Strasbourg’s most famous winstub, Chez Yvonne doesn’t disappoint, offering authentic Alsatian cuisine in a friendly setting with excellent service.

After my dinner at Au Crocodile, I wanted to try something more authentic and traditional, and my natural choice was Chez Yvonne, the city’s most famous winstub.

You’ll find all the articles about this weekend in Strasbourg at the bottom of the page.

A bit of history…

The winstub is to Alsace what the bouchon is to Lyon and the estaminet to Lille: a small bistro-style restaurant serving traditional, no-frills cuisine.

Their origins date back to the end of the war in 1970, when Alsace was annexed by Germany. The Germans are used to meeting in Bierstubs to drink beer, so the French will be meeting in Winstubs to drink wine!

As for chez Yvonne, the restaurant was founded in 1873 under the name S’Burjerstuewel (harder to pronounce than its current name). In 1956, Yvonne Haller bought the property, which would become known as “Chez Yvonne”, and turned it into one of the city’s most popular restaurants. Jacques Chirac was a regular visitor, dining once with Helmut Kohl, once with Gerhard Schröder and once with Boris Yeltsin.

Yvonne retired in 2001, but the new owners are following in her footsteps and carrying on the tradition.

The concept

Very simply, it’s a restaurant serving Alsatian specialties.

The setting

Authentic and original, just as it was in 1873…or almost.

The menu

It focuses on local specialties and is complemented by numerous suggestions of the day, which made my choice very difficult.

The meal

The welcome is super friendly and I’m seated at my table. They bring me the menu, the day’s suggestions and, what’s more, there are things that aren’t mentioned on the menu because there’s not enough stock, like stuffed morels…

All this doesn’t make my choice any easier, but in the end I make it. To decide is to give up and so I gave up a lot of appetizing dishes.

In any case, the waitress presents the dishes and sells her products with a real passion that is a pleasure to see.

I’ll start with a glass of Crémant d’Alsace.

For starters I had the Alsatian makis, cinnamon sauerkraut and foie gras, snacked vegetables, ginger apple marmalade.

A very fresh and tasty salad. As for the makis, the combination of foie gras and sauerkraut is as surprising as it is successful.

For the main course I chose Veal kidneys flambéed with cognac, mushroom cream sauce and old-fashioned mustard, Spaetzles. It’s served in a large casserole…

And once on the plate….

The kidneys are of excellent quality, perfectly cooked and the sauce is surprisingly light. A real delight for a seemingly simple dish.

For dessert I’ll have the lemon ice cream with marc de gewurtz.

Fresh and full-bodied, perfect to finish the meal.

I joke with the waitress that they don’t do the same with mirabelle plums (my Lorraine origins resurface) and to my great surprise she tells me that they’ve thought of it but that it’s complicated to find mirabelle plum ice cream.

I’ll make up for it with a mirabelle plum digestif…

That concludes this excellent meal.

Excellent-quality dishes, warm, friendly service, a reasonable bill (84 euros with champagne, wine and digestif)…what more could you ask for?

The service

Warm and even friendly, with staff who like to chat and joke with customers.

Bottom line

An excellent experience. Quality cuisine, simple and authentic, and very pleasant staff.

The articles about this weekend in Strasbourg

Articles similaires

Restaurant Au Crocodile in Strasbourg: a great experience in this prestigious venue Restaurant le Soufflé, Paris. Good but not breathtaking. Restaurant La Tupina in Bordeaux: Southwestern cuisine that’s good, simple, high-quality and without fuss. Restaurant Les nymphéas Rouen: a fine bourgeois gourmet restaurant Pascaline in Rouen: a very good, authentic little restaurant L’Entrecôte in Bordeaux: a must, always the same pleasure