Les Quatre Gourmets
Set just outside the old town in Annecy-le-Vieux, this small Italian table earns its booking-only reputation through a short menu and proper execution. The plates are part of the welcome (Italian cocktails painted across the dishware), the buffalo mozzarella braid arrives before you have decided, and the deconstructed tiramisu is the kind of finish you remember weeks later. Try the parsnip purée with espresso, an unexpected side that has converted regulars. Worth crossing town for, and worth the walk back through the lake gardens after.
where to next?
A village institution since 1875, Café Brunet is run Mathieu Fortin, formerly front of house at Clos des Sens. Expect classic cuisine canaille done properly, from house-made pâté en croûte and comforting pot-au-feu to andouille grilled to order, best enjoyed on the shaded terrace beneath century-old chestnut trees.
