Our Top 10 Restaurants in Avoriaz
The French ski resort of Avoriaz is situated in one of the largest ski areas in the world, the Portes du Soleil. From the ski-in-ski-out accommodation, you have access to fantastic slopes on both sides of the French-Swiss border, giving you plenty of opportunity to work up an appetite.
Luckily, the restaurants in Avoriaz and its surrounding areas are plentiful. Whether you want a gourmet meal in the evening, sample local delicacies, or grab a quick bite at a mountain restaurant, there’s something for you.
In this article, we’ll cover our favourite bars and restaurants in Avoriaz, but we’ll also cover some great ones that are within easy reach. We’ve chosen some of these establishments for their excellent food, while others made their way onto this list for their atmosphere and the experience they give you.
Due to the car-free nature of Avoriaz, you get to these restaurants on skis, on foot, or by horse-drawn sleigh, adding to the experience of dining in this high-altitude resort.
1. Mil8 Hotel Restaurant
The Mil8 Hotel is a boutique ski-in-ski-out hotel that opened in 2019. Its design fits in with Avoriaz’s unique architecture with an almost futuristic wooden chalet style. However, the inside harks back to the early days of Avoriaz with wooden panels, mod furniture, and a super cool retro cocktail bar.
The restaurant is a sophisticated brasserie serving high-quality cuisine for lunch or dinner. You can enjoy lunch in the dining room that sits level with the piste or on the sunny terrace. The brasserie-style menu features local cheese and meat platters and other alpine specialities but with a modern twist.
Evening meals are served in the ground floor dining room, where the modern adaptations of traditional dishes continue. The menu is designed to give those familiar with the local cuisine the opportunity to discover new tastes, making it one of the best restaurants in Avoriaz.
2. Cookie Café
Cookie Café is a mountain restaurant at the top of the mossettes chairlift at 2,300m. It’s a great spot to enjoy lunch on your way back from skiing in Switzerland or for an afternoon drink before heading back down to Avoriaz.
The large sun terrace gives you a nearly 360-degree view of the spectacular landscape, and its height often means you’re above the clouds. The Chill Out Lounge is ideal for a rest or to sit out bad weather while charging your phone while enjoying a hot chocolate on a sofa.
The menu consists of hand-crafted gourmet burgers from Switzerland, soups, salads, Bao buns, and pizzas. There are lots of veggie and healthy options too.
Even at this high altitude, you can expect great après. Mojito Monday kicks off at 16:30, and there are themed drinks all week. But go easy on the booze, as you have quite a descent back to the resort!
The Mil8 restaurant is a sophisticated brasserie serving high-quality cuisine for lunch or dinner. You can enjoy lunch in the dining room that sits level with the piste or on the sunny terrace. The brasserie-style menu features local cheese and meat platters and other alpine specialities but with a modern twist.
3. Le Vieux Chalet (Chez Babeth)
Chez Babeth sits within a cluster of restaurants in a bowl called the Plaine Dranse on the way to the neighbouring ski resort of Châtel. It is easy to get to on skis from Avoriaz, as long as you’re comfortable with blue or red runs.
Owned and run by the charismatic Babeth, this mountain restaurant serves fabulous French cuisine accompanied by a wide selection of wines, liqueurs, and champagnes. You can pop in for a drink or a complete dining experience.
Babeth and her team provide an excellent experience, especially at Christmas and on Valentine’s Day. This is enhanced by the traditional decor and Babeth’s hosting skills. She’s even written an autobiography, which you can buy in French or English in the restaurant.
4. La Leiche (Chatel)
La Leiche is an excellent mountain restaurant on the Linga piste in Châtel. Linga is a long piste that you can get some serious speed on, so make sure you keep your eyes to the right of the piste after the telecabine, so you don’t overshoot it. Use the drag lift as a reference point, as you need to cross it to get to the restaurant.
This traditional mountain restaurant serves equally traditional food, perfectly cooked and well presented. The staff are very friendly, adding to the cosy atmosphere.
5. La Cabane
La Cabane is a little different from the traditional restaurants in Avoriaz. You can enjoy local food such as steaks, slow-cooked lamb, and pasta. But they also serve Asian food, a favourite being the professionally prepared sushi,
La Cabane is ideally located in the centre of the resort, so it is accessible on skis or on foot. Therefore, you can easily get to it for lunch or dinner. But this is one of the best restaurants in Avoriaz for après, as it welcomes you off the slopes to live music in a cosy and chic setting without being too rowdy.
Owned and run by the charismatic Babeth, this mountain restaurant serves fabulous French cuisine accompanied by a wide selection of wines, liqueurs, and champagnes. You can pop in for a drink or a complete dining experience.
The unique interior, the terrace of tables in front of the restaurant le Vieux Chalet (Chez Babeth) along with great Savoyard food, pizzas, steaks, soups, salads and some ‘spécialité de la maison’ makes this restaurant a great choice after a hard morning on the slopes for your lunch stop.
6. La Folie Douce
You’ll hear La Folie Douce before you see it, as it is a hive of activity and entertainment. You can expect musicians, dancers, singers and DJs entertaining the crowds with their cabaret show.
However, you should not let the party atmosphere at La Folie Douce overshadow it as having one of the best restaurants in Avoriaz. The main restaurant, La Fruitière, serves excellent food from a contemporary menu by Chef Franck Mischler.
You can also eat at La Petite Cuisine, which is more informal, with a canteen style. But the food is still excellent, and dining here is a great option if you want to get back on the mountain after a quick lunch.
7. Happy Hours
Happy Hours isn’t a restaurant; it’s more of a party venue at the bottom of the Ardent bubble serving great snack-like food. It is accessible via a long treelined blue run that locals have nicknamed “Star Wars” as you whizz past the trees as if you are riding a speeder.
Run and owned by local legend Victor Pais, Happy Hours is the place to go for locals and seasonnaires. If you want great burgers, hot dogs, and nachos, head to Happy Hours early, as it gets busy, especially on Wednesday, when it’s the workers’ day off.
Expect loud music from DJs, scary cocktails, and a great atmosphere. But if you don’t like crowds, it’s best to avoid it. However, if you want to start your après with a bang, it’s an excellent place to start.
8. Le Petit Linderets
Le Petit Linderets is in the “goat village,” just below the top of the Ardent bubble. You access this charming restaurant on skis right to the door from the Linderets bowl.
You’re welcomed with a cosy atmosphere, which is a real treat when you come out of the cold, especially on a snowy day. The menu isn’t extensive, but it serves superb traditional food that is slightly different from the other restaurants. One of the favourites is the Escollope Morzinoise, a chicken dish with a creamy, cheesy sauce with spaghetti; the perfect way to warm up, especially when followed by an Irish coffee!
Le Petit Linderets is one of the best restaurants in Avoriaz that’s just open for lunch. It is inaccessible in the evenings once the lifts have closed.
La Folie Douce is the most entertaining venue in the French Alps and one of the best places to be for après-ski with champagne showers, bands, DJs, dancing on tables and so much more…
9. Les Enfants Terribles
Les Enfants Terrible is set inside Les Dromonts Hotel in the centre of Avoriaz. The decor stays true to the resort’s heritage with a bold sixties style. So expect vintage furniture and bright colours with lots of monochrome photos of Olympic ski racers from back in the day.
This Avoriaz restaurant has a bistro-style menu with a selection of traditional dishes and local flavours. Some of the most popular dishes include steaks, foie gras, duck, fera fish from Lake Leman, and fantastic homemade desserts.
10. Le Grand Cafe at L’Amara
Not all restaurants in Avoriaz have the traditional decor, and Le Grand Cafe at L’Amara is a great example. Here you can dine surrounded by the contemporary and refined alpine design, which is a refreshing change.
Le Grand Cafe is located in the Amara area in the centre of Avoriaz and serves food from a traditional brasserie menu for lunch and dinner. Therefore, you can sample fondue, raclette, and pizza while overlooking the dramatic views down the Ardoissier valley toward Morzine.
You can get to Le Grand Cafe from the top of the Proclou and Linderets chairlifts, so it’s ideal for beginners to refuel with excellent food with a stunning view.
Final Thoughts On The Best Restaurants In Avoriaz
The best restaurants in Avoriaz mainly serve traditional food, but, as you can see, there are a few Avoriaz restaurants with a more contemporary style.
This list barely scratches the surface of restaurants in Avoriaz and the other options close by. But we believe that it highlights the best ones based on their food, atmospheres, and the experience they provide.