the new mountain restaurants for winter

Surprisingly, winter 2024-2025 gives pride of place to cozy interiors. The mountain, once conquered by the raw pleasure of a meal beside the slopes, today seems to look elsewhere. Dinners are taken by candlelight, and local cuisine is given a new lease of life. New addresses are folding, becoming more refined, and the gastronomic adventure is now nestled behind closed doors. Could this be a simple change in taste, or a return to basics? One question remains: where to put your fork?

At the table, the altitude becomes more delicious

In the heart of the old village of Val-d’Isère, the very chic Hôtel des Airelles (04.79.22.22.22 ; Airelles.com ) invites us this winter to Palladioa trattoria by Riccardo Valore where Italy defies the cold of the peaks. Creamy pappardelle with truffle, silky vitello tonnato, and a tiramisu that keeps its promises. In residence this season, the star pastry chef Cédric Grolet offers a teatime sculpted like the snowy reliefs, very far from the rustic snacks of yesteryear. Tignes also unveils a new address: The Palet (04.79.06.46.06 ; Maison-bouvier.com ), festive canteen of the Bouvier family at 2431 m altitude. Terrines, pâtés en croute, Savoyard charcuterie, relaxed musical atmosphere, an authentic and lively break between two descents. In Morzine, The Resto des Bulles (Bulles-minesdor.com ) takes us on a culinary adventure… in a bubble. Facing a spectacular panorama, the table accommodates eight guests for a fondue or a hot stone, far from the crowds, in the heart of the mountain. An unpretentious menu, an extraordinary setting.

Festive meetings at the summit

In Courchevel, Links (04.57.55.21.60 ; Loulou-courchevel.com ) settles at Barrière Les Neiges. It’s all Saint-Germain-des-Prés that climbs the mountain: truffled pizzas, antipasti overflowing with generosity… A spirit of summer carefreeness in every bite, while the fireplace reminds us that winter is here . A few streets away, the Cat Club (04.50.78.44.59) will open its doors with a promise: to stay awake all night. Cozy atmosphere, subdued lighting, refined design; the stage is set. With a cutting-edge and international program, night owls will dance until dawn.

At the Annapurna Hotel, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, theAlpine pasture (04.79.08.04.60 ; Annapurna-courchevel.com ) earned a Michelin star last spring. Throughout this journey in five or seven stages, chef Jean-Rémi Caillon highlights local producers – breeders, fishermen, pickers – for dishes based around mushrooms, game, blond peas, trout and truffles, seeking to achieve the ‘umami, the famous ultimate flavor.

Savor the essentials

Another atmosphere on the heights of Aillons-Margériaz, The Auberge d’Aillon et d’Ailleurs (04.58.39.01.30 ; Aillon-ailleurs.com ), directed by Marc Guy and Raphaëlle Seigneur, pays homage to mountain classics. A generous, frank cuisine, which does not bother with pretense. €45 for a menu that stands out without artifice, in a setting that exudes authenticity. In Samoëns, the Lake Gers Refuge (09.88.28.44.07) is the address for solitary gourmets. Here, fondue is a law, tartiflette a rite. No frills, just the taste and silence of the mountains. €40 for a still trip, far from the crowds. In Orcières, the Fondue Bar (04.92.53.56.10) also celebrates this creamy and sometimes bold dish. Here, the evenings stretch out in laughter and rediscovered nostalgia. Simplicity and comfort from €35. We head to the Belleville valley, in Saint-Martin, where a few addresses are reviving conviviality. At the cottage La Loy (04.79.08.92.72 ; Restaurantlaloy.fr ), two sisters from Saint-Martin-de-Belleville introduce us to no-fuss Savoyard cuisine and organize snowshoe torchlight evenings under the stars. The mountain as we like it, authentic and sincere. Lucie and Valentin Suchet at the helm of Mountaineer (04.79.01.08.40 ; Le-montagnard.com), a Gault & Millau chef’s hat, cook fondues and crozets.

Nothing more, nothing less: local produce without frills, from €30 for a starter and a main course. For more privacy, in Alpe-d’Huez, Les Mas’Hauts (04.76.80.33.11 ; Hotelgrandesrousses.com ) serve dinners hidden from view in small wood and glass chalets inspired by Savoyard mazots. Cozy atmosphere guaranteed. Finally, at Les Saisies, Mont Blanc Restaurant & Snack (Montblanc-restaurant.com ) unveils menus in five (€100) and seven stages (€140) created by Benoît Goulard and Hélène Fleury, celebrating vegetables from the Jardin des Solstices and cheeses from the Val d’Arly fruit farm. A tribute to the terroir for this restaurant, newly awarded a Michelin star in 2024. This winter, the Alps seem to be rediscovering a taste that we thought was lost: that of sharing, without excess, just the essential, sublimated.

Megève, an alpine appetite

Megève is adorned with new ambitions and vibrant addresses. Julien Gatillon proposes You and Anata (juliengatillon.fr ), double counter where Jean Pastre and Keiji Ishii orchestrate a ballet between alpine plants and omakasé. Everything is precise, unique, rare. shattering return: that of Marc Veyrat (marcveyrat.fr ). The chef with the hat sets up his chalet at the bottom of the resort, where each mountain grass and each wood fire invite you to taste the forest. Be careful, only three evenings a week! Expected, Emmanuel Renaut sign Le Prieuré (leprieure-megeve.com ), sober and solid alpine bistro where soft-boiled egg and mondeuse chuck remind us that the real mountain is there, without frills. Beef lovers, treat yourself: a Beefbar – and its meats sourced from around the world – opens within the Cœur de Megève hotel (coeurdemegeve.com ), while Beef Lodge promises something exceptional at Lodge Park (lodgepark.com ). The Café de la Place (lecafe.fr ) finalizes this series. In this reinvented bistro, Beaufort shells and XXL croque offer a sweet break, like a childhood memory. This winter, Megève is no longer just a resort, but a culinary journey in itself.