Chamonix: restaurants

Foodies won’t be disappointed with the level of restaurant offerings here. Not only a good choice at all budget levels but a mix of stylishly contemporary and topnotch traditional types too.

There’s no sitting still either - for 2018/19, restaurant refurbishments have taken place at the Aiguille du Midi hotel, the Refuges des Aiglons and the Josephiné in the resort centre.

On the mountain

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Chalet Refuge de Lognan

Two thirds of the way down the Intégrale top-to-bottom run  in Argentière is Chalet Refuge de Lognan (0033 688 560 354), an atmospheric, rough old refuge. Situated below the path leading back from the Point de Vue and Blanchots pistes to the cable car mid-station, it commits you to a tough ungroomed descent after lunch, but it's worth it for the views and hearty food – French country cooking and good home-made tarts. Booking advised.

Arrêt Bougnète

At the Vallorcine station is the Arrêt Bougnète restaurant (0033 450 546 304) – there’s a piste down to it, and a comfortable lift back up the mountain, so it works for lunch. Good food, good fun, good value. It serves all the local Savoyard cheese-based favourites, but the speciality is the galettes (savoury pancakes).

Alpage de Balme

Only a few yards from the Swiss border near the bottom of the Aiguillette drag-lift in Le Tour, Alpage de Balme (0033 683 338 661) offers specialities is variations on the theme of rösti. You need to arrive early to be sure of a table at this popular, and very small, restaurant – book a table if possible.

Les Vieilles Luges

Located near the base station of the Maisonneuve chairlift in Les Houches Les Vieilles Luges is a rustic 18th-century barn off the piste at 1,200m. With a cosy atmosphere and friendly owners, it's an ideal spot to stop and refuel with hearty Savoyard food on those blizzard days when Les Houches is the place to be. No card payments.

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Plan Joran

Lunch at Plan Joran, near the mid-mountain Tabé chairlift station in the Argentière sector, is an extravagance. Snail and reblochon cheese casserole, paella risotto and veal with chanterelle mushrooms are all on the menu, along with classic Savoyard dishes.

La Bergerie de Plan-Praz

Those looking for traditional posh haute cuisine will find it at La Bergerie de Plan-Praz in Brévent – not the most simpatico mountain chalet in the Alps, but the setting is splendid and it’s the best option in the sector. Located at the Planpraz mid-station (2,000m), it's accessible by telecabine and has a takeaway counter for gourmet picnics. The menu includes flame-grilled steaks, croûte bergerie, rack of lamb, tarte aux myrtilles and a strong local cheeseboard. Booking advised.

In resort

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Casa Valerio

Tagliatelle, carpaccio, ossobuco, panna cotta, tiramisu, chianti, espresso and grappa are all on the menu at Casa Valerio, a cheerful trattoria on Rue Lyret, downtown.

Micro Brasserie de Chamonix

On the Route du Bouchet  (the road out of town, towards Switzerland) Micro Brasserie de Chamonix is Canadian-run microbrewery, it’s also known for its hefty burgers.

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Cap Horn

Beside the River Arve on the Rue des Moulins, Cap Horn is a nautically themed chalet that specialises in seafood. Push the boat out with a spectacular pudding, and adjourn to the wine bar (Les Caves) downstairs for a decadent evening.

Maison Carrier

The rustic chalet restaurant of the Albert Premier hotel, Maison Carrier, sits on the Route du Bouchet near Chamonix station. It serves ancestral regional specialities with a gourmet spin – that may sound clichéd, but the food certainly isn’t.

Albert Premier

Near Chamonix station on the Route du Bouchet (the road out of town towards Switzerland) Albert Premier offers elegant hotel dining and is one of the world’s best ski resort restaurants (two Michelin stars). Dress up, eat up, pay up. The cellar is full of treasure, not all of it exorbitantly priced.