veal stew) over pasta. It was rich, creamy, and absolutely incredible. After my first serving, Anne refilled my plate with her homemade pasta. Dreams really do come true.

★★★★★

First of all, the staff at this restaurant was incredibly kind and friendly. We only wanted quick sandwiches to take to Lake Annecy, but the brief interaction was worth mentioning. I’m still getting used to the hard crust of French baguettes, but this ham sandwich was quite tasty. My friend Jules ordered the vegetarian sandwich and it looked incredible. If I ever get the chance to return, I’ll be trying that sandwich instead!

★★★★☆

You can tell this ice cream shop is a regional favorite by the crowded line that never seems to disappear. After receiving numerous recommendations, we had to try it. The service was quick and the ice cream was a perfect delicacy at the end of a long day. I chose Amarina (cherry), Speculoos (think Biscoff), and Miel Lavande (honey lavender) from the endless flavor options. Please visit this Glacier if you ever find yourself in Annecy!

★★★★★

In terms of Italian food, this restaurant was pretty authentic – for better or for worse. There was only one chef cooking everything in the nearby kitchen, which was pretty impressive. The pasta was good, but they limited the number of each dish we could order at our table. I’m not sure if they ran out of ingredients or if the chef couldn’t make too many of the same pasta all at once. There were a couple other pastas I wanted to try (like the Carbonara) but I settled for the Bolognese.

★★★☆☆

This prosciutto ham panini would’ve pleased me anywhere, but it was especially fantastic on the beach. It was toasty, fresh, and the perfect combination of savory flavors. I nearly ordered their Mango Aperol Spritz but decided it was too early for a cocktail. Maybe next time!

★★★★☆

We stopped here for a drink to enjoy the hillside views from Èze. I ordered a cidre doux or sweet cider and I’m still questioning if it contained alcohol at all. It tasted like fresh apple juice and I sipped happily as I looked out over the Mediterranean. So far, this was my favorite drink in France.

★★★★★

This original Tonkotsu Ramen was hands down the best ramen I’ve ever had. The broth was packed with flavor and each ingredient was a perfect complement to the others. I think the last time I ate ramen was in the Oregon State dining hall. Needless to say, the bar has been raised much higher.

★★★★★

This praline latte was more of a rich dessert than a coffee. It tasted more like les noisettes (hazelnuts) instead of almonds. This is a perfect café to catch up with friends or read a book in a cozy corner. I hope to be a regular customer by the end of this year!

★★★★★

Despite the beautiful presentation, I wasn’t too impressed with this meal. The avocado toast with salmon was just okay. The salmon tasted too salty and I can’t decide if that’s just a French thing or a fault of this restaurant. The balsamic failed to hide how wilted the side salad was, and it did not taste fresh. I think this is my punishment for visiting the same place twice. Onto new things in the future!

★★☆☆☆

Aperol Spritz is all the rage in Italy, its birthplace. I’m still not a fan of the bitterness, but I can appreciate its role as a popular apéritif. Apparently, apéritifs are often bitter to better stimulate your appetite before eating.

★★★☆☆

This pizza was decent, but definitely not the Italian pizza I was promised to fall in love with. This restaurant was on the mainland of Venice and I’m thinking I may have better luck on the island. Unfortunately for this pie, my standards in Italy are extremely high.

★★★☆☆

I took advantage of the hostel bar and tried my first ever cosmopolitan! It was pretty tasty and it happened to match my shirt perfectly. I liked the balance of the sweet and sour and I still feel cool holding a drink in public.

★★★★☆

I’m not really sure what I was doing when I ordered this bizarre creation. We just wanted a place to sit between lunch and dinner so we found this scenic spot. I ordered a cheap pick-me-up appetizer and thought I’d be courageous. This was listed on the menu as “Mozzarella, cuttlefish ink, and salmon”. It really just tasted like 90% mozzarella, 10% salmon in a soggy bread pouch. You win some, you lose some. One extra star for the great view of the canal.

★★☆☆☆

It can be a little overwhelming when you walk along a canal and every single restaurant has a man outside trying to convince you to eat there. This restaurant was no exception, but the service and food were excellent. I ordered the pesto linguini with pistachios and burrata. It was probably the best pasta I’ve ever had, which is fitting for my first pasta in Italy.

★★★★★

Hazelnut gelato in Italy. I don’t have much else to say, I think it speaks for itself.

★★★★★

Thinking back, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a cannoli before. I’m glad I waited for Italy to try this delicacy for the first time. It was everything I needed to fuel my walking exploration of Venice. Crunchy, crispy, creamy, sweet, perfect.

★★★★★

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we’ve been waiting for. From the fresh crust to the melty cheese and generous toppings, I can confidently say this was the best pizza I’ve ever had. Bravo! Plus, this restaurant is further secluded from the crowds of tourists, offering peaceful seating on a pretty street.

★★★★★

When you see that yellow tablecloth, you know to expect five stars. Another incredible meal from Anne! I’m not sure what was more impressive, the flavor of the food or its presentation. Thanks to the language barrier, I can semi-confidently say this was a beef roast. Yum, yum, yum.

★★★★★

I wanted to try something new, so I ordered this Millefeuille. Apparently we call this a Napoleon in America but I’ve never heard of either. The puff pastry was light and flaky with smooth layers of pastry cream. I couldn’t have asked for more from an after-school sweet treat!

★★★★☆