Strasbourg, Colmar, and the Alsace

The Christmas Market in front of the cathedral in Strasbourg

If you’ve never been to the Alsace region of France, or even considered it for your travel bucket list, I’ve just freshly returned from a few weeks there, and I’m here to tell you that you most definitely should go. I’ve had it on my list for a while, and if you read my last post, you’ll know that it was because we wanted to visit the Capitol of Christmas markets, Strasbourg, but also, as an expert on wine, the region is one of the best white wine regions of the world, and yet remains largely ignored. In my pursuit of all things wine, I needed to see it for myself.

I had three preconceived ideas about Strasbourg and the Alsace region before visiting, one turned out to be true and two were completely false. First, I worried that it would be very cold there in December, and guess what, it is. It’s a damp, penetrating cold that passes right through you carried by a wet fog. If you are going at Christmas time, and you really should, then you’ll need the right waterproof and warm jacket, heavy scarves, warm shoes, and gloves. 

Second, I assumed the food would be too heavy, cheesy, and German for my liking. In fact, the first few days there I avoided eating anything Alsatian, but I eventually started feeling like I was missing out since it was obvious that everyone else visiting was clearly enjoying what they were eating. When I finally broke down and ordered my first Recette de Tarte flambée alsacienne, also known by its German name, Flammekueche, or colloquially as tarteflam, or even just flam, which is a thin crusted pizza, really more like a cracker, covered with a type of cottage cheese, heavy cream, lardon bacon, and onions, I expected it to be a gut bomb. I mean, you just read the ingredients. Didn’t you imagine that, as well? But it turns out to be light as a feather and freaking delicious. Paired with a local Riesling, it was mwah. 

The Airbnb apartment we stayed in was probably built in the 1700s, so the architecture was very northern European with a main door off the street leading into an open courtyard. There were stairwells in the four corners of the courtyard leading up two and three steeply pitched flights of stairs to small apartments. On one side of our building on the ground floor, facing the street, was a restaurant that was so large that its rear windows faced the courtyard. This also meant the smells from the restaurant at lunch and dinner filled the courtyard and our stairwell. The restaurant was called Flam’s, and we smelled melty, cheesy goodness every day and night for weeks. This probably contributed to my eventual capitulation on eating the local cuisine. Once I was broken though, I started seeking out Alsatian food and I was not disappointed. I’ll get it into all the food we ate in just a moment.

The third thing, the truly false assumption I had, was that the people would be unwelcoming and unfriendly. Somehow, I was thinking, it’s cold; strongly German influenced; lots of cheese, pork, and sauerkraut; a regional identity like the Catalan, Basque, or the Burgundians, people who see themselves as pre-Nationalists and somewhat closed off. (I am Alsatian, not French. Hmmmph.) Plus, they get so many tourists, so how could they be anything but frustrated, cold, and abrupt. But I was very wrong. They were so friendly, warm, and actually quite funny. 

Given their geographic location, and the city’s importance in EU government, the Alsatians are impressively polyglot. Almost all of them speak French, German, and English, plus many of the speak the local dialect of Alsace. Many more of them also speak Italian and Spanish, as well. There is nothing as embarrassing as being a single language-speaking American and watching the Alsatian go through their menu of languages trying to find the one you speak. I was in a wine shop, and the shopkeeper approached me and spoke German. That was a first. Usually, it’s French, but more often than not, their radar is tuned correctly, and they just go straight to English. No matter, what made them memorable to me was that rather than the expectation that I speak French, as it is everywhere else in France (Rightfully, so.), they acted as if it was their responsibility to speak my language. For that reason alone, you can feel comfortable traveling to Strasbourg.

Everything is pink

It gets crowded but it’s still a great place to visit

A crispy, sunny morning in Strasbourg

The interior of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg

Chien-hui in front of the Hanssen and Gretel shop

Strasbourg is truly beautiful, especially in the historic city center, the Grande-Île de Strasbourg, and doubly so at Christmas time when everything is decorated. There are canals surrounding this area which makes it even more beautiful with light and trees reflecting off the water. It’s location on the Rhine River with its long history of trading borders with Germany and France over the past few centuries have created a mix of the two, but it’s really a region that is its own place. The architecture, the food, the Christmas traditions, even the wine bottles, are uniquely Alsace.

We took the train one day to Colmar, which is south about half an hour. Colmar is quite a bit smaller than Strasbourg, but similar with its timbered medieval houses that bow and lean with age, the red sandstone cathedrals, the man-made canals, and the highly decorated and pretty little mom and pop shops, but also its high street with the prestige brands, cheese shops, and boulangeries and patisseries with jaw dropping works of edible art drawing noses to windows. Get there early before the crowds overwhelm you, which they are certain to do. The amount of visitors is staggering.

On another day, we also went to an even smaller village, Ribeauvillé, which is famous for being a kind of medieval Christmas village. Pure insanity. Dozens of mega-tour buses fighting to fit on the tiny historic streets, groups of slow-walking seniors blocking the alleyways with their microphone and flag-carrying leaders. Then there are the screaming kids jacked up on sugar crashing into meltdown, testing their parents with incredulous lung power. And, of course, the endless lines for beers, bratwursts, and bathrooms. My advice? Hard pass on this one. Strasbourg is big enough to handle it all, and Colmar is the Goldilocks of the three.

The region is equally beautiful in the Spring and Summer when it’s warm and flower boxes fill every window, but it was quite clear that the money made during the month of December probably funds a lot of children’s college educations. You could almost hear the collective vacuum pulling the euros in. Shops were having sales and nearly everyone had a shopping bag, or three, in their hands as people did their holiday shopping, too.

Colmar

Putting out the Kugelhopf and the butter cookies in Colmar

Patisserie

It’s futile to resist

I will say that Strasbourg and Colmar are high quality places. Everything is beautiful and high end, the stores are unique and elegant, and both towns are spotlessly clean. There is an active and ever-present police presence, too, so given the dense crowds that would make it an easy target, one still feels safe. It’s the kind of place you can wander with child-like wonder. The tiny streets lead off around blind curves that tempt you to explore and bring you to small shops decorated with three-dimensional teddy bears or bird cages, windows bursting with Christmas decorations and beautiful objects. Lights hang on every street, little restaurants and cafés beckon, coffee shops with outdoor seating offer respite while you sit and people watch with your scarf bundled tightly around your neck, and there are many places to grab a beer, a glass of crémant (Champagne-like sparkling wine from Alsace), or a cocktail. I loved it and if it were not for the cold, I might have stayed even longer than the two weeks I already did. I’d even consider living there, honestly, but the Cote d’Azur is impossible to beat with the ever-present sun.

Now, to the food. Strasbourg is an international city, so it offers everything for your palate that you could want. We ate Chinese food, Japanese ramen, Vietnamese, Italian, French, Alsatian, Burgers, Brunch, phenomenal croissants and bread. There was an absolutely amazing butcher around the corner from us, Natacha Bieber. Female butchers aren’t really common here in France, they all seem to be men. I bought large jars of cassoulet from her twice, truffle boudin sausages, chicken, aged entrecôte steak, duck breast, jars of Rillettes made from chicken or rabbit with hazelnuts, and even farmers eggs. When we weren’t dining out, then I was doing my best to make good food in our Airbnb with the dull knives and in the rickety pots and pans that inevitably fill the cupboards.

I’ll list the places we ate at below so when you make your trip to Strasbourg you’ll know where to go.

Junk
9b Rue des Frères, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.junkburgers.com/

One of the best smashburgers I’ve ever had. We ate there twice. Get the cheesy medium with pickles and the fries. Their cookies are massive and worth the calories.

Huntan & Mian
9 Rue des Frères, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.huntunetmian.com/

Right next to Junk, but an entirely different experience. This is elegant, finely prepared Mandarin food, reminiscent of what the emperors used to eat, or what they serve at state dinners today. Must try: Lion Head Dish—Finely selected pork belly balls, cut into small pieces and hand-kneaded, served with a traditional caramelized sauce of yellow rock sugar and Shaoxing yellow rice wine (cooked for 2 hours). Phenomenal. They have a great wine list, too. I had the 2020 Emile Boeckel Extra Brut 100% Chardonnay Crémant D’Alsace and would have guessed a Blanc des Blancs from Champagne if I was tasting it blind.

La Table du Gayot
8 Pl. du Marché Gayot, 67000 Strasbourg
https://la-table-du-gayot.menu-world.com/

A tiny traditional Alsace restaurant with nine tables in a tiny wood-beamed room on the Place du Gayot square run by two men. One in the kitchen and one in the front of the house serving the food and turning the poor people away who weren’t smart enough to make reservations (Non! Complet! (Sad-face)). We had house made foie gras that was the best we’ve ever had. A thick, creamy, and luxurious slice that we slathered on toast. Not gamey in the least. This is what the French eat for Christmas. I also had deer stew in cranberry sauce and Chien-hui had pork cheeks, both came with traditional spaetzle and pickled red cabbage. On my first day in Strasbourg, you could not have paid me to eat this traditional Alsatian food, but by day 15, I was converted and loved every bite. It was beautiful winter food paired with Alsatian Pinot Noir from Mossbach.

In Vino Veritas
25 Pl. de la Cathédrale, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.restaurant-invinoveritas.com/

Another tiny restaurant of nine tables serving great Italian food. They have great focaccia to start with. We ate off the specials menu the night we went. Chien-hui went with a house-made tagliatelle with gambas in a lobster bisque sauce and I ate lamb chops with gnocchi and black trumpet mushrooms. I washed it down with a 2016 Erbaluna Barolo from La Morra. We met the chef earlier in the day sitting in front of the restaurant chain smoking. An older gruff woman. She said, “I am the chef!” She was right.

Bún-Tastic
51B rue du Fossé des Tanneurs, 67000 Strasbourg
https://buntastic.fr/

A little Vietnamese shop run by a super-friendly mother-daughter team. They only make Bún, the cold Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad with fresh topping of cucumber, carrots, lettuce, peanuts, pork, and fish sauce. They also top it with a Nem, a deep-fried spring roll filled with your choice of chicken, pork, or vegetables. It made for a quick and healthy lunch one afternoon.

La Fignette
5 Rue de la Vignette, 67000 Strasbourg
https://lafignette.com/

Another Alsatian Bistro that we had lunch at when our friends Tim and Michelle Simmons came to visit us in Strasbourg for the day. This is where I ate my first Tart Flamme, mushroom gratin (Bacon, onions, mushrooms, Emmental cheese), and a delicious apple tart for dessert. We got there a bit early which turned out to be smart because when we finished eating and came back out, the line to get a table was down the block. No reservations here.

Le Bistrot d’Antoine
3 Rue de la Courtine, 67000 Strasbourg
https://lebistrotdantoine.fr/

Continuing the theme of small restaurants with few tables (be sure to book ahead of time), this French restaurant had a crowd waiting in front the night we went. Everyone had a reservation and wanted to get inside as fast as possible because the fog was so thick and cold. They seated us quickly and the place was instantly full, the windows steamed and dripped. The smells inside only made me more ferociously hungry. I started with cream of green lentil soup “from Le Puy” and a slice of Morteau sausage floating in the center of the bowl, a fatty delicious pork sausage from the Franche-Comté region of France. Chien-hui enjoyed traditional deviled eggs with mayonnaise and smoked eels. We then both had their famous braised beef chuck roast that begins its braising at 5:00 a.m. Think beef bourguignons, more rustic, but equally tender and delicious. Since I was having lentils from Le Puy, I paired it with a beautiful Le Puy Cru Morgon from Beaujolais. That was the right thing to do. 

La Rizerie T-Nha-Trang
14 Place St Étienne, 67000 Strasbourg
https://la-riziere.fr/

This tiny Vietnamese spot sits directly across from a private Catholic high school in Place Étiene and it’s clearly a favorite when the kids break for lunch as the restaurant can go from zero to 30 people in line waiting to order a banh-mi sandwich, a soup, or a salad in less than five minutes. The husband-and-wife team who run the place make your food right on the spot in front of you and then expect you to get the F out. Chien-hui wasn’t feeling well at one point, so I walked over there two days in a row to bring her back their Five-Flavor Chicken soup with vermicelli, which helped her regain her strength. I had their pork banh-mi sandwich. Hell yes. Popularity is well-deserved.

La Cantina
12-15 Place du Marché Gayot, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.lacantinarestaurant.fr/

This is a highly recommended and popular wood-fired pizza place in Place du Gayot. We went one night for pizza, but I was suddenly distracted by a gnocchini with truffle cream sauce pasta dish that I did not regret ordering. Chien-hui still had her pizza, the Carciofi with tomato sauce, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, parmesan, mozzarella, and basil. I had the 2014 Erbaluna Barolo Castagni with my truffled pasta. Mmm. Yes. The peanut butter and jelly of the Piemonte region of Italy.

Hey Mamma
3 rue des Pucelles, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.heymama-restaurant.com/

This hipster brunch spot serves brunch food with a Senegalese influence. The day we went they were fully booked but asked us if we’d be okay sitting at a kid’s table and we said, of course. In the back they have an area for kids to play and learn and pint sized furniture, but we were hungry so there we sat. Two other couples joined us, one couple from South Africa and another young couple who were very in love and kept making out at the table while we were eating. To be young again. The food?! I had a Benedict with a huge poached egg and cassava leaf pesto and Chien-hui had spicy African broken rice with a kind of jerk chicken, soya beans, and red cabbage. Very different, but super healthy and the most important part, very delicious.

While the entire city is strategically covered in boulangeries, cheese shops selling Meunster, and good wine shops, here are three we really liked. Plus, that butcher I mentioned.

L’Atelier 116 Bakery
53 All. de la Robertsau, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.yelp.com/biz/atelier-116-strasbourg

This place is absolutely Instagrammable and has the constant line to prove it, but damn, it’s really worth the short wait. Everything here is the best. Croissants go without saying, but so were the eclairs, the bread, the madeleine, all of it. Just go and suck it up. But please, stop saying your going to “Do” the Cafe Latte. The French don’t understand how you do coffee.

Maison Lohro Cheese Shop
Lorho House, 3 rue des Orfèvres, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.maison-lorho.fr/

It’s France. It’s cheese. What do you want? Seriously, what do you want because whatever it is, they have it. Muenster is the local favorite made in nearby Germany.

Vino Strada
1 Rue du Temple Neuf, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.vinostrada.com/Les-caves

My favorite wine shop in Strasbourg. I made several visits, surprise. Run by Isabelle Kraemer for the past 25 years, and staffed by several very knowledgeable young women sommeliers, this shop is where to go when you want wine from not only the Alsace but other parts of the world. I got my precious Italian wine while I was there. This is often hard to find in France. I was helped by Mathilda who let me taste a number of small producers and I discovered one I really liked, Maison Paul Gaschy, from Eguisheim, a small Grand Cru area from Alsace. Vino Strada also has a great restaurant across the street with a talented young chef (who is the boyfriend of Mathilda), but I never got the chance to eat there because it was always sold out.

Boucherie Natacha Bieber
17 Rue de la Croix, 67000 Strasbourg
https://www.natacha-bieber.fr/

Like I said, this butcher has amazing quality products. Natacha was very friendly and helpful every time I visited. She speaks perfect English and hey, who doesn’t like buying meat from a skilled artist with sharp knives in her hands? Seriously, she knows her stuff and brings in only the best meats and jarred goods. I could eat that cassoulet every week. Empty the contents in a small sauce pan and heat. Pan sear a duck breast in another frying pan until the skin is crispy and the interior is just pink. Put the heated-through cassoulet in warm bowls and top with the sliced duck breast. Pair with Pinot Noir and crusty baguette. Heaven. Definitely go there when you visit.

And finally, one honorable mention for Colmar.

Matoine Bistrot
14 Rue Étroite, 68000 Colmar
https://www.matoine-bistrot.fr/

This little place was off the beaten path but what a joy. The food was Alsatian, but they also had a number of Austrian dishes on the menu. I started with seared foie gras, creamy turnip, citrus condiment, then I had a pork dish with root vegetables that was simply prepared and delicious, and I finished with the cheese plate. One of the cheeses was the only blue cheese made in the Alsace, and it was so strong, it made my eyes water. Goodness. I paired that with a dry Gewurztraminer, but the blue cheese stomped on it like it was a bug. No match whatsoever. Chien-hui had a really delicious pork short rib dish that was so good. Pork short ribs? Who knew?

Obviously, we didn’t starve while we were in Strasbourg. We started this journey on November 24, and we’ve visited Paris, Reims in Champagne, and Strasbourg over the past three weeks. My step counter says we walked 70 miles and climbed 125 stairs so I can tell myself we burned it all off. Sure, we did.

Your happy travelers