Where to Find the Best Fondue in the French Alps

It’s simple, really — a bit of cheese mixed with some wine, a few spices, and a little cornstarch thrown over an open flame, and voilà, fondue. It’s a recipe that’s stood the test of time for thousands of years, even earning itself a mention in Homer’s “Iliad.” It is a recipe that gained traction with mountain dwellers who looked to feed their families a hearty meal throughout the colder months, making use of leftover bread and dairy. And while the Swiss certainly popularized the meal — and even made it their national dish — modern fondue likely has its roots in the French Rhône-Alpes. That’s exactly where you can head for an unforgettable bite of après fondue that will leave you begging for more. 

In the well-to-do ski commune of Courchevel, at the mountain resort of the same name, travelers will find Hotel Le Coucou Méribel, a high-altitude haven ideal for those who want to indulge in all the finer things in life. Here, guests can check into one of the hotel’s 55 rooms and suites, each decked out with ski lodge-appropriate mid-century modern furnishings by Pierre Yovanovitch that give off just the right amount of ‘70s ski bum vibes. It’s cozy but sophisticated in all the right ways, with Le Labo bath products, fur throws, and views of the mountains that look more like a painting than reality.

Its common spaces offer all the same elevated touches — from the Tata Harper spa to indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, and a jacuzzi, along with perhaps the best non-food feature of all: a ski concierge. The hotel has a dedicated space for skiers and riders to go to each morning, where a staff member is patiently waiting to assist with gear and has prepped skis or snowboards just outside so you can simply strap in and go. And yes, plenty of hot cocoa, croissants, and coffee await. 

The most magical part, once you finish all those runs, is Le Fumoir, Le Coucou’s intimate dining space dedicated to fondue. 

“Our customers tend to stay for a long time, an average of four nights, with some staying a full week or even two weeks,” says Kimberley Cohen, co-founder and artistic director at Maisons Pariente, the parent company of Le Coucou. “They like to have different options for dinner as they like to stay at the hotel after an energetic day of skiing. At least once during your stay in the French Alps, each client wants to eat fondue or raclette. So it made sense to open Le Fumoir.”

On the hotel’s eighth floor, Le Fumoir offers refuge from the après party atmosphere on the mountain, with seats for just 20 people, a roaring fireplace on one end, and fur-lined seats around the edges, all within wooden walls. And if it looks like the perfect space for a cigar, that’s because it originally was. 

“It is actually a real fumoir, initially built to welcome smokers to enjoy a cigarette or a cigar,” Cohen says. This made it the ideal spot for a fondue restaurant, as it already had “great extraction and less smell.” 

The menu is as traditional and delicious as it gets. Simple, local cold cuts, roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes, pickles, and plenty of bread, all surrounding a traditional caquelon filled with Abondance PDO (“Protected Designation of Origin,” a label given to foods made in a very specific way from very specific regions), an unpasteurized mountain cheese from France that’s aged between five and eight months, known for its bitter hazelnut taste, mixed with comté PDO, another unpasteurized cow’s milk from eastern France that’s aged for up to eight months that’s also known for nutty and grassy flavors, and meule de savoie cheese, a 100% cow’s milk cheese from the Rhone Alps, which gives a bit of balance with its fruity and sweet notes. Guests can order extras like porcini mushrooms, truffles, morels, Kobe beef, and caviar to add to the dippable experience. (You can also order raclette, but we’re here for the fondue.) 

Le Coucou’s other dining venues are absolutely worth a shoutout. Le Beefbar serves cuts of the best meats on earth, including wagyu from Australia, Kobe from Japan, and Black Angus burgers from the U.S., while Biancaneve provides a touch of elegance with grilled langoustines confit lamb shoulder, and plates of roasted butternut squash with hazelnuts and bianchetto truffle. Not to mention Le Bar des Pistes is perhaps the most perfect place on earth to slowly sip a glass of Champagne while watching the last of the skiers descend down the mountain. But still, it’s Le Fumoir that makes this destination shine. 

As for how to enjoy the fondue experience best, Cohen says, with “dry bread, of course. But be careful of the high crime of losing one’s bread. Sometimes, the person who does so has to pay for the next bottle of wine — or else.” 

Le Fumoir is open to both hotel guests and the public. It is open for dinner only, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday to Wednesday throughout the ski season. Make a reservation, or book out the entire space for a private party at lecoucoumeribel.com/restaurant-bar. Rooms at the hotel start at $900 per night.