Savoyard classics to try
Regional dishes include:
- Raclette: melted cheese scraped over potatoes, charcuterie and cornichons.
- Tartiflette: potatoes, lardons and onions baked under Reblochon.
- Fondue savoyarde: the communal cheese pot, bread and long forks.
- Croûte au fromage: a rich baked cheese-and-bread dish you'll see on mountain menus.
- Diots: Savoyard sausages, often with polenta or in white wine.
The local cheeses
The local cheese is Abondance: the AOP cow's-milk cheese takes its name from the Abondance valley, where Châtel itself is located, and you'll also meet Tomme de Savoie and Reblochon.
Visit La Cave d’Azélie at 303 route de Vonnes, in Châtel, to see a working Abondance-maturing cellar and taste farmhouse cheese made locally.
For winter 2026/27, the tourist office lists Thursday visits from 9.30am to 10.30am: €3, free for under-10s. Book through Châtel Tourisme by 6pm the day before; confirm the date when reserving.
If you want the farm rather than the cellar, GAEC Barbossine is one of the village's own farmhouse Abondance producers, working an alpage up above Châtel. Their guided walk up to the mountain pasture, with a look around the farm and cheese cellar and a plate of charcuterie, cheese and jam at the end, is a summer fixture rather than a ski-season one.
Local wine to go with it
Local white wines include Apremont and Abymes, made from Jacquère, and Roussette de Savoie, made from Altesse. Mondeuse is a local red grape. These are common choices alongside Savoyard cheese dishes.
Lunch on the mountain
Choose a mountain restaurant on your planned ski route. Some are accessible by pedestrian lift, so check the connection before arranging to meet non-skiers.
Plaine Dranse sits on the Linga and Pré-la-Joux side and has well over a dozen restaurants within a few minutes of each other; check reservations during busy weeks. The Crépy family have run Chez Crépy since 1983, serving Savoyard dishes on a big south-facing terrace. Le Bois Prin is a few steps away, and Chez Denis is a ferme auberge, with farmhouse cooking.
La Terrasse du Morclan is in Super-Châtel. Le Chalet de Théo sits at Col du Saix, on the Petit-Châtel side. Choose a lunch stop on the side of the mountain you plan to ski, and confirm pedestrian access before arranging to meet anyone without skis.
Eating in the village
The tourist office lists more than twenty restaurants serving Savoyard cooking, with further restaurants offering cheese dishes. Most are in the center. La Table Savoyarde, in the middle of the village, serves fondue and raclette.
Dining in a catered chalet, and the night off
A catered chalet typically handles breakfast, afternoon cake and a multi-course dinner with wine most evenings. Most run one night off mid-week, often a Wednesday: check the date with your host and book a village table if needed.
Catered ski chalets: what to look for →