7 Must Try Foods or Shops in Chamonix, France
Chamonix, France and Mont Blanc have been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It’s been a dream of mine to hike the tour du Mont Blanc and be fully submerged in the alpine region of France, Italy, and Switzerland.
Our original plan was to hike the tour du Mont Blanc and stay at refuges along the way. Because I’m a procrastinator planner, we booked our flights, but realized a bit too late that many of the refuges we needed to stay at actually close down mid-September. There was no way Shiping would be down to hike “hut to hut” while carrying ALL our sleeping gear, so we definitely needed to change plans.
There’s always so much that goes into planning an international trip, and I learned my lesson for next time (book your refuges before you book your flights). Anyways, we decided to still do a quick visit to Chamonix, and do some beginner level mountaineering. It was an action packed 2 days, and we had a blast.
Since hiking wasn’t the main focus, we did get to spend some time (2 nights) in Chamonix. Of course I’d love to spend 2 weeks in Chamonix, but 2 nights was still enough to get a good taste of this beautiful and cute town.
Here is my list of must try foods and shops to visit in Chamonix:
Waffle from Goufres de Chamonix. Stumbled upon this little gem of a cart when we first arrived. There are great reviews online, and a couple behind us told us they are the best waffles in the world. It looks like they make the waffles in a cast iron waffle mold, and each mold is maneuvered & cooked over a fire. There’s no timer, but they’re made very quickly and the darker edges are shaved off with a back a knife before being passed for their final toppings. I opted for the homemade whipped cream topping (Chantilly), and it was super delicious. The waffle itself had a light and crisp exterior, a fluffy and slightly gooey (the tiniest bit) interior, and it was truly the best waffle I have ever had (beating the waffles I’ve had on the streets of Amsterdam and Belgium!). I definitely regret sharing a waffle with Shiping, as I could have easily eaten my own. I would have probably asked for half whipped cream + homemade salted caramel, and the other half with homemade lemon curd. I will definitely be back, and that will be my next order. Bring euros and plan to be in Chamonix on either a Saturday or Sunday, as they are only open on weekends and only accept cash.
Tartiflette Savoyarde. We had this at La Cremerie du moulin, and it’s a common dish across the alps region. Savoyarde is a type of cuisine in the French alps region, made with reblochon cheese, lardons (bacon), potatoes, and onions. It’s RICH and heavy, and is essentially the base of fondue that is combined with potatoes, lardons, and onions. Reblochon cheese is what gives this dish its personality. It’s a little stinky and ripe - imagine a more pungent brie or camembert. I’d say it is most similar in smell and texture as brie, and it’s more the smell that is “ripe” than the taste. Recommend that if you want the fondue experience, but just for 1 (at least 2 people need to participate for fondue at restaurants), this is the dish to get. It’s basically constructed fondue, and you can use the residual cheese sauce (there’s a lot) to dip bread into. Even if you have 2 people, you can order this and choose another dish to have a bit more variety.
Frites (French fries) with mayo and ketchup. Perfectly seasoned, crisp on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside, you have to try where French fries originate from. I also wouldn’t typically choose to dip my fries in mayo, but the mayo in France is a bit creamier and fluffier than what we have in the US. It’s not as dense as homemade mayo or aioli, but it’s got a similar richness. Since I’m a ketchup lover, I do a combo of both the mayo and ketchup, but you do you (just highly recommend trying at least one bite with the mayo!).
Creme Brûlée from La Cremerie (we took a quick 15 minute bus ride to the town over to go to La Cremerie du moulin since La Cremerie des aiguilles was closed - not sure if they are related, but both were spoken of highly). I don’t usually swoon over creme brûlée, but this was so incredible. The crystalized sugar and torched flavor was prominent and very lovely. (Maybe this was because it was a miniature version and the the torched top contributed to more of the dish? Anyways, loved it.) The texture of the custard was perfectly creamy and luscious, it’s seriously a wow. I’m convinced I’ve just had mediocre creme brûlée my whole life, and it’s officially one of my favorite desserts now. The chestnut ice cream (glaces) was also delicious.
Big Mountain IPA from New England Brewing Company - a Chamonix local beer brewed with mountain water. It’s very flavorful and light for an IPA, and gives me scents of grapefruit and citrus. We had this at our hotel during happy hour at Plan B (for just $2.50 euros during happy hour!)
left - big mountain IPA. One of my favorite sips in Chamonix! right - preserved French classics
Le Payet Refuge to checkout preserved French classics. This was a “fancy” grocery store with a large variety of cheeses, cured meats, breads, and jams (amongst other things). In the back of the store, there were 4 large shelves of weck jars, filled with REAL food inside them. Like full on chunks of stewed meats, carrots, and even a layer of fat from the braised meats. You could find a variety of classic French dishes here, and it blew my mind. I asked someone at the store if this was common here, and he said his grandma used to do this. Apparently it’s vacuum sealed and can last for over 2 years!! Very new to me, and quite interesting.
Cheverny - a cute kitchenware and small table wares shop. Wanted to bring home one of everything! I ended up getting some butter knives and a variety of cute colored coffee / tasting spoons for the Jackie’s supper club kitchen team.
My expectation for French food (especially French alpine food) was met to a tee. The waffle and creme brûlée were very delightful, and even though I’m not sure I could have this type of food on the daily, I’m really glad to have tried the local cuisine and learn about reblochon cheese.
I will definitely be back to Chamonix - hopefully for a few weeks next time to really explore the area and to summit Mont Blanc :)
Xo,
Jackie
Other food recommendations in Chamonix shared with me by your fellow food lovers (and a few more notes from me)!
La Cremerie des Aiguilles - “didn’t eat anywhere else after discovering it!”
Le Monchu Restaurant Savoyard - “came here for fondue and it was amazing”
Folie Douces for causal dinner
Market outside the hotel Alpina
Artisian hot dog at Cool Dogs
Pain au chocolate from Pastry House Richard
L’Alt for a quick bite
My DIY lunch - Casino grocery store with a package of coppa, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a baguette (I wish I got a fresh baguette at the bakery we went to right after, but we were short on time and I couldn’t take the risk to go baguette-less). Everything in total was 10 Euros, could probably feed 2-3 hungry people (we had leftovers!), is fresher, and will have a better meat & cheese to bread ratio than what they sell in the bakeries. If you’re not hiking and can go all out for your sandwich, get some balsamic glaze or vinegar of some sort and season the mozzarella with some olive oil and vinegar. It will make the sandwich a 12/10.
Savory crepe was from Poco Loco Burger. Interesting vibe and very apres ski-esc. The food was ok - filling, quick, and did the job, but nothing to go back for. I’m still looking for a savory crepe place that is as good as what I used to have back in college.
left - DIY sandwich. right - Monty crepe from Poco Loco Burger
