Where to eat and drink in Verbier: big terraces and a walk to dinner
Lunch on a terrace, dinner in the centre or just above it. Le Dahu at La Chaux is where skiers and non skiers meet at lunch, Le Carrefour is the classic on the bus route, Chez Dany is the dinner to book and walk up to, and Pub Mont Fort by Médran is where the day starts and ends.
Verbier eats like Valais: cheese, cured meat and local wine done properly, and a mountain lunch that is the middle of the day, not a break from it. The terraces are big and sunny, and several of the good lunches can be reached without skis. Dinner is mostly in the centre, with a couple of rooms just above the village that are worth the walk up.
For a party split between skiers and not, Le Dahu at La Chaux is the meeting point. Non skiers can get there, walk ins find a table when the room is full, and the canard parmentier is the dish people come back for. Le Carrefour is the classic Verbier lunch, close enough to the bus that skis are optional. Order the rosti, skip the starter, and say hello to the emus at the door.
Chez Dany is the dinner to book. It sits in the trees at Clambin, and the walk up after dark is part of the evening. Order the pierrade and settle in, because the kitchen will not be hurried. For a night when the group cannot agree, Le Fer à Cheval in the centre does Italian with a Swiss side, lasagne and pizza or a cordon bleu, and the staff keep a full room moving.
Pub Mont Fort is beside the Médran lift, which makes it the first stop of the morning and the last of the afternoon, with live music, pool downstairs and seasonaires mixed in with visitors. For something gentler, Milk Bar in the centre does crepes big enough for lunch and one of the best hot chocolates in the village. Book Chez Dany before you travel, and Le Fer à Cheval too if you can.
Mountain lunch
A meeting point at La Chaux that non skiers can reach too, and the classic Verbier lunch, near enough the bus that nobody needs skis.
Le Dahu
Out at La Chaux in the middle of the ski area, and non skiers can reach it too, which makes it the easy meeting point for a mixed party. Cheese fondue, tartiflette and the BBQ ribs are the reliable orders, and the canard parmentier is the one people plan a return around. Food comes out fast and walk ins get seated even when the room is full. Big sunny terrace, a loud and cheerful room behind it, and a merchandise counter by the door if somebody wants the cap.
Le Carrefour Restaurant
The classic Verbier lunch, and the bus stops close enough that you can reach it from anywhere in the village without skis. Rosti is the order, crisp outside and soft through, with the tarte tartine after it, and portions are generous enough that a starter is optional. The terrace has one of the best dining views in the resort and there is a chalet room behind it for when the weather closes in. There are emus in a pen at the entrance, which nobody expects and everybody remembers.
Dinner
A walk up to Clambin in the trees for the evening to book, and pizza or a cordon bleu in the centre when the table is split.
Chez Dany
In the trees at Clambin above the village, reached in daylight by an easy blue that turns into a forest trail through the pines, and after dark on foot, which is part of the evening rather than a chore. The pierrade is the signature and the croute and the fondue are the daytime orders. Book, and give the table time, because the room fills and the kitchen works at its own pace. The terrace in sun is as good as anywhere on this mountain.
Le Fer à Cheval
Italian with a Swiss side, which makes it the easy answer for a table that cannot agree on one cuisine. The lasagne and the pizza are the two to order and the cordon bleu is the Swiss dish worth knowing about. Prices sit at the moderate end for central Verbier. Booking is better, though people do get in twice in a week without one, and the staff move fast enough that a full room does not slow the food down.
Bars
Beside the Médran lift, so the first stop and the last, with pool downstairs and live music.
Pub Mont Fort
Right by the Medran lift, which makes it the first and last stop of the day for a lot of people. Drinks come first but the food does a proper quick meal in generous portions. Downstairs there is pool and other games, and the outdoor seating is where to be while the sun is still on it. Live music, a crowd that mixes seasonaires with visitors, and prices at the sane end of the Verbier range.
Cafes and quick bites
Crepes sweet and savoury in the centre, big enough to stand in for lunch, with one of the best hot chocolates in the village.
Milk Bar
Crepes are the business, sweet and savoury both, and the cheese and egg and the ham, cheese and mushroom are the two to know about. The hot chocolate is one of the best in the village and there is a hot blueberry milkshake for anyone feeling adventurous. It is the cheapest band on this list and the portions are big enough that a crepe does as lunch. There is an upper terrace, and it is central enough to work as a mid morning break and again as a late afternoon warm up.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Opening times and ownership change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.