La Bonneterie - Café Brunch & Bar Apéritif — Restaurant in Colmar-Ribeauvillé

Let me share our first wonderful impression of the old town of Colmar, which came from this lovely place: La Bonneterie - Café Brunch & Bar Apéritif! I’m truly grateful to all the servers, kitchen staff, and chefs here.

We arrived around 1:00 PM on March 31st for lunch. A young and beautiful waitress welcomed us warmly. She understood that our accommodation hadn’t opened for check-in yet, so she kindly allowed us to leave our heavy luggage in a safe place and guided us to a comfortable spot to enjoy our meal.

On my right sat four elegant, mature French guests, who were clearly savoring their food. I could tell from the corner of my eye how much they enjoyed their dishes, ending with dessert and espresso – their satisfaction was written all over their faces! That’s when we knew this restaurant would live up to the glowing reviews we saw on Google Maps.

Indeed, the food did not disappoint! My friend’s pancakes were absolutely delicious – clearly homemade, not mass-produced. My dish, featuring pork shoulder with a tangy green herb sauce, egg, and potatoes, was perfectly balanced and uniquely flavorful. I apologize for not remembering the exact French names of the dishes, but hopefully my descriptions convey just how good they were!

Since the food was so good, of course we ordered dessert and coffee to finish. Though dining out in France is relatively pricey for us, this experience was totally worth the extra euros – especially with such great service. Not every restaurant in tourist hotspots can achieve this level of excellence.

We then went to the bar counter and spoke with another polite and beautiful young server, who, along with her colleague, recommended their signature banana cake. As Malaysians, we live in a country where bananas are available year-round and are commonly used in everyday snacks and desserts. So we were skeptical – how special could banana cake in France be?

Well, this banana cake completely overturned our expectations. It was, hands down, the best banana cake I’ve ever had in my life! Its thin caramelized crust added the perfect touch, enhancing the flavor with a subtle, poetic sweetness. It’s hard to describe in words, but once you taste it at La Bonneterie, you’ll understand what top-level French pastry truly means.

I hope this review brings encouragement to the owner, chefs, pastry team, and all the service staff. Please keep up the amazing work and continue bringing joy to visitors from all over the world. Among all the restaurants we’ve visited in France, this is the one where we received the warmest and most thoughtful service. The way the staff introduced every dish and dessert with passion and professionalism was remarkable.

Having such high-quality and dedicated young employees is a true blessing for any business. In today’s world, that kind of sincere hospitality is rare. Thank you for giving us such a sweet and unforgettable memory during our artistic journey...

I would not recommend visiting this place for several reasons. First of all, staff had a lack of communication with each other so we had to wait for 2 other groups to be seated before us even though they arrived AFTER we did. Second, the shakshouka “specialty” was not at all your typical shakshouka, which you can see from the picture. The eggs were extremely overcooked and largely sautéed veggies did not blend in well with the sauce. Worst part was there was an eggshell in my dish. The staff seemed very incompetent so I didn’t even bother sending my food back so we had our food, paid and left. If you end up going, try the mezze bowl which my friend seemed to enjoy. The atmosphere and the interior was...

We had high hopes. When I go out for breakfast at a restaurant, I expect something special-something I wouldn't make at home. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. The food was very simple and nothing stood out.

The waitress was really nice and kind, and the food was tasty, but in my opinion, there should be more passion on the plate-better presentation, more attention to detail, and richer flavors.

Honestly, I wish that at least one restaurant in Colmar would stand out in this area. As a customer, for this price, I would expect something more refined-something beyond a basic "hotel-style"...