Val d'Isère: restaurants
On the mountain
Budget
Les Marmottes at the bottom of the Borsat Express chair is by far the best self-service on the mountain. No doubt its proximity to the terrain park and a subsequent younger clientele makes it in the owner’s interest to keep prices as low as possible. In a resort where food prices tend to be exorbitant, it’s encouraging to find decent dishes for €10.
Mid-range
L’Edelweiss off the blue Mangard piste is slightly cramped, but it has a terrace with dramatic views, and a roaring log fire, particularly welcoming on a cold day. The menu includes hot dog with local diot sausage and pork chop with charcutière sauce.
Les Tufs is is next to the bottom Funival funicular station at La Daille, a popular lunchtime venue for Val regulars. Good food and service in a convivial atmosphere, with a menu that includes pasta, pizza and fondue.
A post shared by La Folie Douce | Val d'Isère (@foliedoucevaldisere) on Apr 25, 2017 at 7:24am PDT
Expensive
La Fruitière is next to – and part of – the Folie Douce self-service restaurant and afternoon party venue. The name is a savoyard word for a dairy and the restaurant is decorated with distressed beams, flaky whitewash paint and exposed pipe work. A giant air-conditioned cellar is tucked away below stairs where guests sit at a long communal table to sample unusual wines and cheese from all over France, while those seated outside on chilly days are offered heavy-duty onesies. The menu includes lots of wholesome meat dishes and a choice of pasta – the spag bol served in a glass jar is a house speciality.
Le Signal is at the top of the Le Fornet cable car. It has a pleasant dining room as well as a self-service, both run with enthusiasm by tireless staff. The waiter service restaurant is brightly decorated with paintings by local artists and the menu relies on traditional French cuisine using fresh ingredients.
La Peau de Vache is the rising star of the mountain eateries, with some old hands claiming it now has the best food and service of all. This is the kind of smart but welcoming mountain eaterie that you find in the Trois Vallées but not, until now, in Val. Half way down La Face, it’s reached by the Bellevarde Express chair.
A post shared by Le Signal Val d'Isère 2330m (@lesignalvaldisere) on Apr 16, 2016 at 9:13am PDT
In the resort
Budget
Moris Pub in the resort centre has good-value bar food including excellent, filling burgers for mopping up the alcohol.
Mid-range
La Baraque is by far the most popular restaurant in Val among the locals, which says a lot. It remains open for much of the year and provides consistently good food at reasonable prices. It’s also a resort rendezvous for those wanting a quiet drink in convivial surroundings.
A post shared by La Baraque (@restolabaraque) on Jul 28, 2017 at 9:12am PDT
Sur La Montagne is on the main street and not where it says it is. This restaurant is extremely popular with locals and you need to book some time ahead for the evening (but not at lunchtime). The menu includes Thai bouillion with shrimps, fondue, steaks and pastas.
Le Lodge successfully hugs the middle market in Val d'Isère with a great choice of local dishes, pizzas, and all the usual alpine fare. The steaks are particularly succulent.
La Casserole is a stalwart for fondues, raclette, and all the other Savoyard cheese dishes great during a one-week holiday but hang heavy on the digestive system for any longer period.
Expensive
La Grande Ourse first opened in 1936 when there was just one lift on the mountain – just outside the restaurant's door. Many consider it to be Val’s finest restaurant for lunch or dinner, with a menu that includes the likes of lobster ravioli, duck foie gras with sautéed apples and grilled Dover sole.
A post shared by Hotel Les Barmes De L'Ours (@hotellesbarmes) on Feb 14, 2017 at 11:48am PST
La Table de l’Ours is the top (and most expensive) of the three restaurants in the five-star Les Barmes de l’Ours hotel. La Table has a Michelin star and eating here is a true gastro experience, with dishes like scampi roasted with ginger and lime or rack of lamb with sweet potato mash, although the ambience is slightly formal and the bill can be high.
L’Atelier Edmond is overseen by two Michelin-starred chef, Benoit Vidal. It is another test for your credit card with set menus starting at €95 (which might include snails from Savoie and loin of cod rubbed with salt), but there is also a good value bistro with two courses for €25 and three for €29.
Val d'isere
