If you’re looking for a down-to-earth, local spot for a quick breakfast or lunch, then Boulangerie d’Ainay is the best bakery in Lyon to meet that need. This bakery offers wonderfully fresh brioche and plenty of pastries in conveniently small sizes, allowing you to satisfy your culinary curiosity by trying a few of their offerings while keeping your lunch light.
Introduction: How I Found the Best Bakery in Lyon
It was the early afternoon on a calm October day, and I was strolling through a peaceful neighborhood in search of lunch on my way to Vieux Lyon, the city’s impressively preserved old town dating back to the Rennaissance era. After walking past the Paroisse Catholique Saint Martin d’Ainay, I found a quaint little bakery on the opposing street corner. I imagined it was the quintessential spot for the local kids to stop for a treat after mass at the nearby church. I decided to step inside and order a light lunch, since I wanted something to fuel my afternoon of sightseeing without filling up before my planned meeting with one of my professors for dinner at a traditional bouchon.
I ordered the brioche nature and a mini eclair au cafe for a light and affordable lunch. The bakery was small and lacked indoor tables, but I luckily found a table outside of a neighboring restaurant that appeared to be closed. The lack of seating is a bit of a drawback, but this provides an excellent excuse to enjoy the peaceful surroundings as long as the weather permits.
Brioche
Having found a peaceful spot in a quiet neighborhood, I tucked into an absolute hidden gem of French culinary excellence. First, I tasted the brioche nature, which essentially translates to “plain brioche.” There was certainly no need for it to have any added flavorings or ingredients, because this was one of the most perfectly executed and fresh baked goods I have ever tried. The brioche was crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, with just enough butter added to the dough to give it a richness of texture without leaving it soggy or thick. The little decorative spikes on top provided some added crispness as well, which was an excellent addition to the texture. The art and complexity that can go into crafting a simple piece of bread is absolutely amazing, and it’s moments like these that are the absolute pinnacle of my endeavors to find affordable hidden gems.
Mini Eclair au Cafe
After this blissful experience, the mini eclair au cafe still remained for me to try. The reason I specify that the eclair is “mini” is because the bakery had a sizable selection of “mini” baked goods to try in addition to their full-sized counterparts. This is an excellent idea and makes the bakery a great location for anyone planning to spend multiple days in Lyon, as you can try a sample of a few of the mini desserts that catch your eye on your first day there, before buying full-sized versions of some of your favorites later on. The mini eclair was delightful, featuring a bold coffee flavor in both the icing on top as well as the rich filling within, and the pastry itself was very fresh. The bitterness of the coffee provided an excellent balance with the mildly sweet cream filling, producing an overall flavor profile that was complex and not overly sweet, which is typically what I look for in a satisfactory dessert. It’s easy to flavor a dessert with an abundance of sugar and syrup, but it’s more of a true art to take the time to craft a unique and nuanced treat like this eclair.
Final Review of Boulangerie d’Ainay
At about 1 EUR for the brioche and 1.5 EUR for the mini eclair, this was absolutely one of the most affordable meals possible at a total of $2.70. The quality of the baked goods here far exceeds the price paid for them. Given that this is one of about two or three times in my life that I’ve been able to obtain such a memorable culinary experience for under $5, I have little doubt that Boulangerie d’Ainay is the best bakery in Lyon and well worth a stop no matter how long you’re planning on staying in the city.