The Best Guide to Restaurants in Les Houches

Restaurants and Dining

Mountain Restaurants

Les Houches has some very nice restaurants dotting its slopes, a real resort strength. Most are small to mid-sized traditional wooden chalets serving up local cooking and all with great views out over the Mont Blanc mountains.

The Hors Piste restaurant (+33 (0)4 50 53 53 53; le-hors-pistes.com) close to the Verte downhill run is typical. It’s owned by Georges Hottegindre, former official trainer of the French National ski team, a fifth generation member of a family who, since 1928, have been cable car and ski lift constructors, mountain guides, hotel and restaurant owners on the local mountain. The restaurant has brasserie and cafeteria menus as well as serving Savoyard specialities.

Les Vieilles Luges (+33 (0)6 84 42 37 00; lesvieillesluges.com) is another great choice, serving up local favourites in a 250 year old farmhouse, run by a family who can trace their history in the Valley back for more than five centuries.  In fact the current owner is an ex French ski team member and was once the country's junior champion, the Verte (Kandahar) World Cup piste is named after the family.  His Australian wife cooks delicious local recipes, passed down from the family via her mother-in-law.

Restaurants in Town

There are two dozen restaurants and bars in Les Houches, nearly all small to medium sized family run establishments serving wholesome home cooked food using local ingredients. Good choices include the wood-lined Basilic restaurant (105 place de la Fruitière; +33(0) 4 50 54 4 1 85; restaurant-le-basilic-les-houches.com) which has a great choice of meat dishes and Savoyard specialities.

The Pèle restaurant in the hotel Beau Site has high calibre food created from local ingredients, where possible, by proprietor chef Christian Perrin. Les Granges d’en-Haut is one of the classier establishments, offering fine dining with Italian overtones.

Grocery Shops

There are five food shops in Les Houches.

Le Refuge Payot (Place Fruitière; +33(0) 4 50 34 87 09; refugepayot.com) is quite a special outlet for quality local Savoyard cuisine. Its produce includes charcuterie and epicerie and it gets a Michelin Guide mention for quality and service. Deliveries are possible.

The Fromagerie de la Fruitière (88 place de la Fruitière; +33(0) 4 50 54 53 89) is an excellent cheese shop, there’s also a bakery and two small supermarkets, the Super U (956 avenue des Alpages; +33(0) 4 50 55 51 70) and the Shopi (32 place de la Mairie; +33(0) 4 50 54 40 26).