On Rue Sommeiller, Bloomer serves some of Annecy’s most quietly inventive cooking from its open kitchen. The menu is built around seasonal small plates: delicate pastry puffs filled with trout tarama and candied lemon, rösti potatoes worth ordering twice, celery root ravioli and fresh sashimi. The wine list is longer than the menu, and the owner knows it inside out. 

Forget couture and fridge magnets – Annecy's finest souvenir comes wrapped in paper. Run by Meilleur Ouvrier de France Pierre Gay since 1935, this tiny cheese shop is a paradise for fromage lovers, with more than 120 carefully curated cheeses, all matured in the spectacular glass-fronted cellar downstairs.

We would call it the prettiest concept store in town. Sitting on Rue de la Poste, come to Biutiful for its curated selection of beauty, home decor, and lovely jewellery – think of Aesop and Astier de Villatte – from all around the world.

Run by a Vietnamese family on Rue Vaugelas, Mamie Anh draws a lunchtime queue for its bò bún, soft bánh bao, and a vegetarian bánh mì served on a baguette baked in-house. The portions are generous and the seasoning straightforward (bring your own hot sauce if you like things properly Vietnamese-spicy). Take it away for a picnic on the Pâquier lawns or squeeze into one of the few indoor seats. This is a small, unfussy address that locals tend to get protective about and visitors often stumble upon by accident.