Alsatian wine without food is like homemade waffle cones without ice cream. What makes a visit to the northeastern French wine region especially appealing is the extent to which culinary options have improved. Having lived in Strasbourg for the better part of the last 27 years, I have noticed over this time an upturn in customer service – and not just for the expensive locations.
Dining in Alsace: Nine top spots to try
Amitié
Hartmannswiller
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
Part of the recently renovated 12th century manor Château Ollwiller, Amitié opened in May 2024 and combines elegance and insouciance with indoor and outdoor seating, including a private table facing an impressive Galician-made Charcoa grill for superb steaks. Chef Holger Strütt has international experience, using estate garden grown produce to craft regional and international dishes. Don’t miss his lobster soup. Some restaurants skimp on the lobster, but not here.
L’Atelier du Peintre
Colmar
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
From grilled sea bream with cassis and chanterelles in sweet onion sauce with dill, to roasted rabbit with gnocchi and sweet and sour zucchini served in a saffron and coriander infused reduction jus, chef Loïc Lefèbvre and his team continue to merit the Michelin star earned in 2011. Centrally located in the historic Alsatian city of Colmar, an ideal choice for a special occasion. Elegant décor within a 15th century building in semi-private rooms, the attentive and friendly service meets the standards of the superlative cuisine served here.
Le Belvédère
Voegtlinshoffen
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
Take a break from the Alsatian wine route for local cheese and charcuterie – the fresh oven-baked pretzels are not to be missed – and delicious Crémant at this wine bar located at Maison Joseph Cattin, known for traditional method sparkling wines. My favourite is the Cattin Sauvage Brut: organic, dry, precise and delicious. While sipping, soak in a magnificent view of vineyards, the Vosges mountains, the Black Forest and even the Alps.
Le Buerehiesel
Strasbourg
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
Set in Strasbourg’s gorgeous Orangerie Park in an early 17th century building, a top dining destination in Alsace for lunch or dinner. Chef Eric Westermann and his team stress local ingredients – from in-season vegetables and herbs grown on location, to locally farm-raised pigeon. An absolute must: frog legs in chervil and butter sauce, crafted from a 45-year-old recipe, balanced by Alsace Melfor vinegar. End your meal with the colour coordinated brioche à la bière – an original and delicious dessert of pain perdu infused with locally brewed beer, accompanied by poached pear and beer ice cream. Sommelier Maxime Petit has 1,000 wines from which to choose the right pairings.
Ondine
Strasbourg
From left: Marin Remy, Noémie D’hooge and sommelier Valeria Barrera. Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
Chefs Noémie D’hooge and Marin Remy propose delicate yet intensely flavoured foods such as filet of river trout, which is the tenderest I know. Marinated and left for six days in the refrigerator, it is cooked at low heat for two hours then served with zesty citron sauce and mild fennel puree for textural complement. Try the celeriac, cut like tagliatelle and barbecued for savoury flavour served over celeriac puree, topped with whisked egg whites, vinaigrette and parsley. An autumn menu preference is homemade saffron-infused ravioli stuffed with garlic cream and kaffir lime zest, topped with pumpkin sauce with saffron and lime leaves for zing. A wide choice of both ‘natural’ and conventional wines (and non-alcohol infusions). Two years after opening, Ondine has obtained a deserved listing in the 2025 Michelin Guide. Be sure to reserve as it only fits 12 guests in a discrete location near Petite France.
Marie & Cyril: Le Parc Hôtel
Obernai
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
After having worked for top restaurants in Paris, Tokyo, Las Vegas and Dubai, Marie and husband Cyril Bonnard use local produce for refined cuisine in a discerning setting that merits a Michelin star. As a starter, savour the sheer tenderness of their Wagyu beef carpaccio accompanied by chanterelles in a tangy ponzu truffle sauce. A main course highlight is copious and opulent pan seared Noix de Saint Jacques with mushrooms in a creamy parmesan sauce. Sommelier Jean-Noël Graff has a long wine list with many top Alsatian dry whites for optimal pairings.
La Pompette
Strasbourg
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
‘The French lack the word “hospitable” but we strive for that,’ says co-owner Ilona Garnier, a trained sommelier who has worked at Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley and the luxurious Hôtel Cala Rossa in Corsica. With zero pretentiousness, La Pompette, which opened in 2023, proposes superb food in a relaxed yet elegant Art Nouveau setting with top notch staff, especially talented chef Mahaut Michel. The menu and by-the-glass selections change monthly. In October 2024, I enjoyed homemade mushroom-stuffed ravioli in a light cream sauce with livèche parsley, served with pan-seared girolles and chanterelles. Another plus is the pricing, which in our inflation plagued era, is also friendly.
La Vieille Enseigne
Strasbourg
Credit: La Vieille Enseigne
For traditional Alsatian cuisine with class, seek no further. Richly elegant wooden seating and décor – including original lithographs by famous Alsatian artist Tomi Ungerer – sets the stage for a menu ranging from homemade goose foie gras and seven-meat choucroute Alsacienne to pikeperch filet on a bed of choucroute in a Riesling sauce. The fresh vegetables are superb and do not miss the best onion tart I have ever had in my over 25 years in Alsace. Wine lovers reach nirvana with over 400 Alsatian wines on the list that include verticals of top estates like Maison Trimbach and Domaine Josmeyer. Contrary to what the name suggests, this restaurant not only survived opening just before Covid struck, but it has thrived with a recent, well-deserved listing in the Michelin Guide.
3.14 Bistrot Authentique
Strasbourg
Credit: Panos Kakaviatos
This spot proposes 100 wines by the glass and local charcuteries and cheeses – and has become a big hit in the heart of Strasbourg. Emilie Forterre – who worked for Grands Chais de France for six years – and husband and chef Pierre Bonnet have created an opulent yet easy-going dual setting: 1960s-era bistro ambiance on the ground level and 1920s speakeasy décor on the lower level including a hidden passage to a cigar lounge. They propose a wide variety of spirits including single malt whiskies and fine Cognacs to go with your cigar.
