Dining

If you enjoy fine food, coming to this valley will be like finding Shangri-La. The blend of French and Spanish cooking together with the mountain basics of the Valle de Arán has resulted in a unique cuisine (Aránes) praised across Europe. The valley also has a collection of gourmet restaurants that rival anything found at even top French resorts. With the highest-priced restaurants topping out at around €60 per person with wine, the best food in the world is within many skiers’ budgets. Most full meals with starter, main course and dessert will end up costing between €22 and €28. Pizza and wine ends up being around €15. Even without skiing, the trip to this valley would be worth the effort for only the food.

Lunch starts at about 2 p.m. and continues until at least 4 p.m. when skiers head out to catch the last half-hour of skiing before the slopes close at 4:30 p.m. The dinner is served late by English or American standards but not as late as in Andalusia. Restaurants open around 8 p.m. and most patrons show up between 9 and 10 p.m. Reservations, several days in advance, are necessary for many of them. Don’t wait till the last minute. The restaurants are spread all through the valley. However most of the restaurants covered here are scattered between the main city, Vielha and the ski resort.

Average cost of meals €€€=€35+; €€=€20-€35; €=less than €20.

Start with the food on the mountain. Baqueira/Beret has an exceptional full-service restaurant, Altitude 1800 (973-645202; €€). The red beans were some of the best I have ever eaten and red peppers stuffed with ears and lips sound horrible, but taste heavenly; and game and fish were excellent. In the Beret sector, the Restaurant Pla de Beret (973-645227; €€) offers a wide variety of appetizers and good meat with table service. Call for reservations at both restaurants.

Self-service Audeth is good for a quick lunch as well.

The restaurants in Baqueira village are only a couple of minutes walk from the base of the lifts. The three best are Ticolet (973-645477; €€) with fine cuisine next to the Montarto Hotel and La Borda de Lobato (973-645708; €€) with traditional meats and fish prepared on an open grill are served in a barn atmosphere oozing with rustic charm. Esquiró (973-645430; €€) serves what some say is the best fish in the valley.

Cap del Port (973-250082; €€) is in a castle-like building at the crest of the Port de la Bonaigua pass. This unique spot serves high altitude meals such as medallions of goat, deer fillets and mountain mushrooms. All these mountain restaurants are open during the evening as well except the Altitude 1800 and Cafeteria Beret.

Arties is considered the cuisine capital of the region. You’ll find Casa lrene (973-644-364; €€€) where the King and Queen of Spain dine. Irene still takes orders and chats with customers and Irene's son, Andreas, runs the kitchen. The menu is a selection of three fixed-price menus ranging from €45 to €55, each with a half-dozen selections.

Also in Arties: Eth Taro (973-642558; €€€) and Candelaria (973-642024; €€€) serve regional and international cuisine. The Parador (973-641103; €€€) has an excellent restaurant but is rather stuffy and formal. Restaurant Urtau (973-640926; €€) borders on gourmet with more reasonable prices. Mas Pasta (973-641619; €) serves Italian food ranging from pizzas to pasta in a very romantic, rustic converted barn. La Sal Gorda (973-645431; €–€€) serves delicious Basque cuisine.

In Vielha, try to visit Era Coquèla de Vielha (973-642915: €€) for an excellent meal (don’t miss the chocolate soufflé for dessert). Era Mola (973-640868; €€) has gourmet flavors applied to some local favorites such as rabbit and duck. Sidreria Era Bruisha-Sorgiña (973-642976; €€) serves excellent grilled meats and fish in Basque style.

Three small spots are within steps of each other in Vielha on Carrer Mayor. All i Oli (973-641757; €) is cozy and serves family-made healthy Catalan meals — the perfect spot for vegetarians as well as those looking for barbecued meat. Restaurant Eth Tidon (973-640363; €) is a place for meat — lots of meat fired over glowing coals sold by the kilo. Restaurant Basteret (973-640714; €) has a major French clientele with delicious and reasonable food. Each day La Lluna has pastries, sandwiches and pizza.

Just outside of Vielha tucked on a narrow street of Betren (the village across from the Tuca Hotel) is Era Borda de Betren (973-640032; €€), a small restaurant that serves Aránese meals such as trout and lamb in a very cozy atmosphere .

Casa Carmela (973-645751; €€) in the tiny village of Unha, has grown from a small dining room that was packed night after night into a restaurant empire with three different levels for dining and lodging. It is listed as Es de Don Joan Casa Carmela. Her cordero lechal is exceptional as is her local soup, Olla Aranese.

Casa Mestres (973-644179; €€€) in Salardu is new and good.

For good typical regional Aránese food, try Casa Turnay (973-64092; €€), El Niu (973-641406; €€), Es Pletieus (973-640709; €€) and Casa Estampa (973-640048; €€) in Escunhau, Et Restrille (973-641539; €€) in Garos, and the very reasonable Borda de Benjamin (973-645113; €€) in Salardu. Zurbaran (973-647710; €€) in Bossost is recommended for Basque cuisine with mountain touches.

You can find plenty of inexpensive pizza and Italian restaurants as well as some “combination plate” restaurants throughout the valley if you want to save money.