NH Bar

Near Terminal 1 security, NH Bar is your sit-down option

NH Bar sits landside near Lyon Saint-Exupéry’s Terminal 1 check-in desks, so it works before security or if you’re meeting someone off a flight. It’s part of the NH hotel complex right by the terminal, so you can walk over in a couple of minutes if the terminal cafés are rammed. Think classic lobby bar setup: counter seats, a few tables, and hotel guests mixing with passengers rolling their bags.

Expect French-leaning hotel bar food at airport prices: burgers and club sandwiches around €16–€20, salads closer to €14–€17, and desserts like mousse or tart in the €7–€9 range. Drinks run higher than in town: soft drinks roughly €4–€5, draft beer €6–€8, and basic wine by the glass from about €6. Menus usually run until late evening, roughly 22:00–23:00, but the bar may keep serving drinks a bit past the kitchen closing.

Compared with the grab-and-go spots inside Terminals 1 and 2, NH Bar gives you actual plates, cutlery, and a place to park your carry-on for 45 minutes. Service speed varies with hotel occupancy; with a quiet dining room you can be in and out in under an hour, but at peak check-in times it can stretch to 60–70 minutes. Factor that in if you still need to clear security in T1 or T2 afterward.

If you land late into Terminal 2 and find most airside outlets shut by 22:00, NH Bar is often still pouring drinks and serving something warm. It’s walkable from T2 in roughly 8–10 minutes via the covered walkways that link the terminals to the on-site hotels. That beats trekking into Lyon Part-Dieu for a quick bite when you just want food before sleep.

Practical tip: ask for the bill as soon as your main course arrives; at Lyon Saint-Exupéry, a 15-minute slip at NH Bar can be the difference between an easy screening in Terminal 1 and a sprint to boarding.