La Table de la Fontaine is one of Vichy's better addresses for traditional French cooking with an Auvergnat accent. The menu follows the seasons and draws on the produce of the surrounding region: Cantal and Salers cheese, charcuterie from the Allier, freshwater fish from the river, and game when in season. The cooking is honest and well-executed rather than ambitious, which suits Vichy's character — this is a city of thermal cures and long promenades, not culinary experimentation.
The dining room is comfortable and quietly elegant, with the sort of restrained Belle Époque detailing that appears throughout Vichy's commercial buildings. Service is formal but not stiff. Prices are moderate for the quality. Book for dinner in the high thermal season (June through September), when the city fills with visitors and the better restaurants are often full.