Eating & Drinking in Val d’isère
03. Dining out
After a day on the mountain, there's nothing quite like getting your boots off, having a hot bath and heading into the village for dinner.
Whether you're celebrating a special occasion, looking for a relaxed family meal or simply somewhere warm and welcoming after a hard day's skiing, you'll be spoilt for choice. Val d'Isère has everything from cosy traditional Savoyard restaurants to fine dining that would rival some of the best restaurants in the city back home, with just about every style of cuisine in between.
One of the nicest things about eating out in France is that there's rarely any rush. The French love to linger over dinner and most restaurants only have one or two bookings for each table during the evening, giving you plenty of time to relax, chat and enjoy your meal.
Traditional Alpine Specialities
No trip to the Alps would be complete without trying at least one of the local specialities.
Most are based on some combination of cheese, dried meat and potatoes because that's what mountain families had available during the long winters hundreds of years ago. If, like us, you're a cheese lover, you're certainly in for a treat.
Fondue, raclette, pierrade and brasérade all make wonderfully sociable meals and are perfect for families and groups of friends.
Fondue is probably the best known, with cubes of bread dipped into melted cheese, accompanied by charcuterie, potatoes and plenty of local wine.
Raclette is our personal favourite. A huge half-wheel of cheese is heated until the surface melts, then scraped over potatoes, cured meats and pickles. It's delicious, incredibly filling and very moreish. At the start you wonder how on earth you're ever going to get through that massive lump of cheese. An hour later, though, it somehow doesn't look nearly as big!
Fine Dining or Family Favourite?
One of the things we like most about Val is that it doesn't matter whether your budget stretches to Michelin-starred restaurants or burgers and chips—you'll eat well either way.
If you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary or simply fancy treating yourselves, there are restaurants here that would hold their own anywhere in France.
Equally, there are plenty of relaxed brasseries serving generous portions of good, honest food without emptying your wallet.
From tradtional Savoyard to proper pizza the Italian way to gourmet burgers and fine dining, there's enough variety to eat somewhere different every night of your holiday without running out of options.
One word of advice though—book ahead. The most popular restaurants fill up quickly, particularly during the peak holiday weeks and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, when many catered chalet guests head into town for dinner on the traditional "chalet girls' night off".
Fast Food
Sometimes you don't want a three-course meal. Maybe you've just come off the mountain and fancy a quick bite before heading back out, you're looking for lunch on a budget, or it's 2 o'clock in the morning and you suddenly realise you forgot to eat!
Whatever the reason, Val d'Isère has plenty of more casual options too.
Our favourite bar food is at the Petit Danois. Open all day, it serves everything from a full bacon-and-eggs breakfast until late morning and proper pub grub later on.
The Garage has a similar relaxed atmosphere, with burgers, pizzas and salads served throughout the day, while Quiksilver's American-style diner on the main street lets you build your own burger exactly the way you like it.
Cafes
If you're after something lighter, Arctic Café is hard to beat. Choose your favourite bread or wrap, add your filling, and don't leave without trying one of their smoothies. Their Immunity Burst certainly lives up to its name—the ginger gives it quite a kick!
Locals and ski instructors love Crazy Barmes bakery opposite the Tourist Office. Their cakes are legendary, and the lunchtime sandwich, drink and cookie deal is excellent value.
Just along the road, award-winning Maison Chevallot—opposite our Streetside shop—makes fresh bread every day and offers a huge choice of sandwiches, salads, pastries and cakes to eat in or take away.
Crêpes and galettes also make a perfect quick lunch or an after-ski snack. We particularly love the ones at La Cantine, next to Le Coin des Amis and also run by Jules.
Apparently nobody has ever ordered the "Courchevel" galette, which costs €2,500. We'd love to know what's in it—we're guessing it includes a helicopter ride to Courchevel!
Others
If you're planning to eat back at your apartment or chalet in the evening, there are fewer takeaway options than you might be used to at home. Until recently it was pretty much pizza, pizza or... well... pizza.
Not that we're complaining—Val has some excellent pizza places, including favourites such as Pizz'n'Love and Val Pizza.
If you've had enough pizza though, G’s Pot on the Snow Square does excellent Asian takeaway (we hear their Thai green curry is particularly good), while Jammi Delivery bring freshly made burgers and curries straight to your door.
And finally, if you completely lose track of time and find yourself stumbling out of a bar at two in the morning wondering where dinner went, don't panic. The famous "hole in the wall" pizza counters beside the bus stop are still there to save the day—or perhaps the night.
