The story
Söma is a modern bistrot on Place Saint-Paul in Lyon’s historic Vieux Lyon district. The restaurant keeps the codes of the genre—open kitchen, intimate dining room, short menu changed regularly, fresh seasonal produce—and adds a Mediterranean accent. It’s relaxed, unpretentious, and driven by flavor.
Chef Sarah Hamza opens Söma as her first restaurant. The spices and Mediterranean flavors that shaped her palate as a child are the foundation of her cooking. She brings the confidence of experience and the curiosity of new encounters, translating them into a concise, evolving menu of modern cuisine. The result is a personal, ingredient-led approach that feels both grounded and surprising.
Söma’s balanced, confident cooking earned it a Michelin Recommended distinction in 2026—a nod to the precision and warmth of Hamza’s modern cuisine. The restaurant is open for lunch Friday to Saturday, and for dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
The Saint-Paul watchmaker better watch out: Söma is about to stop the clock! At this miniature bistro on Place Saint-Paul with sky blue tiling and a framed photograph of French soccer player Zizou on the wall, local chef Sarah Hamza (who we previously noticed at Mory Sacko’s restaurant) brings a touch of youth to the Vieux-Lyon neighborhood with her generous Mediterranean dishes. Making their way out of the open kitchen the day we went for lunch: a decadent cod roe taramasalata, served with black lime and crispy-cheesy tapioca; a comforting bowl of orzo bathed in a smoking hot broth with homemade harissa, clams, sea beans and trout roe – or a tender chicken cordon bleu, wrapped up in fried angel hair pasta and placed atop a broad bean and carrot mousseline, all enhanced with a pistachio condiment and mizuna (Japanese mustard greens); before some deliciously comforting Greek yogurt covered in pomegranate molasses, fresh strawberries, halva and crushed pistachios for dessert. A chef at the sömmit of her talent! // Eddie Muffin
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