The best and newest tables in the French Alps this season
GASTRONOMY – From cosy interiors to exclusive addresses, here are the new tables that will define the season in the French Alps. A chance to savour the essentials, far from the biting cold.
Surprisingly, winter 2024–2025 embraces cosy interiors. The mountains, once dominated by the raw pleasure of a meal by the slopes, now seem to look elsewhere. Candlelit dinners are the trend, and local cuisine is experiencing a revival. The new addresses have retreated and refined themselves, and gastronomic adventures now hide behind closed doors. Is this just a shift in taste, or a return to roots? One question remains: where to set your fork down?
At the Table, Altitude Becomes Gourmet
Palladio, a trattoria by Riccardo Valore at Airelles de Val-d’Isère.
In the heart of the old village of Val-d’Isère, the very chic Airelles hotel (04.79.22.22.22; Airelles.com) invites us this winter to Palladio, a trattoria by Riccardo Valore where Italy challenges the cold mountain peaks. Creamy truffle pappardelle, silky vitello tonnato, and a tiramisu that keeps its promises. This season, pastry star Cédric Grolet offers a teatime sculpted like snowy mountain landscapes, far removed from the rustic snacks of yesteryear.
Tignes also reveals a new address: Le Palet (04.79.06.46.06; Maison-bouvier.com), a festive canteen by the Bouvier family at 2,431 metres altitude. Terrines, pâtés en croûte, Savoyard charcuterie, a relaxed musical atmosphere—an authentic and lively interlude between two ski runs.
In Morzine, Le Resto des Bulles (Bulles-minesdor.com) takes us on a culinary adventure… in a bubble. Facing a spectacular panorama, the table accommodates eight diners for fondue or hot stone grills, far from the crowds, in the heart of the mountains. An unpretentious menu, an extraordinary setting.
Festive Gatherings at the Summit
In Courchevel, Loulou (04.57.55.21.60; Loulou-courchevel.com) is opening at Barrière Les Neiges. It’s as if all of Saint-Germain-des-Prés has climbed the mountain: truffle pizzas, generous antipasti… A sense of carefree summer in every bite, while the fireplace reminds us that winter is indeed here.
A few streets away, the Cat Club (04.50.78.44.59) opens its doors with a promise: to awaken all night long. A cosy atmosphere, soft lighting, sleek design—the scene is set. With an international and sharp programme, night owls will dance until dawn.
At the Annapurna hotel, celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, L’Alpage (04.79.08.04.60; Annapurna-courchevel.com) earned a Michelin star last spring. Through a five- or seven-course journey, chef Jean-Rémi Caillon showcases local producers—farmers, fishers, gatherers—with dishes revolving around mushrooms, game, chickpeas, trout, and truffle, seeking to achieve umami, the ultimate flavour.
Savouring the Essentials
Tafagnon fondue at Le Montagnard restaurant in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. (Photo: Press)
A different atmosphere reigns in the heights of Aillons-Margériaz, where L’Auberge d’Aillon et d’Ailleurs (04.58.39.01.30; Aillon-ailleurs.com), led by Marc Guy and Raphaëlle Seigneur, pays homage to mountain classics. A generous, straightforward cuisine, unadorned. €45 for a menu that stands out without artifice, in a setting exuding authenticity.
In Samoëns, Refuge du Lac de Gers (09.88.28.44.07) is a haven for solitary gourmets. Here, fondue is law, tartiflette a ritual. No frills, just the taste and silence of the mountains. €40 for a stationary journey far from the crowds.
In Orcières, the Bar à Fondues (04.92.53.56.10) also celebrates this creamy, sometimes daring dish. Here, evenings stretch into laughter and nostalgia. Simplicity and comfort from €35.
Head to the Belleville Valley, to Saint-Martin, where a few addresses rekindle conviviality. At Chalet La Loy (04.79.08.92.72; Restaurantlaloy.fr), two sisters native to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville showcase unpretentious Savoyard cuisine and organise torchlit snowshoeing evenings under the stars. Mountain life at its best—authentic and sincere.
Lucie and Valentin Suchet helm Le Montagnard (04.79.01.08.40; Le-montagnard.com), awarded one Gault & Millau toque, serving fondue and crozets. Nothing more, nothing less: terroir without frills, starting at €30 for a starter and main.
For more intimacy, in Alpe d’Huez, Les Mas’Hauts (04.76.80.33.11; Hotelgrandesrousses.com) serve dinners out of sight in small wooden and glass chalets inspired by Savoyard mazots. A cosy atmosphere guaranteed.
Finally, in Les Saisies, Mont Blanc Restaurant & Goûter (Montblanc-restaurant.com) unveils five- (€100) and seven-course (€140) menus created by Benoît Goulard and Hélène Fleury, celebrating vegetables from the Jardin des Solstices and cheeses from the Val d’Arly fruitière. A tribute to the terroir for this restaurant freshly Michelin-starred in 2024.
Megève: Alpine Appetite
Marc Veyrat’s brilliant return to Megève.
Megève is donning new ambitions and vibrant addresses. Julien Gatillon introduces Vous et Anata (juliengatillon.fr), a dual counter where Jean Pastre and Keiji Ishii orchestrate a ballet between alpine plants and omakase. Everything is precise, unique, rare.
A dramatic comeback: Marc Veyrat (marcveyrat.fr). The chef in the iconic hat sets up his chalet at the base of the resort, where every mountain herb and every wood fire invites diners to taste the forest. Attention: only three evenings a week!
Highly anticipated, Emmanuel Renaut debuts Le Prieuré (leprieure-megeve.com), a sober yet solid alpine bistro where soft-boiled eggs and beef cooked in Mondeuse wine remind us of the real mountain, without adornments.
Beef lovers, take note: a Beefbar with meats sourced from around the world opens within the Hôtel Cœur de Megève (coeurdemegeve.com), while Beef Lodge promises exceptional quality at Lodge Park (lodgepark.com).
Le Café de la Place (lecafe.fr) concludes this list. In this reinvented bistro, Beaufort cheese pasta and XXL croque-monsieurs offer a sweet break, like a childhood memory.
