Eat & Drink in Briançon
Briançon has an abundance of restaurants; hearty Alpine fare — think fondue savoyarde, raclette, tartiflette, and slow-braised mountain lamb warmed up with generous pours of Savoie wine to fast food staples including McDonald’s and Cirta. The Grande Rue in the old town is lined with independent cafés and brasseries where you can refuel with a café crème and a freshly made crêpe after a morning on the slopes. In summer, the terrace restaurants along the ramparts serve lighter dishes using locally grown produce alongside stunning views of the surrounding peaks. We have listed some of our preferred places to go below and would love to hear of your own recommendations. Briançon is evolving and new places are popping up almost every month! All of the places mentioned below can be found in the interactive map on the “Location” page.
Restaurants
From cosy Alpine bistros to sunny terrace dining and fast food, Briançon offers a rich selection of restaurants for every taste and occasion, these are just a few of our favourites:
Bloc 027 is an easy and nearby venue for good food. Be prepared to share a long table with others if the booths are full. A great atmosphere, always busy and the friendly staff speak pretty good English.
Quinze Neuf is a more high end dining option without being stuffy. Steak a speciality, if you ask for it to be prepared rare it may actually walk to your table.
Le Cosy is quintessentially mountain/French fare. Think coq au vin, beef stews with a hearty bottle of the local red wine. More seating hidden out the back so if it looks full it’s always worth asking.
Julie et Aurelien is a charming daytime chalet restaurant open weekdays in the summer months. It is by the car park outside the post office. Julie cooks and Aurelien is front of house. Generous fresh salads and tasty local fare.
Bars
Unwind after a day on the slopes at one of Briançon’s welcoming bars, where craft beers, warming cocktails, and Savoie wines await.
Hotel Garrigae is just across the road from the apartment and the bar is open to non-residents seeking a peaceful and relaxing beverage at the end of the day. A spectacular open fire is the centrepiece in winter and the restaurant is also open to non-residents seeking something more substantial.
Le Barboteur is our nearest and newest bar, just 1 min walk from the front door. Converted from an old house the building now hosts a microbrewery with some very interesting brews including homemade lemonade and ginger beer alongside beers and ciders. Check out their Facebook page for details of live music several nights a week with some quality artists performing inside during winter and in the courtyard in the summer
Bloc 027, in one of the converted barrack buildings, houses a very cool industrial chic restaurant and bar with 2 floors of bouldering walls above it. Drinks and cakes are served all the day and the kitchen is open lunchtime and evenings. A relaxed area with sofas and chairs provides a perfect après-ski chillout zone.
La Chaumiere, at the foot of the Prorel Ski Lift is a great place to enjoy an après-ski local beer or glass of wine. Frequent live music and a modern but rustic venue that also serves hot food.
Supermarkets/Briançon Market
Stock up on local cheeses, charcuterie, hot rotisserie chicken, and fresh produce at Briançon’s twice weekly market from 08:30 on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Carrefour City is one of our nearest supermarkets with the benefit of being open 8am-10pm Mon-Sat and 8am – 8pm on Sunday.
Fresh – an upmarket food store that focusses on fresh meat, fish, veg, salads and dairy products.
Intermarché is just up from Fresh and offers the usual wide range of supermarket goods you would expect. Open until 8pm Mon-Sat and unusually for France 09:00 – 12:30 on Sundays. Car park also has Tesla fast EV chargers that are open to all brands of EV
E Leclerc is the largest supermarket and is in the town centre. Parking is available underneath the store.
Nightlife
When the sun sets over the peaks, Serre Chevalier’s nightlife scene comes alive with live music venues, and late-night gatherings. Whilst Briançon itself is pretty quiet after 10pm Le Barboteur and La Chaumiere host live music into the evening. For the party animals there are options further up the valley (buses run until midnight or prebook a taxi) including The Sisters Irish bar and The Station in Chantemerle or La Grotte in Villeneuve (L’Aravet).
We have also experienced what appear to be quiet restaurants (and a tapas bar) morph into full on dancing on the tables with DJ venues over the space of a couple of hours in Le Bez in Villeneuve!