There are many restaurants in resort offering choice for every budget and palette. Each village has its own complement of bars and Lac and Val Claret are home to the few nightclubs. Free buses run between Lac, Val Claret and Lavachet.
Cheese lovers will not be disappointed in Tignes. Quite a few local dishes involve a lot of cooked cheese – whether it is delicious fondue, tasty tartiflette or a sociable raclette. Nearly all the restaurants have these dishes on their menus, although many also offer a range of other tempting choices so it’s not just about the cheese! Being near to Italy, the pizzas are pretty good too and a popular offering within several restaurants. In addition to this you can easily find great steaks, pub-grub, Thai, sushi and the more classic meat, fish and veg dishes.
Restaurants in resort
Prices in resort are not comparable with those ‘back home’ so even the simplest of fast-food meals could be deemed pricey. For the more discerning palette (and wallet), Le Clin d’Oeil in le Lac, the Arbina restaurant in le Lac and le Brasserie le Saint Jacques in Val Claret will not disappoint. There are countless examples of good restaurants without the frills; La Sachette & Armailly in Brévières, la Pignatta and l’Armoise in Val Claret, Bagus Café, l’Eterlou in Lac and le Bouchon in Lavachet to name a few. For something different, try the Thai restaurant in Val Claret “La Cloche à Délices”, be warned, it is not a low-budget option!
Restaurants on the mountain
There are a host of mountain restaurants in Tignes and the Espace Killy, however most of these should be avoided if you are on a low budget. Perhaps the most famous is la Follie Douce, situated above la Daille. This lively place has a fine-dining section as well as a self-service restaurant inside. Although expensive, the food is good and the portions generous. Outside there is a bar area and lounge as well as a snack kiosk accompanied by the thumping beat of the bands and DJs which play up on the roof – good fun! Le Panoramique on the Grande Motte sector in Tignes has amazing views as well as a choice for your budget; snack, self-service or indoor restaurant. DJs play from 15h00 so get the après started early!
Après ski
In Brévières the Underground is a firm favourite, in Lavachet, enjoy the ‘triangle’ of TCs. Brassero and Scotty’s all have live sports, happy hour and bar meals and stay open until the early hours. The Loop Bar in le Lac is also popular. It serves meals at lunchtimes followed by après-ski tapas and happy hour prices. Bands often play later in the evening. In Val Claret, le Couloir has an intimate upstairs restaurant and a lively downstairs bar area complete with chesterfield sofas. L’Arobaz and Kfé lounge are popular with the French and worth a visit. There are also four nightclubs in Tignes.
Eating and drinking on a budget
If you are on a budget, opt for ‘pub-grub’ as quite a few bars also serve food and snacks in a more relaxed environment, for example: Vincents in Brévières, TCs in Lavachet, Loop in Lac, Kfé Lounge in Val Claret. Alternatively head to Le Tchuss in the Galerie Palafour in Lac, open day and night offering pizzas, salads, omelettes, kebabs and burgers at fairly reasonable prices. A favourite lunch-time haunt of many resort workers is Tignes Cuisine next door to the Loop Bar opposite the Rosset piste in Lac, so you can practically ski there; they do delicious snacks ranging from healthy noodles, spring rolls and burritos and soup – all freshly made on the premises. They also do an evening menu, which is more expensive, but they deliver to your residence and the tasty Chinese and Indian style food is worth it.
