3 Best Restaurants in Colmar, Alsace-Lorraine

Not to be confused with the shabby little Koïfhus winstub on Rue des Marchands, this popular landmark (the name means "customhouse") serves huge portions of regional standards, plus changing specialties like coq au vin with spaetzle or choucroute "Colmarienne" with six different meats. Appreciative tourists and canny locals contribute to the lively atmosphere. If you can cut a swath through this enthusiastic horde, you can sit in the big, open dining room, glowing with wood and warm fabric, or at a shaded table on the broad, lovely square.

This slick gastronomic restaurant in the historic center strikes a chord with in-the-know locals. Art-decked walls provide a fitting backdrop for the artful dishes prepared by chef-owner Loïc Lefebvre, who whips up dazzling creations while his partner, Caroline Cordier, ensures that the service is top-notch.

This eatery in La Petite Venise, with a superb trompe l'oeil façade, is a spinoff of Jean-Yves Schillinger's two-star Michelin restaurant in Colmar. The contemporary dining room has leather sofas and stylish furnishings that provide the perfect setting for the chef's traditional-meets-contemporary menu. In summer the waterside terrace is a bonus.