Top 10 mountain restaurants in the Three Valleys

Skiing and eating go hand in hand and no ski trip is complete without at least one great lunch or dinner. What makes the Three Valleys special is that you can have fabulous, creative food whilst on the slopes, as well as when in resort and it’s the mountain restaurants that I want to tell you about. Here are our ten favourite mountain restaurants in the Three Valleys.

The mountain restaurants in the Three Valleys have 21 Michelin stars shared between 12 restaurants, so you are spoiled for choice. However most of these stars are to be found in resort – La Bouitte, with three stars, is tucked away in St Martin de Belleville and Cheval Blanc, also boasting three of those precious stars, is to be found in Courchevel 1850. In fact, there are four other two-star restaurants in Courchevel 1850 and the highest two-star restaurant is to be found at 2,300m in the mountains at Val Thorens and that is Jean Sulpice.

The restaurant boasts it is the highest Michelin starred restaurant in Europe and with its modern décor, panoramic views and sublime food, it is a treat not to be missed and a great first choice for that special meal.

But this is not all about stars of the Michelin variety, as the valleys are rich with excellent restaurants in incredible positions that you can ski to for a memorable lunch.

Meribel Valley

In the Meribel valley we have Le Blanchot, one of my regular haunts, which is located at the top of the Lapin run to Meribel Village. On a sunny, spring day, there is no better spot to spend a few hours than on the terrace, where you can savour their fabulous food and excellent wines with your family and friends.

On the same side of the Meribel valley, the Panoramic, perched at 2,732 meters above sea level at the summit of the Saulire, is at the junction of Courchevel and Meribel. With a 360 ° view of the Alpine massifs and Mont Blanc, the views from this high-altitude restaurant are stunning. As it is next to the top of the Saulire Express from Meribel and the Telecabine from Courchevel, it’s a great spot to meet any non-skiers in your party.

Another great spot that is walker friendly, is the Adray Telebar. This is a Meribel institution, based at 1,650m just by the Adret chair lift on the Doron piste heading down to Chaudanne. The speciality of the restaurant is their famous L’escalope à la crème, served in large portions to share amongst friends and no trip is complete without a visit to the Telebar!

Courchevel

Across in Courchevel 1650, as you ski down from Roc Merlet and Pyramide, you are faced with the Bel Air, one of the area’s most popular and best situated restaurants. Whether you are stopping here for coffee and hot chocolate or the full a la carte lunch menu, the outside, stepped terraces are magnificent and the views inspiring.

As you head back toward 1850, you will probably go past the Altiport and will have no doubt seen Le Cap Horn resplendent in the snow. One of Courchevel’s prime spots alongside the Altiport piste, it’s menu is famed for its Cote de Boeuf and delicious Poulet Fermier with truffles. With a wine list to make any oenophile happy, it’s a short run back to the resort, so a good spot for a long lunch.

Further around the valley toward the La Tania side, one mountain favourite is Le Bouc Blanc. At the top of the bubble from La Tania it’s a family favourite with well priced and good sized Savoyard fare such as Tarte au Beaufort. Most of the tables are outside, so when the sun shines it’s a perfect spot for lunch on this side of the mountain.

If you take the Dou des Lanches chair up from Le Bouc Blanc you can then meander down the Col de la Loze piste and around the corner is the beautifully elevated Soucoup. This is a wonderful place to stop and take in the views and watch the world go by as skiers move from the Meribel valley over to Courchevel. Their menu is traditional with Beef Stew (Pot-au-Feu) and sausages with polenta as popular choices, coupled with a wine list that has a decent, yet manageable section of clarets and burgundies.

Val Thorens/St Martin de Belleville

On the higher slopes of Val Thorens and St Martin, there are a couple of cracking restaurants to visit. The Chalet de la Marine is at 2,500 metres and looks out over the valley toward Val Thorens. It is found between the Tete Ronde and Dalles blue runs, so accessible to all, and despite its maritime name, has a menu with dishes as varied as Iberico Pork to St Jacques Risotto. They specialise in patisserie so make your you leave enough room!

On the other side of the valley, at the top of the Granges and Roc des 3 Marches chairs at 2,700 metres, is the ever popular Le Bouche à Oreille. With it being so central to the Three Valleys and the spot where you have two chairs meeting as well as The Plattieres 3 bubble coming up from Meribel/Mottaret, this is a perfect meeting place for your group if they have been skiing in different valleys. The view from the terrace is naturally fabulous given the altitude, the food tasty and the staff helpful and friendly.

I have only managed to talk about ten of the many mountain restaurants in the Three Valleys and I’m sure you have your favourites. Tell me about your favourites in the comments section below?

Anne Wooley is Owner at Ski Cuisine.

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