ANTO Restaurant — Restaurant in Annecy

I admit that cultural differences between fine dining in France and fine dining in the U.S. (as well as a very challenging language barrier) may be partly to blame for our negative experience at ANTO last week, but even still I cannot recommend a visit. With the notable exception of the small dish of popcorn served at the start of our meal, which appeared to be broken and stale pieces from the bottom of a store bought bag that were haphazardly dressed with a generic seasoning mix, all of our dishes were very good. The pork and fish were well cooked and presented and the starters were even better. That is unfortunately where the positives end. We were offered champagne to start, but were never given the wine list despite its presence on all of the other diners' tables (maybe this is cultural? should we have had to request to see it?). Long after our champagne glasses (and water glasses) were empty, we finally asked if we could have some wine with our meal. And the service did not improve. It was clear we were not a priority table that night and received the corresponding level of attention. Our meal ended with a 45 minute wait to receive and pay the bill, all while those drink glasses remained empty. Due to the unseasonably warm weather in Anncey, it was quite hot and uncomfortable in the restaurant (not ANTO's fault, of course) and we each made repeated trips to the restroom and outside to cool off while we waited...and waited. We were disappointed. I would suggest a good place for improvement would be for the restaurant to hire an additional server and keep the wine and water flowing. Also, ditch...

Being from outside of the country, we found ANTO based on our research from the Michelin Guide, so our expectations were very high. We have now been in France for more than a month and enjoyed many fine restaurants in that time. As a caveat, we are English speaking and know very little French.

First off, the Restaurant setting and decor are very comfortable and beautifully designed.

However, after being seated we waited for about ten minutes before we were acknowledged. We regularly order the chef's selections for our meals, but at Anto, the menu provided very scant information about what was included, and the waitperson's English explanations were unclear to us.

None of these are critical if the food was exceptional. However, we found the food missing consistency and what we felt were often odd flavor combinations. A few examples: • The popcorn amuse-bouche felt like it didn’t belong • The root vegetables and broth felt very standard with no interesting flavor combinations • The Fish was cooked superbly, but the accompanying sauce was non-descript and not complementary to the fish • With the Pear dessert, the pears were very hard and difficult to cut, yet the knives provided at the table were removed before dessert.

Reading others’ reviews, it appears that many do not have the same impressions of the meal we did. While we applaud your efforts to be a chef-owner, and this dinner was not a high point for us, we wish you well and hope you find this critique to be helpful in the light it...

We had a wonderful experience at ANTO during our recent visit to the Annecy region. There are a large range of excellent restaurants in the region to choose from, so it was difficult to pick one of culinary note from all the options, websites and reviews that you will encounter. We did some pre-visit research, read various reviews but also understand gastronomy and therefore had a good idea of what to perhaps expect when we selected ANTO. It was an excellent choice and totally worth it. If you are comfortable with Michelin Star standards and a creative understated approach to the menu and dining experience, you will not be disappointed. The staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive and the ambiance, menu and wine was what you would expect from an aspiring Michelin Star establishment. I would fully expect them to receive formal recognition very soon, if it is not already in the process of being awarded. The chef and team clearly know what they are doing and how to meet the standard expected of a "best-in-class" restaurant. Refined quality, creativity in the flavors and attention to the small details and great service during the dining experience were all clearly noticeable. While it is not always possible to get it 100% perfect all the time, ANTO is definitely trying, and one to watch for this reason. Include ANTO in your bucket list before they...