Morzine - eat, drink and party

Mountain restaurants

A stellar ski area needs some stellar fuelling stations, and Portes du Soleil doesn’t disappoint. Closest to home, and one of the oldest restaurants on the mountain, Chez Nannon (+33 450 792 115) is a former cow shed that pairs Alpine classics with excellent service. And Le Vaffieu (+33 450 790 943) serves up dishes to rival any major city restaurant.

Avoriaz standouts include La Ferme (+33 450 740 960) for hearty, cheese-rich Alpine classics, and Les Marmottes (+33 450 740 986), whose awesome terrace throws in a ski tan with every meal on sunny days.

Further afield, Châtel’s slopes boast La Leiche (+33 450 816 840), home of a legendary carbonara, and the wildly popular Chez BaBeth, whose eponymous landlady’s famous moodiness (tongue in cheek – we think!) is an essential part of the lunch experience.

Should you make it as far as Champéry, you’ll have worked up quite an appetite, and deserve to sample the gourmet take on simple, authentic regional classics served up at Restaurant Coquoz. After 66 years in the business, they clearly know what they’re doing.

And for unbeatable views, schuss on over to the panoramic Cookie Café at the top of the Mosettes chair straddling Switzerland and France. Their gourmet burgers, prepared to an exclusive recipe by their Swiss butcher down-mountain, are mighty fine too.

Restaurants in town

Morzine’s dining scene has really raised its game in recent years, and while widely embracing more regional produce, also offers more eclectic flavours than ever before. Award-winning sushi? Check. Modern European? Check. Classic Italian? Check. Good old-fashioned fondue and tartiflette? Mais bien sûr! And there’s a good range of well-priced quality fast-food joints too.

Pan-Asian is the theme for delicious dinners at Hideout Hostel’s restaurant, with an adventurous sharing menu and great cocktails. At La Chamade, third-generation chef (and sculptor, and author, polymath fans) Thierry Thorens inventively fuses fine-dining expertise with recipes his mum taught him, while bringing local seasonal ingredients to the fore.

At Bec Jaune you can pair toothsome draughts from its microbrewery with outstanding grub ranging from vegan superfood burgers to pork belly ramen and ceviche tacos, knowing that everything, right down to the burger buns, is made from scratch on site.

Fine fish dishes, alongside classic French and Italian fare, are standouts at La Chaudanne. And when it’s time to get that classic Alpine cheese’n’carbs bloat on, La Ferme De La Fruitiere does it best, using fine fromages from its own artisanal cheesery, in a quaint stone and wood interior.

Après-ski & nightlife

Uproarious Alpine chain La Folie Douce is a bit of a Marmite proposition, but the hordes who can’t get enough of its champagne squirting, saucy cabaret and banging beats will rejoice that Avoriaz has its very own branch now. DJs, rocking a Millennium Falcon-inspired DJ booth, also power a huge party every Wednesday at Happy Hours Bar, at the bottom of the Ardent lift, while live bands kick off après here every other day. Another popular spot is the terrace at kooky, cool Le Tremplin.

Popular with locals, La Marmotte d’Or, at the Montriond end of town, has a popular sunny terrace and matey vibes, and its regular live music nights whip up the dancefloor. Back in the centre, the unpolished Bar Robinson – say ‘Robbos’ to sound like a local – serves infamous local brew Mutzig, which at eight per cent takes no prisoners. You have been warned!

There’s no shortage of other lively bars, notably on the Pléney strip, come the après hour, and there are also some rather more serene spots for a cosy evening tipple. Beanies (+33 450 374 568) mixes a fine martini, plus their own creative creations, while Le Coup de Coeur, opposite sister venue La Chamade restaurant, is a great place to discover cannily curated French and international wines by the glass. Le Bar à Vin at La Chaudanne does something similar in a beautiful vaulted stone cellar.

For a nightcap with quality sounds, Laury’s Bar (+33 450 790 610) is big with loyal locals, and dishes up live jazz, funk and soul and DJ sets alongside its eye-popping drinks menu until 2am. We’re suckers for the Tuesday night disco sets.

Still not done? Give your best moves an outing at one of Morzine’s late-night venues, which serve up everything from Irish music (The Dixie Bar (+33 450 792 783)) to funk (Café Chaud) to drum and bass (L’Opéra (+33 450 791 665)) till the wee hours.