France
Rustic slope side restaurant for fondue and house specialty "croutes aux fromages". Run by the Ravanels for generations. The fondue is the best you will get and the service is super friendly. A genuine hang out for the locals. Great value (12 euros for a fondue made with beaufort cheese, wine by the "pichet" from four euros) and quality all round.
www.lacremerieduglacier.fr/
766 ch. de la Glacière, 74400 Chamonix
+33(0)4 50 54 07 52
Google map: bit.ly/VO0MiM
Slopeside in that it's right at the bottom of the home run in Les Houches so you can literally ski onto the top terrace. Funky, kitsch, big and a large inside area for apres ski make it a great stop. They do lunch specials and though evening meals maybe push towards being a bit pricey its all wholesome English/French fusion cuisine so there's a lot more choice than just tartiflette and variations there of.
Live bands play regularly and if you're down in family-friendly Les Houches as opposed to knees-up Chamonix, you'll be thankful for the Kitsch Inn offering a bit of liveliness!
www.kitschinn.eu/
77 Place de la Fruitière 74310 Houches (Les), France
+33 4 50 34 41 74
Google map: bit.ly/Xa7xI6
A lovely little Italian place off the main drag in Chamonix which does spectacular pizzas. I had the marinara which was huge and had a beautiful tomato sauce and the dough was just perfect - thin, a bit crispy, bit squidgy. Glass of perfect temperature Barbera topped it all off nicely. The other clientele ranged from gnarly looking climber types, to families and couples. Low lighting, no fuss decor and you can eat at the heavy wooden bar if you want. In a town where eating out generally leaves you broke it's good value, unpretentious and tasty.
www.casavalerio.net/
90 Rue Lyret 74400 Chamonix, France
+33(0)4 50 55 93 40
Google map: bit.ly/IvWqFm
This place was AWESOME. Home made meat pies and samosas and massive fresh salads made everyday! Great value hearty main meals, curries etc to takeaway too. Probably has Chamonix's best vegetarian food options and by far the best coffee we had in Chamonix.
www.papillonchamonix.com
416 Rue Joseph Vallot
74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
04 50 96 65 13
Google map: bit.ly/d9E9pY
It's actually in Argentiere, up the valley towards La Tour and from what I can tell, used to be a bit of a dive. But it's been totally overhauled by it's new owners and is rad! Lively with a great menu - the Indonesian pork was lush and a plain spaghetti, tomato and basil was really delicious. There is a back area with a big oak table and blackboards with the daily specials written in chalk. Not overtly English but not all tartiflette and chalet-style either. Worth checking out.
216 Rue Chalet Straton, Argentiere, Chamonix
Google map: tinyurl.com/yby3s43
A small restaurant in La Balme, recently converted from a series of old cow sheds. It's near the bottom of the Aiguilette (a short red run with a button lift). There's a lovely sunny terrace and they do great value lunches for around €10. Try the assiette de pisteurs, a huge plate of salad, rosti, goats cheese on toast and lardons.
00 33 683 33 86 61 (Booking is essential)
No website
www.snowcarbon.co.uk/ski-resorts/chamonix/chamonix-eat-drink-party
A rustic restaurant in Les Houches, just off the Col de Voza run (accessed on a signed track through the trees). It's an old farmhouse lovingly converted by an Australian woman, Julie, and her French husband, Claude. Excellent homemade slow-cooked dishes; about €15 for mains
00 33 684 42 37 00
www.lesvieillesluges.com/
Google map: tinyurl.com/yb43sjv
It's at 3842 metres in the cable car station at the top of the Aiguille du Midi. Advertised as the highest Savoyard restaurant in the Alps (I'm guessing it's the highest in the whole world!) The food is good and the views of Mont Blanc and the Chamonix Aiguilles are fantastic. You basically get a real taste (albeit very much a lite version) of the experience of high-altitude mountaineering. The downside is that it costs 41 euros to get up there.
Aiguille du Midi telepherique, Chamonix Mont Blanc
www.chamonix.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/y983uo7
This is a fantastic refuge with a great views of Mont Blanc, at 2352m, a few hours uphill climb from Chamonix. What makes it so great is the food. Their speciality is long cooked Pig's Cheeks, marinated in wine overnight and then slowly braised throughout the day with herbs, garlic and more wine. Served with immaculate roast potatoes it's the perfect fare after a long hard day's mountain walking. And their huge chunks of rustic mountain cheese are worth the visit alone, not to mention their red wine and deserts.
Aiguilles Rouge, Chamonix 4 50 53 49 14
www.refuges.info/point/357/refuge-garde/aiguilles-rouges/refuge-du-lac-blanc/
The Office is a fantastic bar and restaurant next to the town hall in Argentiere. It has a warm and friendly atmosphere and serves great steaks and a delicious sticky toffee pudding. My family ate there four times during our stay and the service and food was consistently superb. They do lots of tasty vegetarian food as well.
The Office
Argentiere
Village Centre
Two thousand metres up and with blissful views, La Bergerie serves a very good gratin and decent steak. Those who are squeamish about offal will want to avoid the andouillette (tripe sausage), which is large and horrible.
But if you're willing to wait for service and don't mind paying over the odds for Evian (water has to be hiked up the mountain), it really is a beautiful spot.
At the top of the Planpraz telepherique
Tel: 04 50 53 05 42
Great food and atmosphere with the coolest staff in town.
259 Avenue Michel Croz
A really cool little bar in Argentiere, Undescribably makes the best burger in the valley, I recommend the pineapple, beetroot and egg combo, its ace. Perfect apres riding food!!!!
High St, Argentiere
A little part of Chamonix how it probably was, once apon a time. Hidden away in the mountain, with no roads, no people; just a little mountain hut specializing in fondu, croute (cheese on baguette), and red wine. Be warned: it only has cheese dishes! And don't be surprised when everyone turns around when you walk through the door; it's a local place for local people. The walk/ride home is rather interesting too.
From the Grands Montets Ski Station, take a little road up the mountain, go through tunnel quite obviously used by skaters, and follow signs through the forest to la cremerie; if lost ask a mountain goat/local.
This little restaurant and tapas bar in Les Houches has been open scarcely a year, but has already built up a great reputation amongst the locals. The food is excellent and they cater well for vegetarians, but it's popular so you'd best book in advance.
Les Houches, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450915206
www.ledelice-leshouches.com/
You'll find this delightfully eccentric restaurant in the sleepy hamlet of Les Bois, just next to Flègere. The decor is odd and the lighting a touch bright, but if you're after authentic French cuisine it's the best bar none. It's also excellent value for money (particularly the set menus) and the wine list is excellent.
Les Bois, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450532931
With delicious food, cosy atmosphere and great service, this small Swedish-run restaurant is justifiably popular. It has a well thought out Thai-inspired menu, and the best vegetarian food in Chamonix.
Rue des Moulins, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450534541
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