Le Baeckeoffe d'Alsace

What sets this place apart from whatever else opens along the rue des Moulins is commitment to the dish in its name. The baeckeoffe au Munster et son lard paysan — the sealed terrine, slow-baked, cracked open at the table in a cloud of fragrant steam — is the reason to come. It's resolutely old-fashioned Alsatian cooking: rich, generous, not trying to be anything other than what it is. For anyone walking back from les Ponts Couverts on a cold evening, that kind of honesty has real value.

The wood-lined room reads winstub without overdoing the folklore — no cuckoo clocks, no costume waitstaff, just solid traditional bones. Portions run large, genuinely large, so think twice before ordering solo. The choucroute with boiled potatoes and Strasbourg sausage is straightforward and satisfying, though it won't rearrange your expectations of the dish. This is comfort food executed competently, not ambitiously.

Pricing sits toward the upper end for a casual Petite France spot — fair warning if you're watching the bill. That said, you're unlikely to leave hungry. Service is warm and genuinely willing, though a full house slows things down noticeably; the staff at a table of seven handled a busy night with good humor if not great speed.

Practical notes: reserve ahead, even outside peak season — availability tightens faster than you'd expect. The outdoor seating works well on mild evenings when the canaux are calm. Takeout is an option, which is worth knowing if you'd rather eat on the Ill-side benches near place Benjamin-Zix. Save room for the chocolate mousse — it's the one thing that punches above the rest of the dessert card.