Foodie favourites: Our top resorts for haute cuisine

Foodies will know that the Alps are home to some superb cuisine, from Heston Blumenthal’s gourmet ski experience in Courmayeur to luxury chalets that come with private chefs. We took a look at the top resorts in France, Austria and Switzerland in which to enjoy haute cuisine and Michelin stars.

After all, the ski season might be over but there’s never a wrong time to talk about great food.

Ischgl

Austria isn’t usually considered an haute cuisine kind of place; the standard mountain fare of bratwurst, goulash and rosti means food is often good, but basic. Not so in Ischgl though, where fine food rubs shoulders with mountain huts, and the hotels offer more than just your standard Alpine fare. The ski area in Ischgl is shared with Samnaun in Switzerland, which isn’t exactly the sort of resort you’ll have heard of in advance.

It’s in this rather more off-the-beaten-track resort where you can find very best restaurants. The fabulous Homann’s restaurant has two Michelin stars and is well worth a visit, while La Miranda Stubli also has excellent food and a Michelin star.

Zermatt

The more popular Swiss resorts, like Verbier and St Moritz, have always traded on good local restaurants in great piste-side locations. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Zermatt, home to the famous Chez Vrony. With a number of fabulous restaurants in the resort, many of which are based in the hotels, there is no shortage of great food around.

All three of the Michelin star restaurants in the resort are based in hotels, with both The Omnia and After Seven offering contemporary cuisine from local produce, while the Capri boasts the best Italian food on the Swiss side of the border.

Le Trois Vallees

Over in the Trois Vallees, Courchevel has the highest number of Michelin starred restaurants of any resort in the Alps. The best of them are both superb and reasonably priced. The Chabichou is piste side in Courchevel 1850, with an excellent wine list and some of the best views in the resort. Down in Courchevel Le Praz, Azimut offers wonderful contemporary cuisine with a lovely selection of wines.

The only restaurant with three Michelin stars in the ski area is over in St Martin de Belleville. La Bouitte is the best restaurant in the Trois Vallees, and it’s well worth heading over there for a meal if you’re a real food lover (whether you’re in the Trois Vallees or not).

Of course, there are resorts with great restaurants all over the Alps, and food lovers aiming to buy a chalet or apartment in any one of them will find just as many hidden gems as you’ll stumble across in the resorts we’ve mentioned in this article. As always, if you are looking into buying a ski property, our experts will be happy to help in any way they can.