One of the pleasures of skiing in the Alps is that lunch needn’t simply be a pause between runs. The best mountain restaurants are destinations in their own right, with skiers happily taking a longer route across the mountain or booking weeks in advance for a table.
These five restaurants are among the Alps’ most memorable lunch destinations. Some are celebrated for their food, others for their setting or history, but all are places worth building a ski day around.
Few mountain restaurants have achieved quite the reputation of Chez Vrony. Sitting at 2,130 metres in the hamlet of Findeln above Zermatt, it would be easy to assume that its popularity owes principally to its uninterrupted views of the Matterhorn. Spend an afternoon there, however, and it quickly becomes apparent that there is rather more to its success than its location.
The restaurant has grown from its origins as a mountain farmhouse into one of Switzerland’s most sought-after lunch reservations while retaining a clear connection to both its history and its surroundings. Local produce features prominently throughout the menu and the celebrated Vrony Burger, made using the restaurant’s own beef, remains one of the Alps’ great ski lunches. Sophisticated without feeling formal, it is somewhere that rewards lingering over lunch before heading reluctantly back onto the slopes.
How to get there
Chez Vrony sits within Zermatt’s Sunnegga-Rothorn ski area and is reached by skiing down towards Findeln. Non-skiers can also access the hamlet via the Sunnegga funicular and winter walking paths when conditions allow.
What to order
The Vrony Burger deserves its reputation, although the beef carpaccio and mountain goat’s cheese ravioli are equally worthy alternatives.
Budget
Allow approximately CHF50-70 per person for lunch before wine.
At first glance, Rifugio Emilio Comici feels rather unlikely. Sitting at 2,154 metres beneath the limestone walls of Sassolungo, it has built its reputation not around hearty mountain cooking but beautifully prepared seafood and Mediterranean flavours.
There is nothing contrived about the combination. Fresh seafood somehow feels entirely at home here, whether enjoyed from the panoramic terrace or within its more traditional Alpine interior. While many mountain restaurants are memorable principally for their setting, Comici would comfortably warrant a visit for its food alone. It offers something a little unexpected in the Dolomites and does so with considerable confidence.
How to get there
Rifugio Emilio Comici lies near Plan de Gralba within the Val Gardena ski area and is easily reached from both the Sellaronda circuit and the surrounding lift network.
What to order
The Calamarata with prawns, datterini tomatoes and basil perfectly captures the restaurant’s Mediterranean character. Seafood lovers should also look out for the oysters and king prawns when available.
Budget
Expect to spend around €40-60 per person for lunch, excluding wine.
Hospiz Alm manages to be both exactly what you would expect of an Austrian mountain restaurant and something rather more surprising besides. Sitting beside piste 64 in St Christoph at 1,800 metres, its timber interiors, generous portions and traditional Alpine cooking feel entirely at home in the Arlberg.
It is only once you discover what lies beneath the restaurant that its reputation begins to make complete sense. Its extraordinary wine cellar houses one of the world’s largest collections of large-format bottles, including rare Bordeaux and vintages that would feel equally at home in some of Europe’s most celebrated fine dining establishments. Despite its credentials, Hospiz Alm remains refreshingly unpretentious. It is perfectly possible to arrive in ski boots for an excellent Wiener schnitzel before skiing back onto the slopes, which is exactly as it should be.
How to get there
Hospiz Alm sits beside piste 64 in St Christoph and can be reached easily on skis from across the Arlberg ski area. Its village location also makes it accessible for non-skiers.
What to order
Wiener schnitzel is difficult to look beyond, although Tyrolean classics and excellent steaks feature prominently throughout the menu.
Budget
Lunch can be relatively modest by Alpine standards, although the wine cellar offers almost limitless opportunities to increase the final bill.
There are few places that capture the Italian approach to mountain dining quite as well as Club Moritzino. Occupying its position at 2,100 metres above Alta Badia for more than sixty years, it has become as much a part of the resort’s skiing culture as the Gran Risa itself.
Club Moritzino is best approached without any great sense of urgency. While there is excellent food to be found here, the atmosphere is equally responsible for its enduring popularity. Lunch regularly stretches into the afternoon as skiers gather on the terrace over seafood, wood-fired pizzas and excellent wines while taking in some of the Dolomites’ finest views. There is a confidence about the place that perhaps only comes with six decades spent doing something exceptionally well.
How to get there
Club Moritzino sits at the top of the Piz La Ila gondola above La Villa in Alta Badia and is easily accessible to both skiers and non-skiers.
What to order
Seafood dishes remain central to Club Moritzino’s identity, although its pizzas and grilled specialities are equally deserving of attention.
Budget
Expect premium pricing, particularly when ordering seafood and wine, although quicker and simpler lunch options are also available.
At 2,500 metres, Chalet de la Marine is one of the Alps’ highest and most ambitious mountain restaurants. Sitting beside the Dalles piste above Val Thorens, it demonstrates just how sophisticated Alpine dining has become without ever losing sight of its skiing roots.
Fresh produce arrives daily by snowmobile or snowcat before being transformed into a menu that comfortably accommodates both traditional Alpine favourites and more contemporary dishes featuring scallops, lobster and mature beef. There is an understated confidence to Chalet de la Marine that makes it particularly appealing. It feels first and foremost like a restaurant for skiers rather than a fine dining establishment that happens to occupy an impressive location, making it equally suited to a leisurely lunch or one of its memorable evening dinners reached by snowcat after the lifts have fallen silent.
How to get there
The restaurant sits beside the Dalles piste near the Cascade chairlift in Val Thorens and is most easily reached on skis. Evening dining experiences include transport to and from the restaurant by snowcat.
What to order
The menu changes throughout the season, although mature beef, scallops and traditional Alpine specialities regularly feature. Whatever you choose, leave room for the celebrated dessert buffet.
Budget
Allow approximately €55-80 per person for lunch before wine.
Great mountain restaurants have a habit of becoming highlights of a ski holiday. Whether you’re after a legendary burger in Zermatt, seafood in the Dolomites or a leisurely Austrian lunch paired with something special from the wine cellar, there’s something here to suit every taste.
If one catches your eye, it’s well worth booking ahead. The best tables on the mountain rarely stay empty for long.
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