Must-see restaurants in French Alps & the Jura Mountains

  • Les Louvières

    The Jura Mountains

    The 'wolf's lair' is both elegant and creatively modern, with gorgeous Jura views and delicious, gastronomique cuisine. Chef Philippe Vaufrey is fond of…

  • Le Cap Horn

    Chamonix

    Housed in a candelit, two-storey chalet decorated with model sailing boats – joint homage to the Alps and Cape Horn – this highly praised restaurant,…

  • Restaurant Grain de Sel

    The Jura Mountains

    Hidden in a cellar on Dole historic rue Pasteur, the 'Grain of Salt' feels instantly contemporary with flashes of violet and acid green against its…

  • Les Halles

    Chambéry

    Swift service and charmingly retro decor set the tone at Les Halles, where regional and classic French dishes are executed simply and with finesse…

  • La Balance Mets et Vins

    The Jura Mountains

    Inside a charismatic 18th-century building, La Balance uses local, organic produce to produce signature dishes such as coq au vin with morel mushrooms,…

  • Les Tables d'Antan

    Besançon

    Thoughtful service adds finesse to Les Tables d'Antan's rustic cuisine, served beneath dangling farm tools and cartwheels. Potato or pasta gratins (creamy…

  • Le Saint-Pierre

    Besançon

    Crisp white tablecloths, exposed stone and subtle lighting create an understated backdrop for Le Saint-Pierre's intense flavours: roast lamb in crushed…

  • Les Vieilles Luges

    Chamonix

    This 250-year-old farmhouse, strung with farming tools and vintage sledges, can only be reached on skis or by 20-minute hike from the Maison Neuve…

  • Food Market

    Annecy

    Snaking along rue Ste-Claire, this open-air food market reels you in with the scent of garlic-fried frogs' legs and Savoyard cheeses. Honey, homemade…

  • Au Clair de Lune

    Grenoble

    This tiny restaurant is freshening the palates of cheese-fatigued grenoblois with its vegetarian-leaning menu, from stuffed cabbage to creamy spinach…

  • Auberge Napoléon

    Grenoble

    If you dream of mannerly service in an 18th-century French salon, this is your place. Mirrors, baroque trimmings and white tablecloths establish the…

  • Munchie

    Chamonix

    Franco-Japanese-Scandinavian fusion may not be the most obvious recipe for success, but this casual, Swedish-skippered restaurant has been making diners…

  • Le Comptoir Nordique

    Chamonix

    This design-conscious diner marries Scandinavian style with crisp Nordic flavours. Within, the Comptoir is defined by clean lines and slate tiles. Seafood…

  • L’Atelier

    Chambéry

    Chef Gilles Herard – who's worked in the kitchens of gastronomic princes like Alain Ducasse and Paul Bocuse – works the stoves in this brick-vaulted wine…

  • L’Esquisse

    Annecy

    A talented husband-and-wife team runs the show at this intimate Michelin-starred restaurant. Their passion shines through in the service, wine list and…

  • Pizzeria des Moulins

    Chamonix

    Cham's best pizzas, piled with buffalo mozzarella, forest mushrooms and Savoyard ham, puff up in the oven of this little gourmet joint. Reservations are…

  • Le Poker d’As

    Besançon

    With its thoughtful blend of traditional and creative French fare – turbot on a bed of chorizo and tomato; chicken with morels and vin jaune (a regional…

  • Edouard Hirsinger

    The Jura Mountains

    Browse displays of ornate éclairs, coffee-almond 'Opéra' cake, and ginger ganache enveloped in the darkest chocolate. The choice of expertly made…

  • Crèmerie du Glacier

    Chamonix

    A wooden forest chalet is the setting for Chef Claudy's croûte aux fromages (bread drenched in a secret white-wine sauce, topped with cheese and baked)…

  • Marché Beaux-Arts

    Besançon

    This covered food market showcases cheese, charcuterie, fruit and veg from around the Jura. It's a bustling, workaday place where locals do their shopping…

  • L’Étage

    Annecy

    The vintage-inspired decor and bar-side tables scream ‘brasserie’, but l’Étage, within a 17th-century building, has loftier aspirations, serving…

  • La Cuisine des Amis

    Annecy

    If your group is torn about where to dine, the Moroccan and French dishes served in this airy salon setting will please all palates. The menu is evenly…

  • Bistrot des Claquets

    The Jura Mountains

    Loved by vignerons (winegrowers) and other locals, this unpretentious, convivial little place serves fantastic French country fare, but only at lunchtime…

  • Le Denti

    Annecy

    A few blocks south of the old town, this unassuming restaurant follows the seasons, drawing inspiration from local market produce. The menu's carefully…

  • Hibou Deli

    Chamonix

    This minuscule shopfront kitchen nourishes fondue-weary diners with big portions of sticky miso aubergine, cauliflower korma and other earthy dishes…

  • Le Panier des 4 Saisons

    Chamonix

    Brimming with chatter and bonhomie, this semiformal, wood-panelled establishment serves substantial, Italian-influenced dishes such as deer with polenta…

  • Le GouThé

    Chamonix

    This relaxed, welcoming tearoom serves more than a dozen kinds of hot chocolate including cardamom-spiced, Grand Marnier–laced and 'chocomiel' (with a…

  • La Festina Lente

    Grenoble

    In a setting somewhere between your great-aunt's living room and a garden centre, this grungy but loveable cafe offers mostly vegetarian and vegan set…

  • Restaurant le Lac

    The Jura Mountains

    The restaurant within century-old Hôtel le Lac is a time-warp back to a lost era of fine dining. The Louis XVI salon (huge mirrors, chandeliers, baroque…

  • Brasserie 1802

    Besançon

    With a terrace spilling out on to tree-shaded place Granvelle, this glass-fronted brasserie mixes brassy style with virtuoso French cooking, like scallops…

  • La Sergenterie

    The Jura Mountains

    Carve up pizzas or twirl hunks of bread in fondue beneath 17th-century stone vaults of this cellar restaurant, just off Poligny's main square. Menu…

  • La Tête à l'Envers

    Grenoble

    Tipping French cuisine upside down (sometimes literally), little La Tête à l'Envers has an ever-changing menu that presents seasonal ingredients in…

  • Le Chaudron

    Chamonix

    Making stylish use of a 100-year-old mule stable (the faux cowhide recalling its rustic origins), the Cauldron offers Savoyard cuisine with a twist, in a…

  • Le Petit Bouche

    Grenoble

    Festooned with vintage bric-a-brac, with time-scuffed floors and a narrow open bar-kitchen, Le Petit Bouche enjoys a loyal following. Its classic bistro…

  • La Cuisine des Tontons

    Grenoble

    Reserve ahead for the generous menus at this whimsically decorated bistro – decked out in homage to the 1963 French caper flick Les Tontons Flingeurs…

  • Ciao a Te

    Grenoble

    Emilian and Pugliese dishes jostle with the food of Naples and Sicily in this perennially popular trattoria. Enter through the kitchen and loosen your…

  • La Fruitière d'Augustin

    Chambéry

    Specialising in the cheeses of Savoie for three generations, this family-run fromagerie, located just across the square from the Marché des Halles, is the…

  • Minami

    Annecy

    If you're in the mood for well-executed versions of international Japanese standards – prawn tempura, okonomiyaki (pancake), aubergine in miso sauce – you…

  • Halles Ste-Claire

    Grenoble

    Built in 1874, this covered market is crammed with local cheeses, patisserie, wine and deli fare including quenelles (breadcrumbed torpedoes of fish) and…

  • CreaBistro

    Annecy

    A zestier alternative to heavier Savoyard cuisine, this build-your-own Thai noodle bar does a roaring trade from a small shopfront. Choose a rice or…