Annecy is often called the Venice of France, and I can see why with its old world charm and…read morebeautiful lake. If you're lucky enough to find yourself in this picturesque city, you should definitely make a stop at Folie Royale for a rich cup of hot chocolate. Let's say that I've had my fair share of hot chocolate in France, and this is one of the best I've had because it's a dark hot chocolate, which is not as common compared to the overly sweetened stuff you can get anywhere. Besides being a chocolate shop, there is a small selection of pastries that you can pick out to be served with your cup of hot chocolate in the tea room. You can get either a small cup of hot chocolate for about $2 or a larger cup for about $4. I got the large--duh! I also got a mini chocolate croissant that had just been taken out of the oven which I dipped in the hot chocolate---heaven! The owner is very friendly and open to questions. He is Austrian and his wife is French, so he was telling us about how Christmas is celebrated in Austria since we were heading there next. The shop is festively decorated this time of year, and the tea room is perfect for people watching as you enjoy the decadent cup of dark hot chocolate. I'll miss you Annecy!

If you've come to Annecy and you don't stop here, it's honestly tragic. This place is adorable in…read morea uniquely European way (you won't find this in the U.S.) and the food was divine. Plus the owners were super friendly and it felt very personal and not crowded at all. Food - If you're here for lunch, I highly recommend the "Italian dream" plate, especially if you visit on a summer's day. It was cool and refreshing, light yet substantial. It had lots of little different things so you could combine flavors and s'amuse bien with your food. And of course... it's a tea salon so don't miss the tea! I'm not usually a tea fan but the peach iced tea (it was served sweetened) was to die for. While they are famous for their hot chocolate (and with good reason) it was their ice cream we went crazy for. It was actually significantly better than the famous ice cream a few blocks over at Glacier Des Alps (I think have the name right) - honestly, I didn't think that ice cream was anything special and I wonder if they're just famous for having lots of flavor choices. We had the lemon meringue ice cream and it was out of a dream; just lemony enough but still super creamy, with little bits of candied lemon and the occasional satisfying crunch of cookie or pastry. Texture and flavor wise it was complex but all came together as perfection and we plan to head back there one more time just for ice cream on our way out of town tomorrow.

For this place having one of the best chefs of France, the pastries sure do taste bland. The…read morepresentation is beautiful but then once you begin to bite into it, the flavors just don't come with it. I'm not saying they are tasteless, however, for advertising about their patisserie, i have had better. It is also over priced for their tea which comes from bags. The hot chocolate is homemade yet I have had hot chocolate places where they prepare everything from scratch and they were never as liquidy as this. The interior is that of a modern tea room and is clean and well decorated.

Rarely do I remember passing by a shop where so many people stop and gawk from the outside -- the…read moredesserts here are that artful and creative. As a more practical matter, they're open on Sundays for breakfast. For 10 EUR, you get brioche and toast with butter, jam, and honey, as well as hot drink of your choice and fresh-squeezed orange juice. While on the pricey side, the quality of everything is very good, and it was a pleasant way to start the day. The ambiance is on the fancy side, and I appreciated the comfortable seating after all the walking I'd done in the city. The shops also sells a good variety of chocolates and other treats that would be great to give as gifts. Everything is basically Switzerland prices (i.e. high), but may be worthwhile for some special items.

The best croissant I've ever had! The breakfast deal is good. 8.50€ for 1 coffee, 1 croissant, 1…read morebread, 1 orange juice. Service is ok. And the dessert options are pretty good too. If you're walking pass this place, do have a look :)

On our last morning in town, we decided to come to Au Fidele Berger, as we had passed it a couple…read moretimes the day before, and it looked like a nice space. That said, even compared to the smaller Le Peche Mignon the previous day, it definitely had more of a vibe where locals were welcome but foreigners definitely felt out of place. No one asked us if we wanted to be seated, and we had to go up to the counter to inquire. After we sat down, it again took a long time for someone to actually come over and take our order. It definitely felt like a more stereotypically negative experience that tourists would have in France. That said, once our order was in, the food was served relatively quickly, and that was that. I will say that the croissant was a tad drier on the outside than I had before, but the inside was still pretty moist. Butter and jam were solid as well, but with the latter being pre-packaged, it definitely felt less homey than the previous spot too. The slice of bread was also not as good - fresh-baked but not really as interesting or as delicious as the brioche the prior day either. My wife's quiche was okay, but again - a bit more on the bland side. I will say that the hot chocolate here was better, though - stellar flavor, with a bit denser mouthfeel than the lighter version that I had experienced before in town. We paid the check at the front and were on our way. While the experience was okay, this definitely felt more insular and less welcome than Le Peche Mignon, even though that was smaller and had more of a traditional feel to it. I might come back here again to check out the chocolates if/when I am around the area again, but for breakfast - you can probably find a better shop.

Very good macarons. The citron and the passion and the chocolate have very good intense flavor.read more

I was staying at an apartment above this pâtisserie, and a family friend had highly recommended…read moretheir croissants. We were only in Annecy for 2 1/2 days and every time we tried to buy one they had run out - until our last day. Before heading to the train station, we dropped in and finally were able to buy a pain au chocolat for each of us. It wasn't until the train had pulled away from the station that we decided to dive into our treats. And oh my lord, it was amazing! Flakey and chocolaty to perfection. I wish we had bought more! And now we were stuck on the train. It was and still remains THEE BEST pain au chocolat of my LIFE. No other pain au chocolat has come close for me since. Not even all the ones I had in Paris. Perhaps it's the Alpine water? If you find yourself in Annecy, please eat one for me. And let me know, so that I may live vicariously through you.