Tignes Le Lac Restaurants and Le Taos thoughts from Bash

A snowHead

Hi all,
We are off to Le Lac for 1st week of Easter. Group of 15 (9 adults 6 kids) staying in Le Taos. Firstly, any recommendations on decent family friendly restaurants? With 15 of us I was going to try and book ahead for a couple of nights to make sure we could all eat together some of the time. Secondly any thoughts/recommendations after the early season Bash about Le Taos? Decent bars/restaurants close by? How was the hotel?
Cheers. Roger and out.

A snowHead

@riman8, As I live next door to the Taos I wasn't on the bash. But the rooms/apts are very nice. The bar prices reflect the number of stars so without the Bash discount I wouldn't plan on a session in there. Not heard much about the in house restaurant this year, last year the view amongst he expats was it was nice but a little bit pricy for the quality. It will definitely be ski in ski out when you arrive.

As for family restaurants, its really all about how much you want to pay. But for the savoyarde experience I would recommend the Eterlou on Rue de La Poste (6 minute walk). The usual Brasserades, raclettes etc and pizza and ice cream. Its old school so unless your French is good then I would pop up on your arrival day for the booking. They will push tables together for 15.

2 minutes away you have the Arbina (not a good rep this year) and the Escale Blanche which is much better, again the EB will push tables together - the deck is very nice at Easter time for an apres beer. The Bagus Café seems popular this year - but because of the shape a table for 15 would be tricky.

Bar wise within 5 minutes you have the Loop - seasonaire bar, nice terrace but definitely for the under 30s, underneath it you have the new Cave de Loop - very pleasant wine bar style. Just across the snow front you have the very small Jam Bar - great pasta and ice cream for the little uns. Next door is the Marmottes Arms, noisy €5 a pint of stella place. Further up the road you will find the Embuscade mix of French and English, pleasant for a beer. If you pop down to Lavachet the Queue de Cochon has a good happy hour and a great restaurant - but not especially recommended for the kids, very nice but rich and quite fancy food (eg Curried Rabbit).

If you want any more ideas just ask - a hint on what you would expect to pay would help.

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Chocks, 'Best' bars in Claret and Le Lac please? A small, boy's only holiday group................. wink

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As above really for Le Lac, if you want it lively then Loop or Marmottes.

Don't know VC very well but the Couloir is a good general bar with a good mix of clientele. Grizzly and Whitney Bar very expensive. For late night boys night out - Blue Girl wink

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Thanks - only one of us will have the late night I suspect rolling eyes

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Any recommendations for restaurants in VC (just us as a couple, left the kids at home this time) - we'll have the usual eat-out evening from the chalet to sort out. Savoyarde is fine by us.

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@Pejoli, La Pignatta.

After all it is free

@riman8, If the "kids" are into pizzas then I would add my recommendation for the Escale Blanche. It's just at the bottom of the road that leads up to the Taos. The pizzas are huge. Real tear & share fayre. They also do stuff that involves a couple of kilos of melted cheese if that your thing. wink

@riman8, another recommendation for l'Escale Blanche - really good. The Taos is a triumph of aesthetics (sort of) over functionality in all kinds of ways, but it's still nice and the staff were charming. Can't really comment on the food on the basis of the Bash mass catering arrangements.

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Thanks all. @chocksaway, budget is midway. We have a couple with us who will be up to the most expensive Michelin star restaurant available (you know who you are), otherwise everyone else is mid road - kids are aged 5 - 12 so can't be too fancy but not a dump either. Decent Savoyard plus pizza/pasta offering etc. Also on the bars front the guys will most likely have a few nights (suggestions for AJ fight on 31st March...??) out as well as a mix of various couples at various stages so suggestions welcome including happy hours!!

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@riman8, Its always tricky when you have some people on a midway budget and others willing to pay more.

I should say that most restaurants (apart from higher end) seem to do Pizzas, so if thats what the kids want, then thats ok.

At the higher end, La Ferme down in Lavachet is good - worth booking, as is the Queue de Cochon per Chocksaway above. However, these are more "adult" grub - perhaps more suited to the two who want top end?

I should say that if you have a bluebird day, Bagus Cafe has a lovely terrace overlooking the lake (assuming they have cleared it of Januarys epic snow) does great Pizzas, kids will love it (you can access from Rue de la Poste, or inside the Bec Rouge Building).

We have also been to the Eterlou, just down Rue de la poste from Embuscade - smashing grub.

Pignatta in VC is very good, book for a larger group. I have heard good things about Oh La Vache ! in VC too, but never been. Couple of kebab shops up there too, if thats your gig.
Couloir used to be good, but not been for a few years.

Opposite Queue de Cochon in Lavachet is the Brasero, this is a pretty decent Apres / happy hour pub, has a sunny terrace if its a nice day, does pitchers etc. Right next to bus stop, so you dont have to worry about getting back to your hotel......alternatively you could walk across the piste and access your skiroom if you can avoid the piste bashers Very Happy

Chocksaway has covered Lac above - one thing I would say is that (as a group of proper real ale drinking men......) we pretty much all hate the ubiqutous Amstel that most Tignes pubs used to churn out. However, there has been a trend to get better lager (if thats possible) and a lot of them do Peroni now - Queue de Cochon for example - for same price as other places do horrible Amstel. Worth mentioning, as you are paying top dollar it might as well be drinkable ! Bagus also does Leffe.

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@riman8, Usually happy hour early doors in the Cave de Lac but you're underground rather than on a sunny terrace. IIRC they were selling Peroni.
Que de Cochon .....5-7 pm? Gin anyone? Check out their Farcebook pages for deals and offers.( same for Loop/Cave de Loop)

@nelly0168, Not sure there's much retail therapy to be had in the Bec Rouge? Maybe Palafour/Rue de la Poste.
If I could attach photos quickly I would post a couple to show the Palafour Gallery and terraces buried in snow at the end of January.

Marmot Arms is always rammed. Unlikely to get a seat unless you're in early. Small bar further up Rue de la Poste (Underground?) that used to be Angel Bar amongst other things was okay in January.

Marmot arms will discount on presenting a total snowHead card. Taverne des Neiges opposite funiculaire does too but u must present the card when ordering or no-deal! Loop, Brssero, Couloir and Pignata might do so but I haven't confirmed so this season.
Oh La Vache should present similar quality to Pignata as it's the same guys own/run it.

You know it makes sense.

Nelly & Chocksaway, thanks for the suggestions above re grown up dining options. Any suggestions re bars that might show the boxing on Saturday 31 March? It's a Sky pay per view so maybe not something that will be widely available in resort?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Not sure about the boxing as its PPV. Keep an eye out for the FB pages at the Loop, Marmot Arms, you may well have to go in and lobby!

For top end diners then Karl Gustav in Val Claret or The Campanules Hotel (1 min from Taos) especially the Friday Night sea food buffet.

As well as Queue de Cochon in Lavachet you have L'Arti, in its second season but a good reputation. Both around €45 without the laughing juice.

A snowHead

@nelly0168,

A snowHead

L'Alpage at the top of Chaudannes (nice run back to Le Taos from there) is good for literally massive amounts of food, order an omlette between two and you'll have plenty of food. We found it a good place for the 3-4pm drinks before skiing home, seemed to be largely empty for no reason.

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@admin, does 26 posts get me a total snowHead card (!); presuming not how do I get one?! Very Happy

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^^ Likewise Very Happy

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@PeakyB, Does it have a sort of chimps head logo? Givre or some thing like that?

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@Digger the dinosaur, Get some frites with one of those omelettes and you need a lie down.

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@riman8, @Lockkeeper, they are the preserve of super/mega-snowHeads.

After all it is free

@GeorgeVII,

Stayed in Taos a couple of years ago - very comfortable, and ski in/out perfect as the boot room door basically opens straight onto the piste!

Highlight of the trip was the ‘Wilderness Evening’ run by Evolution 2. Fantastic fondue and charcuterie in a yurt somewhere remote followed by some merry sledding down the piste to Brevieres and a minibus back home.

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@riman8, I agree with @Hurtle, and@davehas, about staying in Taos.
Aesthetically, designers have gone to great lengths to get ‘the look’ to grace glossy magazines. It’ll look impressive if anyone posting pics on social media.
Along the way, they seem to have forgotten or sacrificed a few practical features. Nonetheless, it’s comfortable, everything worked, VG location and has that wow factor.

Straight out of basement boot room, very short nearly flat path onto easy piste, 2 mins down to Lavachet ‘baby’ drag. 50m further to Chaudannes/ Paquis fast chair hub. A doddle.

Alternatively, out of impressive front door, 5 mins downhill walk, watch that ice, to Toviere gondola to left, or Palafour chair to right.

Staff very hardworking and helpful throughout pre season bash, which stretched their resources at that start of season stage to the limits.

With current snow levels, rooms at back of hotel may well be ski out of window direct onto piste.

The restaurant/pizza place I’m fishing for the name of was good. Think it’s Rendez-vous but unsure. Unpretentious, not a huge menu, but everything decent quality, prompt service, not silly prices. Child friendly and had space to cope with big table. Not fine-dining though, Ferme de 3 Cappucine is the place for that and I understand their set menu decent value for the gourmet crews.

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@chocksaway, no mention from anyone of Alpaka Lodge for a bevvy? Is the old watering hole going out with a whimper, rather than a roar?

I popped in a couple of times early Dec, so expected quiet then. It had an end-of-era feel.

I think it (or land it’s on) is to be turned into the next Taos lookalike, as the gentrification of the Rosset neighbourhood gathers pace?

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@PeakyB, and @GeorgeVII, I think the old Rendezvous is now Chez Mao (first on the right after going through the glass sliding doors onto the Gallery). It gets mixed reviews as does the Caleche inside the gallery. Just to complicate the issue one of them was called Tocade back in the midsts of time!! The Givre is a bit further up, it spent 2 years looking like the inside of a fridge and was remodelled on the 'Turkish whorehouse' look last season. Previously it was Café Red (amongst other failing ventures).

The 'paka does seem to be going out with a whimper, the owners are rarely there. Unfortunately the end of an era party is after we have gone home. It will be pushed down the hill in May and the plans show a very modern 120 bed hotel - lots of glass etc, less Savoyarde than the Taos in looks. And that almost finishes the gentrification of Le Rosset which started on 7 June 2006 ( wink

) - just the Chalet de Lavachey (now Hotel Apun) to go.

Thanks for all this guys. @davehas, Sounds really good but its 14+ for the kids to sledge which is a shame. Any other suggestions for other interesting activities of an evening welcome (the OH likes me to be into non-skiing family stuff, and not just what I'm into i.e. skiing/pub, so I need to feign interest). I am going to book L'Escale Blanche for the first night grub as its just down from Le Taos. Still deciding on others...

Help!!

Tignes Le Lac Restaurants and Le Taos thoughts from Bash

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