Lunch Directly On The Meribel Slopes

First, a bit of practical information. Since French people seem to all be eating at precisely 1 o'clock, most restaurants are pretty crowded at that time, even during the low season. If your lunch destination is decided beforehand, it is a wise idea to call around mid-morning to make a reservation, it will guarantee you one of the best tables.

High end (and altitude) lunching

Just above Rond Point, a restaurant called 'Le Coeur de Cristal' is serving skiers since 2007. With a lovely big sundeck with white tablecloths and a menu for everyone, it will certainly please you. The Plat du jour is pricey, around �'20.00, but the brilliance of the chef amply makes it seem worth it. If you have a sweet tooth, the desert assortment will delight you, probably displaying the most appetizing things you've ever seen. Order the 'Assiette Gourmande Dessert' and the chef who made it all comes out to help you choose what to pile up on your plate.
The Adray Tlbar restaurant is located on the right of the Adret chairlift, below Rond Point. Its charming sundeck can be enjoyed from March onwards. It's a hearty Savoyard menu with canard (duck), faux-filet (sirloin steak), cotes d'agneau grilles aux herbes (grilled lamb with herbs) and boeuf bourguignon that is served here, in the �'25 to �'35 range and the Plat du Jour is slightly cheaper. Absolutely delicious.

Mid-range and good value

Right next to the bubble station stands Le Martagon, a gorgeous looking restaurant. The Plat du jour will certainly fill you up and the price is far from unreasonable: around 12�'. If the daily menu doesn't appeal to you, the rest of the menu is very extensive and also reasonably priced. You can get there by taking the Olympe 3 bubble down from La Chaudanne to Le Raffort � a 10 minute ride to the best value food in the whole Mribel valley, by some distance. You can also ski all the way: the track leading to the restaurant, not very steep, not very wide is absolutely beautiful.

Lodge du Village is one of Mribel's best value restaurants. They serve delicious bruschetta, pizzas and pasta but the chef does not restrain himself to Italian cuisine. The Plat du jour can go from Thai curry to turkey pie, depending on his inspiration. If there is still a free table, outside on the patio/sundeck is the place to be to have a sunny lunch. Main courses are usually priced between �'10 and �'15.

On the cheap side�

In a sunny spot conveniently located right by the top of the Rhodos bubble, savvy lunchers will find the Rhododendron. It is actually three restaurants in one: a cafeteria which opens at 11.30am, serving the usual spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, entrecote steak, etc., a little restaurant upstairs where you can order all the food served downstairs la carte for about 1�' extra a dish, and finally a counter where you can order delicious sandwiches or pizza slices and sit on the sunny deck to eat. There, for between 10 and 20�' including a glass of wine or beer, you will be well fed in a cheerful atmosphere!

At the Rastro, a few meters from the Mottaret town square, on a nice sundeck with a view of Mt Vallon, the food is pretty good and excellent value. It's amazing how the cost of a meal often halves if you just get off the slopes by a few meters and often the quality is better!