Meribel has excellent restaurants. Our routine is to eat on the slopes for about €10 to €15 for a great lunch and then cook in the apartment for dinners. However there is no shortage of places to dine like a king.

Le Grand Coeur (479 08 60 03) has a view over the chalets of the town. The experience is hard to beat, with excellent fish as well as local specialties. Expect to spend €40 per person.

Make the effort to dine at the Hotel Allodis (479 00 56 00; photo right). The restaurant, especially during lunch, is wonderful. The evening dining room offers meals in an architectural harmony of modern and classic lines. Expect to pay €40 per person.

Le Plantin (479 04 12 11) on the road between Meribel Village and La Tania, serves posh rustic meals for lunch and dinner. During the day the restaurant shuttles diners to their dining room from La Tania lifts or Meribel lifts if they call.

Chez Kiki (479 08 66 68) is the Méribel version of Courchevel’s original Bergerie. It can sometimes be the dining spot of the rich and famous. The 80-something-year-old owner still barbecues over an open fire the meal and regales guests with stories. The rustic atmosphere is cozier downstairs near the fireplace. For an adventure during the meal find the Alice in Wonderland door in the basement. Meal costs about €40 apiece.

Le Yeti Restaurant (479 00 51 15) in the hotel of the same name has an excellent kitchen and elegant dining room with a menu that offers traditional French cooking. A full dinner will cost around €55 plus wine. Lunches with the Plat du Jour and a dessert are about €28.

La Fromagerie is a traditional fromagerie where cheese and wine is kept at the perfect temperature in the basement. Head here for the best fondue and raclette in the valley. La Galette has good crepes and pizzas.

On the road between Meribel-Center and the Altiport served by regular free shuttlebusses, Cro Magnon (479 00 57 38) is a nice place for more affordable French fare but not cheap: careful or the meal price might creep up to €60 or so.

La Cava (479 00 31 29) beneath the Hotel Oiree de Bois serves bistro meals ranging from salad and pasta to soups and steaks. This place can be very affordable with pizza from €8.50 regional specialties from €17. Meal cost can easily stay below €35.

For more affordable meals in the middle of Meribel-Center try Evolution (au Tremplin) (479 00 44 26) for country French meals. Le Flambé (479 00 31 70) is the resort's original Italian place and is still considered the best. La Kouisena (479 08 89 23) prepares excellent Savoyard specialties.

For pizza and the least wallet damage try Scott’s in Meribel-Center nest to the tourist office.

Meribel-Mottaret

Le Grain de Sel (479 06 12 17) in Meribel-Mottaret at the base of the Table Vert chairlift serves excellent French traditional meals. The wine cellar here has more than 70 different wines.

Au Temps Perdu (479 00 36 64) is a cellar restaurant in Meribel-Mottaret. The French meals are excellent and relatively moderate. Try the home-made blueberry sorbet with brandy and whipped cream. Expect to pay around €50-€55 per person with wine.

In Méribel-Mottaret try La Baleine (479 00 42 87) where you can have a wonderful duck fondue for two for only €20. The restaurant has tables that are easily reached from the slopes for wonderful lunches. The reasonable prices attract the locals.

In Meribel-Mottaret try Pizzeria de Mottaret (479 00 40 50) for more upscale pies and atmosphere. This is far more than the normal pizzeria. Wood-fired pizzas start at €12 or choose from beef, pork, pastas, risotto or cheeses in the cellar restaurant.

Three good restaurants sit side by side at Mottaret Chatelet -- La Belle Savoie (479 00 53 90), a family place featuring local trout; La Rastro (479 00 41 51) a British favorite with food and fun; and Le Zig Zag (479 00 47 40) that is one of the valley bargains with a 3-course menu for only €17 and it is known for its Jagertee.

Les Allues

In Les Allues try Restaurant La Croix Jean-Claude (479 08 61 05). This is one of the class acts in the valley with excellent meats, mushrooms and vegetables. It serves great dinners and lunches. Reservations required.

In the same village try La Chemina (479 01 12 70) or l'Arbe (479 01 12 70) which is very reasonable, specializes in Savoyard meals. The chef worked earlier at Jean-Claude's and the dining room with its flickering fireplace is romantic as can be.

En'K (479 01 13 75), in les Allues, is a tiny restaurant built in an old slaughterhouse that serves up inexpensive meals. Dine in the tiny spot at one of about six tables or take out your food. If staying in Les Allues, this is a great deal for a meal to take back to the flat.

Dining on the Slopes

The lift company has constructed a restaurant complex at the base of the Mont Vallon lift, Le Plan des Mains (479 07 31 06). Accessible only to skiers and riders, this mountain complex includes restaurants for all kinds of diners — a gourmet restaurant, a brasserie and a self-service restaurant.

On the mountain above Meribel-Center on the ridge separating Meribel and Courchevel, a good affordable fixed price menu is served at Les Choucas just below the middle station of the Burgin Saulire gondola. Above the midstation of Rhodos gondola is the Restaurant Darbolles with a spreading deck and a plat du jour costing about €20 and tartiflette for €17. Many hotel restaurants are accessible to the slopes such as the Allodis and Le Yeti mentioned above. If you are staying in Méribel-Center, a nice stop on the way home is the Bar Rhododendrons.

On the other side of the Meribel Valley at the top of the Tougnete gondola, where the runs start dropping down to St. Martin de Belville, Les Crêtes (06 09 40 51 04) serves local specialties with a nice sunny deck for springtime lunches. Tartiflette will cost about €18.50 and affordable wine ranges from €16 to €20.

Côte 2000 (479 00 55 40) in Mottaret, has unique slopeside oyster bar.

Refuge de La Traye (479 00 57 26) organizes dinners in this Alpine log-cabin refuge high above the village. Those who choose to do so may spend the night in a dormitory setting and then have first tracks down the mountain the next morning. Those staying overnight get breakfast as well.

Vallée Fare (683 59 61 75) prepares take home meals every day for approximately €9 per plate. The menu ranges from Coq au Vin and Chicken Provencale to Vietnamese Pork and Moroccan Lamb. They will also send along wine, soft drinks and water.