The 10 best restaurants in Courmayeur

Where to eat both on and off the slopes in the home to some of the finest gastronomy in the Italian mountains

Food is taken seriously in Courmayeur. The resort lies in Valle d’Aosta, a bilingual border region that draws on two of the world’s greatest cuisines, and it prides itself on its gastronomy. Down in the village, you’ll find the kind of fine dining options you’d normally only get in a city many times its size. 
What’s more, the main lift from the village runs to Plan Chécrouit until midnight, allowing foodies to spend the evening in a choice of mountain restaurants.
Courmayeur even has its own food festival – the annual Momentum Ski Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience, which takes place each March. Created in collaboration with Heston Blumenthal, it’s regularly attended by culinary stars – including Tom Kerridge, Marcus Wareing, Clare Smyth, and of course, the Fat Duck head honcho himself – who cook in some of Courmayeur’s best restaurants throughout the weekend.
For further Courmayeur inspiration, see our guides to the resort’s best accommodation and après ski.
Pizzeria du Tunnel claims to be the oldest in Courmayeur, and looking at the wood-and-stone exterior of the building, you can well believe it. The traditional feel continues inside, where a mezzanine level overlooks a subterranean central dining area in the style of old Val d’Aosta tavern. Wooden skis, cowbells, and a stag’s skull adorn one wall, and wooden finishes complete the picture.
The other thing that’s traditional about Pizzeria du Tunnel are the prices, which miraculously don’t seem to have risen with inflation over the years. While much of Courmayeur is pretty upmarket, you can still get a pizza here for €12, or a main course, like their tasty Cotoletta alla Milanese, for €16. There’s a decent selection of reasonably-priced wine and beer too. 
Contact: pizzeriadutunnel.it
Price: £
At the other end of the price scale from Pizzeria du Tunnel is the restaurant of the Grand Hotel Royal e Golf. The glass-walled dining room, designed by the celebrated Milanese architect and designer Giò Ponti, has a spectacular view of Mont Blanc and the Dent du Géant.
Le Bistrot is recommended in the Michelin guide, which cites its commitment to “technically elaborate” dishes. The menu changes with the seasons, but highlights of the most recent summer menu included a primo of chnéffléne (a kind of Val d’Aosta dumplings) served with Tomme di Gressoney cheese, walnuts and chives, and a secondo of wild boar loin and blueberry sauce. The wine cellar, as you’d expect in such a hotel, is well stocked.

Contact: hotelroyalegolf.com/ristoranti
Price: £££
Clotze is a short taxi ride away from downtown Courmayeur, in Val Ferret, but it’s worth it for the excellent food. Originally opened in 1972 by Elso and Clara Domaine, the restaurant stayed in the family until 1997, but then changed hands several times. In 2017, it closed but was recently reopened by the original founders’ grandchildren, who have brought a modern sensibility to the traditional decor – and to their grandparents’ recipes.
The menu includes classic Val d’Aosta dishes with a twist (like their starter of veal carpaccio served with hazelnut mayonnaise) but also completely new inventions like their vegan secondo of aubergine with parmesan cream, tomato sauce, tricolour basil and polenta couscous. 
Contact: ristorantelaclotze.it
Price: ££
Located in a traditional chalet with green shutters up in Palud, near the base station of the Skyway Monte Bianco, Enoteca l’Armadillo is first and foremost a wine shop. But it’s also a bar, an occasional live music venue, and one of the very best places to eat in Courmayeur. Customers are greeted by a counter decorated with old vinyl, and filled with old corks. The walls are lined with bottles, so choosing from the winelist simply involves perusing the room.
Japanese chef Satoru Ueda brings an outsider’s eye to high-quality local ingredients, and loves to experiment. The menu changes all the time, but previous highlights have included a starter of poached egg with fontina cheese fondue and mocetta powder, and a dessert of a spiced grape and pear tart, served with a sauce made from Fireball whisky.
Contact: 0039 34 09 61 02 26; instagram.com/larmadillo_vino_cibo_musica
Price: ££
Tucked away down a side street off the car-free Via Roma, Pierre Alexis 1877 is in an atmospheric old building dating from (yes, you guessed it) 1877. The restaurant was originally a stable and carpentry shop, and while the design is modern, many of the original features have been maintained—including the lovely vaulted ceiling.
Opened in 2012, the restaurant is a family affair. Chef Stefano Alessandro Marchetto takes care of the kitchen, his wife Monica runs front-of-house and their son, Egon, is in charge of the wine list. The menu changes monthly, following the rhythm of the seasons, and often features freshly foraged herbs. Sample dishes include foie gras with hazelnuts and truffle, or venison tartare with barberry ice cream. The wine list covers the local area extensively and also features a good selection from further south in Italy, France, and even Slovenia.

Contact: pierrealexis.it
Price: £££
Sitting in a prime location, just opposite the main ski school meeting points on the mini plateau of Plan Chécrouit, Refugio Christiania has been serving simple, succulent low-cost cuisine since it first opened in 1957. The restaurant is known for its original take on pizzas, such as mini deep-fried pizzas filled with local cheese, ham and spinach. It’s open for both lunch and dinner, but you have to make a reservation in the evening.
For those who just want to grab something quick, there’s a “slope food” menu too, featuring tasty burgers, panzerotti (mini, fried calzones) and panini. Their ham and cheese panini, made with local fontina cheese, are excellent.  
Contact: christianiacourmayeur.com
Price: £
Located at 3,375m, just below the arrival station of the Skyway Monte Bianco, Rifugio Torino’s balcony offers one of the best views in Courmayeur – if not the whole Alps. Run by the Italian Alpine Club, this is still a mountain hut first and foremost: a place for mountaineers to base themselves when attempting any of the ridgeline peaks. But the ease of access (you can reach it by way of a lift and a tunnel from the top Skyway station) and the spectacular views have made it popular with tourists too.
Inside, the wood-panelled restaurant is basic, but charming, with food served from a cantina-style counter. Alpine staples like venison stew feature frequently. It’s the panoramic terrace that really makes this place special, however. Even if you only fancy a cappuccino, the place is worth a visit.

Contact: rifugiotorino.com/en
Price: £
Closest lift / run: Skyway Monte Bianco
In an old shepherd’s hut at 1,956m sits Maison Vieille, a cosy, atmospheric restaurant run by the ever-cheerful Giacomo Calosi. Originally from the island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany, Calosi moved to Courmayeur 40 years ago, after falling in love with the mountains. He brought with him a Tuscan passion for food and wine and a warm, welcoming attitude that fit perfectly with the hut’s roaring fires. In summer, the hut is one of the stops on the famous Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc trail-running race, and on sunny days, the terrace offers spectacular views of the mountain.
Dishes include southern Italian specialties like pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans), as well as local choices heavy on the polenta, and excellent pizzas. The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner thanks to the extended cable car hours up from the village. At lunchtime, it’s reached via a nursery slope chairlift, and at night guests are ferried to and from Plan Chécrouit by the restaurant’s snowmobile. 
Contact: maisonvieille.com
Price: ££
Closest lift / run: Maison Vieille / Maison Vieille
If you need a bit of sustenance after descending the epic Youla run, Chez Croux is an excellent place to stop. The restaurant’s story dates back to 1940 when the uncle of the current owners bought 1,300 square metres of land from the Commune de Courmayeur for the frankly ludicrous sum of 0.5 lire per m2—roughly €0.44 in today’s money. Enrico Croux, the current paterfamilias, is always happy to regale guests with tales of life in the mountains.

The hut looks small but can seat up to 100 people inside. If it’s at all sunny, however, you’ll want to sit outside and take in the view. The food includes panini and pizzas, but it’s their desserts that are the real speciality – including their homemade bomboloni farciti di crema pasticcera, or custard-filled doughnuts.

Contact: chezcroux.com
Price: £
Closest lift / run: Aretù / Del Colle
La Chaumière, located on Plan Checrouit, is a staple of Courmayeur’s foodie scene. Offering both a bistro and a gourmet menu, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner – with the late opening of the lifts allowing guests to leave as late as midnight. (The restaurant also offers snowmobile rides up from the resort, if you fancy something a little more adventurous.)

The building is a fantastic chalet of wood and stone, with large, glass windows on one side of the dining room that frame amazing views of the surrounding peaks. There’s a lovely terrace too, for sunny days.

The food is built around the best “kilometre zero” local ingredients – beef from the valley, fontina cheese, handmade pasta, and gnocchi made with local chestnuts. Menu highlights include a starter of free-range egg with leeks, ham and blue cheese, and a duck leg cooked in Vermouth with caramelised shallots. The wine list is varied and extensive. 
Price: £££
Contact: lachaumiere.it
Every restaurant in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our ski expert, following years of experience on the slopes. We cover a range of budgets, from piste-side huts to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every skier’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations, with options both in the resort and on the mountain. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.