Restaurant La Ferme des Tines
Tucked beside the Arve river on the road between Les Houches and Chamonix, La Ferme des Tines is a converted farmhouse where the cheese comes from the valley and the tartiflette arrives in a cast-iron dish still bubbling at the edges. This is the real Savoyard kitchen — generous, unhurried and rooted in the landscape outside the window.
What to Order
The croûte au fromage — thick country bread loaded with melted Reblochon and charcuterie — is the essential starter. Follow it with a diots au vin blanc, the local pork sausages simmered in Savoie white wine with onions and potatoes, and you will understand why Alpine hikers plan their days around mealtimes.
The cheese board draws from producers in the Chamonix valley and the Beaufortain, so you can taste Beaufort d'alpage, Tomme de Savoie and Abondance side by side. Ask the server which is youngest — the answer changes with the season.
Atmosphere and Booking
The dining room keeps its original timber beams and stone fireplace, and in winter a log fire is lit by midday. In summer, a riverside terrace opens up with views across to the pine-covered flanks of the Aiguilles Rouges — arguably the best free view in the valley.
Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner and Sunday lunch. The restaurant is a favourite with both locals and Mont Blanc Marathon runners carbo-loading the night before the race, so the atmosphere on those evenings is particularly lively.
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