About 400 years old, this charming house is one of Lyon's most frequently filmed and photographed taverns. Simple wooden tables in wood-panel dining rooms, quirky art on every wall, heavy-bottom pot lyonnais wine bottles—every detail is obviously pampered and lovingly produced. The salade lyonnaise (green salad with homemade croutons and sautéed bacon, topped with a poached egg) or the rognons madère (kidneys in a Madeira sauce) are standouts.

Whether sitting amid the mahogany interiors of Café Comptoir Abel or the more contemporary stylings of Le Bouchon des Cordeliers, diners should expect punchy flavours at every turn. Onion, butter and offal dominate menus at these family-owned spots, where dishes are often served with a carafe of local wine.

Le Comptoir Abel, c’est presque un siècle de terroir, où l’on vient se délecter d’un poulet aux morilles, de rognons sauce madère ou d’une quenelle de brochet dans un décor figé dans le temps, à base de plafonds à la française, de parquets cirés et de plusieurs objets chinés. On notera aussi l’arrivée de son petit frère, le Bistrot d’Abel, qui sublime la cuisine traditionnelle lyonnaise en lui apportant une petite touche de modernité.

Next, the pair visit another local restaurant in the 2nd arrondissement: Le Café Comptoir Abel. Citing themselves as «Le plus vieux bouchon lyonnais», Le Café Comptoir Abel is certainly one of the oldest bars in town and will likely stay around a while longer – thanks to Bourdain’s visit. On-screen we see he enjoys fresh pike folded in dough, with a creamy Nantua made with crayfish, Crème fraîche, white wine, and a splash of red wine.

And of course, you can't visit Lyon without indulging in the local cuisine at a traditional bouchon (we like Café Comptoir Abel). These cozy, welcoming restaurants serve up classic Lyonnaise dishes, such as andouillette (a type of sausage), coq au vin (chicken stew), quenelles (fish or meat dumpling in a creamy sauce), and tarte praline (a pink praline tart). The perfect way to warm up on a chilly spring day!

Once you are through the door it becomes clear that this is the absolute archetypal French restaurant with traditional Lyonnaise cuisine filling the menu. Offal and butter feature heavily. We indulged ourselves with foie gras, andouillete (offal filled sausages)and veal sweetbreads revelling in the gluttony.

Café Comptoir Abel (Abel Counter Cafe) serves a unique pike quenelle with a béchamel sauce that includes mushrooms instead of the traditional Nantua or crustacean sauce. The staff takes great pride in their quenelle, and rightly so. Established in 1928, Café Comptoir Abel is a cherished institution in Lyon.

On my final stop of my eating-like-Bourdain-through-Lyon venture, I went to Cafe Comptoir Abel. Similarly to Bouchon Comptoir Brunet, I was worried about being able to get a table here since it’s quite popular. However, I got lucky and was able to score a table for one upon arrival (sometime around 8PM).

As Anthony Bourdain put it, a bouchon is a “uniquely Lyonnaise institution”. It is a laid-back pub/bistro with a “limited, usually old-school menu”. And if there is one iconic dish to represent Lyonnaise bouchon, it would be Quenelle de Brochet, which he sampled at Bouchon Comptoir Abel.

Located in the 2nd district of Lyon, Café Comptoir Abel is not exactly a "bouchon", but a bar / café. Nonetheless, this is the ideal place to get your feet wet into Lyon's culture. This bar is one of the most ancient of the town, and is absolutely fantastic.

You can visit this Lyon street cafe at 25, rue Guynemer, 69002. Call ahead to make a reservation at: 04 78 37 46 18, or visit their website: Le Cafe Comptoir Abel. Group bookings are available, and five rooms in the restaurant can seat up to 150 people.

This was a handy pitstop before dinner at Cafe Comptoir Abel (see below), right beside the Abbey of Saint-Martin d'Ainay. They have a daily changing list of wines by the glass, and we were asked what we liked and poured a glass of something accordingly.

Un bouchon lyonnais comme on en fait de moins en moins, où Bertrand Tavernier a tourné plusieurs scènes de son film L’Horloger de Saint-Paul. Les quenelles de brochet sont toujours aussi voluptueuses et l’andouillette sauce moutarde irremplaçable.

Allow yourself to be carried away by the town's oldest and most authentic bistro: a unique and exceptional atmosphere awaits you. This is an address you won't want to forget in Lyon!

Laissez-vous séduire par le plus vieux et le plus authentique bistrot de la ville : une ambiance singulière et d’exception règne sur les lieux. Une adresse incontournable à Lyon !

I'll re-post a response I made to a similar question on this forum a few months ago (I know you've been to Café Comptoir Abel but it was mentioned in the original response).