La Tania, France foodie guide: where to eat and drink
Bulk-up on ski pant-busting sticky toffee pudding, génépi-soaked babas and ice-cold beers in this budget-friendly French resort, tucked between glitzy Méribel and Courchevel
Looking for restaurants in La Tania resort? Want to know where to fuel-up in this quiet corner of the Three Valleys after a hard day’s skiing? Read our guide to Les Trois Vallées’ best-kept foodie secret. Or read about more affordable foodie ski resorts here.
Chalet Nid Alpin – best place to stay
Stay at the recently renovated Chalet Nid Alpin for a full-board package that foodies will approve of (breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course dinners with French wines). Expect melt-in-the-mouth peanut butter cookies, tartiflette baked with whole reblochon cheese, and ski pant-busting sticky toffee pudding. There’s even a cheese and port night. Make friends with the associated ski school, and you might be lucky enough to taste homemade génépi liqueur, infused with local artemisia flowers that are plucked from the slopes during the summer.
Le Bouc Blanc – best for the last beer on the slopes
At the top of La Tania gondola station, Le Bouc Blanc restaurant reigns supreme for the first and last break from the slopes. And it wears its crown well. Grab a spot on the huge sun terrace if you’re loading up on Savoyard speciality, diots au vin blanc (sausages braised in white wine), or flop into a deckchair at the end of the day for an icy cold jar of beer – buy beers by the tap for the best value.
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Le Chrome Bar – best for burgers
If you’re after a bargain burger to fill up on, pre-après ski, make like the local chalet hosts and head to Le Chrome Bar for its famed burger, fries and drink deal (€12 when we visited in 2019). There’s also regular live music and open mic nights if you fancy sticking around for a party.
Le Farcon – best for fine dining
Having retained its Michelin star for more than a decade, La Tania’s Le Farcon is known for its refined take on Savoyard cuisine. Reward a long day on the slopes with a tasting menu that might close with anything from a baba infused with local génépi, to meringue and ice cream with fir buds.
Clos Bernard – best for magical lunches
If you’re looking to beat the crowds, where better for lunch than a restaurant hidden deep within a forest? You can get to Clos Bernard, near Méribel’s altiport, on skis – take the start of the ‘animal’ trail (next to the Loze express chairlift) and follow the marked route to the restaurant, guided by the scent of steaks cooking over a wood fire. Watch mixologists flare amongst the firs, or order a hot chocolate overflowing with whipped cream and diddy chocolate chip cookies. It’s just the place for a long, luxurious lunch.
La Cave des Lys – best for raclette
If you love cheese and wine, hop on a quick bus after dark to the village of Le Praz – the journey is worth it to eat at La Cave des Lys. Set beneath the curves of old stone vaults, the restaurant’s menu is resolutely French. Order the raclette and you’ll be the envy of every fellow diner. Ours included five different French cheeses, dried figs, honey, charcuterie, pickles, and salty roasted new potatoes.
La Casserole – best for vin chaud
If you’re up early, make the most of a crisp blanket of snow by skiing from La Tania to La Casserole, a restaurant at the bottom of the signal chairlift in Courchevel 1650. Keep warm inside the rustic, dark timber-clad interior, where copper pans hang from exposed beams and a fire rages, or bathe in the mountain sunshine outside (the terrace is south-facing) with a mug of clove-spiced vin chaud, fragrant with fresh orange. If you stay for food, look out for seven-hour roasted lamb and the homemade dessert buffet.
Le 1928 – best for crêpes
If skiing isn’t enough for you, how about paragliding down a mountain? For those brave enough, take-off occurs at the front of Le 1928 restaurant, at the top of Col de la Loze, right between Courchevel and Méribel. Whether you’re participating or observing, save time for a giant, wafer-thin crêpe so big that it drapes over the side of the plate. It comes dusted with sugar, before being drenched in warming booze at the table.
Restaurant Le Grenier – best for chips
If you’re staying in a catered chalet, then sometimes all you need at lunchtime is a plate of chips and a nip of something alcoholic to keep you going. But, once you’re in the bigger resorts of Méribel and Courchevel, there’s a price to pay. Méribel’s Restaurant Le Grenier is one of only a handful of places that are more wallet-friendly. For a truly satisfying, no-frills pit stop, order a sweet and cheap hot chocolate, and a plate of wieners that curl over hot chips soaked with vinegar, ketchup and mayo.
La Folie Douce – best for dancing on tabletops
You might make the pilgrimage to Méribel/Courchevel Folie Douce for the food (if you do, the selection of five Savoyard cheeses with mixed salad and dried fruit is a safe bet), but the main draw has to be the live dance shows, cabaret, and tabletop dancing. There’s another Folie Douce branch in Val Thorens if you make it to the third valley during your stay. Think of it as day-time clubbing, with ski boots on.
Words by Laura Rowe
Photographs by Laura Rowe and Ski Beat
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