Palace Beach Restaurant at Le Palace de Menthon St. Bernard, Lake Annecy

*UPDATE* – Palace Beach Restaurant revisited summer 2015 and it’s just as good.  New menus, same fusion and innovative ideas and wonderful ambience. What a fabulous place to spend a long lazy lunch with amazing views over Lake Annecy – it’s hard to beat!  The menu prices have changed a little for 2 courses is €35 and 3 courses are €40.

Summer 2014 – Wow!  I need to get this post up quickly as there isn’t long left this summer to go and seek out this wonderful restaurant experience, but I urge you to try.  The Palace Beach is a  Moroccan style waterfront/lakeside restaurant, which is part of the hotel Le Palace de Menthon.  It is in the village of Menthon Saint Bernard on the bank of Lake Annecy.  There is a great outdoor terrace area with summer plants, olive trees and bougainvillaea all around.   The terrace is for dining and there is an area with sofas for Apero or coffees. The bar is open all day serving snacks and drinks.

There is also a gorgeous huge permanent tent set up for the summer all decorated in a Moroccan style with low Moroccan sofas and cushions all in rich colours. There are large tables and more intimate areas. I’ve eaten there on the most glorious sunny day out on the terrace looking over the beautiful lake Annecy and it was heavenly. However, I have also been when it has been grey and raining and it didn’t spoil the experience one bit.  We were seated in this wonderful tent, which creates a great atmosphere in a very sumptuous feeling setting and still with a view over the lake.

The Food

The food is really, really good and excellent value.  I would say the menu has a great selection of ‘fusion’ style dishes inspired by Asia and Africa. The dishes are all beautifully presented and very tasty!  The service is good and friendly.  This is an informal and relaxed dining setting and I believe you could leave your sun lounger wrapped in a sarong and arrive for lunch or feel equally comfortable in a smart summer dress.

The menu offers a choice of around half a dozen dishes for each course, you may choose to have a two or three-course meal and at the time of writing this, 2 courses is €32:00 and 3 courses is €37:00.

Le Palace de Menthon St. Bernard is a landmark hotel on Lake Annecy perched on a ledge on the left bank.  It is an art deco style hotel and was built in 1906 by The Gruffaz Brothers who had a hotel in Monte Carlo.  One brother was a chef and the other a butler.  It has had several owners and various renovations and now has 65 rooms including 5 suites.  It has large business and conference facilities set in beautiful grounds and I think you’d have to travel a long way to find more pleasing views.  There is a restaurant in the hotel called VIU, set in the beautiful art deco conservatory with amazing panoramic views of the lake. This restaurant is open all year round.

The Palace Beach restaurant is open in the summer from June until September – every day from 12 noon.  It is advisable to book as this is a very popular place to be in the summer!

The village of Menthon St. Bernard is a very pretty place to visit with lovely walks either along the lake or behind up in the mountains.  There is a beautiful Chateau – Le Chateau de Menthon Saint Bernard which dates back from the 12th Century, it is an outstanding looking chateau and well worth a visit.  This chateau is said to have been the inspiration for the Cinderella Castle when Walt Disney came and stayed on the shores of Lake Annecy in the 1930s.  I heard this on our local radio station in Haute Savoie, so I can’t corroborate this, but it is rather a nice thought and there are similarities! I booked and enjoyed these lunches at my own expense and this is my opinion of my personal experiences at The Palace Beach Restaurant

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