Where to eat in Val d'Isere and Tignes

Lunch on the mountain

La Peau de Vache, on La Face de Bellevarde at the top of the Bellevarde Express. Hidden away, with dark wood, cowhide and sheepskins on the terrace, cult burgers, grills and one of the best views of the village. Order the La Peau de Vache burger. It's halfway down a black, but you can reach it by lift.

Le Refuge, at the top of the Solaise gondola at 2,551 m. Elevated Savoyard food and a big sunny terrace made for long lunches. Get the lasagne to share. It's in the Refuge de Solaise hotel, and also a great spot just to sit in the sun.

La Cucùcina, inside La Folie Douce above La Daille. A theatrical Italian room with a cabaret show during lunch; we'd order the lobster fregola risotto. Our La Folie Douce guide covers the rest of the building.

Hot chocolate and coffee stops

Datcha, at the bottom of Col de la Madeleine on Solaise, does the best Irish coffees and a great hot chocolate, and it's an easy blue to get there, so the whole group can come.

Le Panoramic, at the top of the funicular on the Grande Motte in Tignes, is the stop for the view. Have a hot chocolate before skiing Génépy or the glacier reds down to Val Claret.

Dinner in Val d'Isere

Palladio, the Italian inside the Airelles hotel at the foot of Bellevarde. A refined trattoria with handmade pasta and risotto; a valet takes your skis and the pasta is finished with parmesan at the table. The veal ragù (mezze al ragù de veau) is one of the best dishes we've had in the Alps. The terrace is a good lunch spot too.

Le 1789, an intimate wood-fire grill on Passage de l'Iseran: beef, lamb and Savoyard classics. Order the côte de boeuf.

La Grande Ourse, a chalet at the foot of Solaise, by the nursery slope, open since 1936. Fondue, raclette, tartiflette and croziflette, for lunch or dinner. Try the slow-cooked lamb shoulder.

Poya, on Avenue Olympique, for modern Alpine food, grills and cocktails in the evening; the black winter truffle pizza is the order. La Baraque, also on Avenue Olympique, is a restaurant and bar with live music, DJs, oysters and fondue, and it's popular with locals.

Tips for eating out

Book ahead for lunch at the popular mountain restaurants, especially in the school holidays, and for dinner at the busier village places. If you're staying in Tignes and eating in Val d'Isère (or the other way round), plan how you'll get back: the lifts close, and the road between the two takes about 15 minutes.

Lunch on the Val d'Isère side if you're staying there, so you're not racing the link home in the afternoon. Our day routes build lunch into each day.