La Merise

Should You Book La Merise?

If you are comparing La Merise to a two-star Alsatian table in Strasbourg, stop. The question is not which city to visit; it is whether you are willing to drive into the Bas-Rhin countryside to eat at a level that most urban restaurants at this price cannot match. With two Michelin stars held consecutively through 2024 and 2025, an 85-point score on La Liste 2026 (up from 82 in 2025), and membership in Les Grandes Tables du Monde, La Merise at 7 Rue d'Eschbach in Laubach is one of the most credentialled rural dining destinations in France. The short answer: yes, book it; but read the logistics section before you do.

The Venue

La Merise sits in Laubach, a small village in the northern Alsace wine corridor, the setting is central to what chef Andrea Schnell is doing here. This is not a country restaurant that happens to have good food; the kitchen's terroir-driven, mindful-sourcing approach is shaped directly by proximity to local producers, forest, field. As a Relais & Châteaux member, the property carries the group's expectations around hospitality quality and physical setting, think considered interiors, unhurried service pacing, a room that reads as a special occasion destination from the moment you arrive.

For a special occasion dinner, the framing matters as much as the food. La Merise handles that well. The combination of rural quiet, a kitchen operating at starred level, the Relais & Châteaux property context produces the kind of meal that works for milestone anniversaries, significant business dinners, or any occasion where the environment needs to carry as much weight as the cooking.

The Kitchen and the Drinks Program

Chef Andrea Schnell's cooking is grounded in Alsatian terroir: local sourcing, seasonal discipline, a modern technique applied to regional identity rather than imposed over it. At the two-star level, the tasting menu format is almost certainly the primary offering, at €€€€ pricing, you are paying for exactly that precision and for the narrative coherence of a multi-course progression. Compared to two-star peers in urban settings, where service theatrics and room spectacle absorb part of the budget, La Merise channels the spend into sourcing quality and cooking craft.

On the drinks side, Alsace is one of France's most serious wine regions, a kitchen at this level with Relais & Châteaux backing will have a cellar worth engaging. Alsatian Riesling and Pinot Gris pairings with terroir-forward cuisine of this kind are a natural pairing decision, a property in this corridor has access to producers that urban restaurants cannot easily replicate. Whether you opt for the full wine pairing or select by the bottle, the list should be treated as a key part of the evening's value, not a footnote. If cocktails matter more to you than wine, this is not the venue to optimise for that; the drinks program here will be wine-first, in the way that serious French countryside restaurants almost always are. For the right diner, that is a feature, not a limitation. For those who want a destination built around a cocktail program, our full Laubach bars guide is a better starting point.

Getting There and Booking Reality

Laubach is not a train-and-walk destination. You will need a car, or a car service from Strasbourg. Budget the travel time into your planning, this is a committed evening or, ideally, an overnight stay. The Relais & Châteaux affiliation suggests on-site or affiliated accommodation options, which is worth exploring if you want to make the most of the experience without a late-night drive back to the city.

Booking difficulty is rated near impossible at this level for good reason. Two consecutive Michelin stars, Les Grandes Tables du Monde membership, a rural venue with finite covers make this a reservation that requires lead time measured in months, not weeks. Contact the restaurant directly at lamerise@relaischateaux.com or by phone at +33 (0)3 88 90 02 61, consult the venue website at lamerise.alsace for current availability. Do not expect walk-in success. If La Merise is your target for a specific date, begin the booking process at least two to three months out, have a fallback option ready.

For the broader Alsatian dining context, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern is the region's most storied address, Au Crocodile in Strasbourg is the practical urban alternative if Laubach is not logistically viable for your trip. Both sit in the same conversation about serious Alsatian cooking. For rural destination dining elsewhere in France at comparable ambition and setting, Flocons de Sel in Megève, Bras in Laguiole, and Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse share the same DNA of destination cooking in non-urban settings. See also Troisgros in Ouches and Mirazur in Menton for further reference points. For Paris alternatives in the same price tier, Assiette Champenoise in Reims is worth the detour if you are travelling through Champagne.

Explore our full Laubach restaurants guide, hotels in Laubach, Laubach wineries, and experiences in the area to plan around your visit.

Quick reference: La Merise, 7 Rue d'Eschbach, 67580 Laubach, 2 Michelin Stars (2024, 2025), La Liste 85pts (2026), Les Grandes Tables du Monde, Relais & Châteaux, €€€€, Book 2–3 months ahead minimum via lamerise@relaischateaux.com or +33 (0)3 88 90 02 61.