mp413

My parents are visiting me and we are taking a long weekend in Colmar. We plan to also spend some time driving around to neighboring villages. We'll eat all dinners in Colmar, but I think we will eat our lunches in the surrounding areas. Still not positive exactly where, considering Ribeauville, Riquewihr, Obernai, Andlau/Barr, Dambach-la-Ville... Still figuring it out! I would love a couple of recommendations of restaurants with outdoor seating that are in beautiful settings - i.e., on a riverbank surrounded by flowers, on a hilltop overlooking a medieval village.. A really stunning setting and also nice food, of course! (I would rule out any insanely priced 3-star Michelin $50 per app places - we're saving for the next 10 days which will be in Sicily!) I heard Ami Fritz is nice, but doesn't seem to have a particularly exceptional setting.

Many thanks for any recommendations in this area!

mp413

mp413

Gosh - I forgot to mention that our first night in Colmar is my parents' wedding anniversary! So I would definitely like to book something special for that - something where we can sit right on the canal. Would love any recommendations for very beautiful settings on the canal in Colmar! This one can be a bit of a splurge but they will not enjoy if it's the kind of place that charges $50 for an hors d'oeuvre.

Many thanks again

mp413

ira

Hi mp,

http://www.le-maximilien.com/ is a 1* in Zellenberg.

Highly recommended.

Enjoy your visit.

mp413

Thanks ira, that looks lovely! The menu looks wonderful! It's a great suggestion.

Regarding Colmar, I have been doing some research to try and find a nice canal-side resto for the anniversary dinner but they all sound like tourist traps - either with mediocre food, or decent food but where they are rushing you out. (So far read about Bateliers, Echelin, Caveau St Pierre). Are there more options? It looks like JYS is on the canal, but all the reviews I can find seem to be from people who ate indoors!

Thanks again, keep 'em coming

mp413

Rastaguytoday

Gayot's recommendation for a restaurant in Colmar is

Rendez-vous de Chasse. This is also a Michelin 1* restaurant.

http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/ren...fr0610117.html

Michelin's comments. http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...sse-2317-41102

This is TripAdvisor's comments.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...in_Alsace.html

bilboburgler

Having ridden a bike down the Colmar canals/river area |I can't think of anywhere I would like to eat. I suggest looking more in the villages on the slopes of the Vosges as being much prettier and with better views.

Since this is a good touristy spot it is a little hard to sort the trash from the rest but if you want a perfect view then I suggest go up onto the Grand Ballon d'Alsace which is the end of the Vosges and is a very large meadow to the west of Guebwiller, just follow the road signs, there are a couple of restaurants up there which offer simple mountain food and a bottle of Alsace along with the simpler hotdog fare of the local transport caff. But on a good day you can see Mont Blanc and the air is as clear as an elephants eye (sorry I'm struggling with my Gershwin at the moment)

mp413

Thanks for these helpful ideas, it does sound like a great plan to eat lunches in the surrounding areas.

I checked out the Rendez Vous de la Chasse, I had also read about it elsewhere - but does it have outdoor seating?

I am very disappointed that there doesn't seem to be canal-side dining that isn't mediocre. I am really hoping someone will tell me I'm wrong about that! There is a canal-side place called Caveau St Pierre, serving traditional food, which gets pretty good reviews. I would settle for something that isn't on the canal, but that is outdoors in a pretty square or garden?

Thanks to all!

bilboburgler

Well for geographical reasons one of the canals follows the main road the E25 which makes it not the nicest of waterways to linger by. I've never eaten here but this looks very jolly and has punts http://www.lakrutenau-colmar.com

bilboburgler

if you use street view you will see that a bunch of bars and restaurants have canal side seating in the same area, but no punts.....

mp413

I'm now realizing that it might be too cold to eat outside in Colmar! I live in Geneva and it's so far a pretty chilly May. Ate lunch outside yesterday around 3pm in a coat, and was pretty cold. My mom is very temperature sensitive, so I may be scrapping the dinner by the canal idea. So charming indoor places in Colmar are now on the table, too!

StuDudley

Second vote for Maximilien. We dined there about 8-10 years ago and had a wonderful meal. Great views also.

Regarding outside dining in France. Since they banned smoking in restaurants, all the chronic smokers now dine outside. Casual smokers dine outside also. We dine inside, if there is an inside/outside option.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Of course - one of the best restaurants in France is Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern - dining along the Ill river.

We had a very mediocre meal at Les Tetes in Colmar.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

>>Auberge de l'Ill

mp413

Good point about the smoking Stu... None of us are fans of second hand smoking during our meal! I have indeed read about Auberge but I don't think it's a good fit for us for this occasion. I am indeed hoping to try to book at Maximilien for one of our lunches.

Still hoping for some more Colmar dinner recs!