At the Petit Café Rose

This coffee shop is in the corner of rue Chevreul and rue de Marseille, two steps from the university (by the campus on the quays), so you can't miss it: indeed, as indicated by its name, it stands out from the greyness of the surrounding buildings as it's pink, a well visible colour from a far distance. The inside is also pink, of course. Apart from this, it looks like any other small coffee shop, with a balcony where you can enjoy the sun on nice days, a coffee shop, a hall of standard size and upstairs there's a small corner a bit more cosy with small benches.

Similarly to all small coffee shops in rue Chevreul, its strategic location from two steps from the university and from the university library (BU) Chevreul, makes it a popular place for students at midday or after lessons where they eat at an affordable price or grab a beer with friends. Some people are always there, others just go for fun, but it is true that you easily get used to that place and those who studied in the campus by the quays in Lyon will probably have at least one memory from there. I went there often to meet up some friends when I was in my third year of my undergraduate degree last year.

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After all, of course, if you don't want to see people from uni, you should avoid that street. This might be obvious, but I am saying it because for example, on a hot day, after an end of term exam, I was having a glass of beer on the balcony with some classmates and other classmates arrived. One of them asked me a question about the exam and they sat next to us. A bit later, others came and they joined us too. In a short time, we ended up being in 12 and we were only five at the beginning.

In regards to the menu, the drinks that are there are really the basic ones that you would find in a small pub (beer, coffe, hot chocolate, fruit juice, syrups, fizzy drinks). The menu is not very traditional (some sandwiches, salad, toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a dish of the day), basically everything needed when eating in a rush and the prices are affordable (but make sure that you have enough cash because they don't accept cards. Having said that, if you don't have enough cash, there is a cash machine opposite to the coffee shop).

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I ate there only twice because I used to live two steps from the university and thus, I usually used to go back home and the only time that I wanted to go back there for dinner at around 8 pm, it was closed. Having said that, on my first time I ordered a salmon sandwich which was delicious (with some tomatoes, bechamel and all that, it was well grilled) and on my second time I ate a dish of the day (chicken curry with rice and some vegetables) and it was very nice too, for an average price (around 10 euros).

If you have the occasion to go to this small coffee shop with your friends, you should know that there is nothing special but it's worth going there again and it's surrounded by Lyon 2 and 3 students' life.