4 Best Restaurants in Grenoble, Lyon and the Alps

Blend in with the locals at this ever-popular dining room, where old stone walls are burnished by a cascade of pendant lights and happy diners spill out onto the sidewalk in nice weather. Recalling the ancient name for the region (Dauphiné) and the area's famous AOC walnut (noix), the logic here isn't hard to follow: local, seasonal dishes made with top-quality ingredients. The menu is short but focused, with housemade fois gras with local Chartreuse, Jerusalem artichoke cream, and truffles to start, followed by tender chicken breast with crayfish and gratin Dauphinois or filet of local mountain trout. For dessert, don't miss the chocolate-walnut tart.

The sleek, loft-like bistrot won a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for its great-value, top-quality market menu that's reinvented daily according to the inspiration of the two young chefs and "what the earth offers us." Along with stunning dishes that please the eye as much as the palate—white asparagus with pistachio mousseline; locally made burrata with wild garlic, herbs, and leeks; gyoza dumplings with homemade kimchi and locally grown shiitakes—you'll find a tantalizing list of local organic wines. As a foodie favorite in Grenoble, be sure to make reservations whether you're coming for lunch or dinner.

Deep blues and pearly grays dominate this elegantly streamlined dining room where chef Élie Michel-Villaz has made seasonality and simplicity his hallmark. Dishes change weekly, but diners have come to rely on his ingenious combinations of local grass-fed meats and organic vegetables with exotic accents, like tonka bean or smoked eel. What's more, the wine list is outstanding, prices are gentle, and you're encouraged to taste, sip, and savor this reliably delicious cuisine at your leisure.

Wine and spirit lovers should head to this convivial wine bar, where you can sample more than 1,000 wines (many of them biodynamic, organic, or pesticide-free) and 200 whiskies, rums, and Chartreuses, all by the glass (and starting at €5). There are plenty of tasty small plates to highlight the deliciousness of the wines: artisanal charcuterie, copious cheese boards, foie gras, and other homemade terrines, tapenade, and hummus, all served with delicious crusty bread. There's a small selection of tempting desserts too. Join the enthusiastic patrons at the endless wooden table or enjoy a more intimate tasting at a smaller round table or banquette.