Our top 5 mountain restaurants in no order
Tell me you want to spend a day skiing the Portes Du Soliel and we are going to Chez Babeth (Plane Dranse -1), Grand Paradis (2) or La-0 (top of Morgins – 3) for lunch. Honourable considerations would be the award-winning Relais – A little tricky to get to and get out however if Rosti’s are on your wish list, they are a speciality here. And also Chez Gaby – one could not write a blog on restaurants in the Portes Du Soleil and not mention this restaurant which tops most lists of written recommendations (not to be confused with the Ferme Du Gaby which is just around the corner from Chez Gaby, also great).
Tell me you want to spend a day skiing the Morzine / Les Gets side and we are going to Chez Nannon (4) or La Paika (5). Honourable considerations would be Les Aigles’ Du Leman for kids – with France’s largest indoor ball pit! And Le Grand Ours for its commitment to offering plant-based alternatives for all our vegan and veggie guests.
(1). Why Chez Babeth? We are going for the spectacle. Chez Babeth is about as Alpine cutesy as it gets. The location is great -. Plaine Dranse, a small hamlet of Alpage buildings that have now become restaurants. Ski up as far as you can then wind your way on foot through to Babeth’s at the back left-hand corner. Duck your way through the door from an age when people were smaller and find yourself in a beautiful wooden old farm building with more teddy bears in than one could count in a meal time.
(2). Why Grand Paradis? We are going for the adventure and to eat on the Swiss side. Grand Paradis is a ski area rather than a restaurant, located at the bottom of the red piste Ripaille, on the far side of the map. The piste is in it’s own valley and feels like you have stumbled across a secret area. Accessed only by a button lift or a T-bar it is often dismissed however once discovered it really is a great little gem of an area. A little flat in the final quarter with a minor uphill however a great decent that we feel is worth a few pole pushes, snowboarders – be aware.
You will have a fine time stopping at any of the restaurants on the way down. The Lapiaz is the first restaurant which is a working farm in the summer. Often half submerged in the snow it is a great place to stop and indulge on produce from the farm. The Buvette les Clarines is a beautiful refuge, perched on the side of a mountain that if you are going too fast you can easily ski straight past. Then finally the Auberge de Paradis. Although we have yet to visit the Auberge under the new ownership, historically it was one of our favourite stops, renovated with no expense spared and well worth the 50ish meter detour from the piste.
3). Why La-0? If Skiology did a mountain restaurant it would be a bit a like this one. In their own words “You will come to discover a gourmet and local cuisine, “homemade”, inspired by our region which is so rich in quality products! We participate in preserving our environment and its exceptional beauty by working responsibly and limiting our non-recyclable waste. Thank you to the producers for their know-how and their precious collaboration!”. It is not as intimate as some of other recommendations however we came here to eat, the food is great, the view is stunning and the skiing back down into Morgins is top!
(4) Why Chez Nannon? The atmosphere and the food. Winter sports fans are often led here by their nose. Sizzling plates of potatoes covered in melting local cheese and BBQed local sausage lure passers by into what feels like a secret den. A small intimate restaurant on the inside with a great bustle of plates and smells coming from the kitchen.
(5)Why La Paika? Beautiful interiors and inticing looking food. La Paika is perhaps a little more expensive than some however you get what you pay for. Boutique, authentic interiors a large sun terrace and an unrivalled variety of outdoor grilled dishes.
