Chalet La Pricaz
Chalet La Pricaz: the table at Col de la Forclaz
Our take
A no-frills mountain table, carried by a view of the lake that no other easily reachable terrace can match. We went for lunch and came away impressed — as long as you aim for a table on the drop side.
The Col de la Forclaz is not just a viewpoint: it’s the threshold above which the lake disappears under a sea of cloud on autumn mornings, and the launch point for the paragliders who then float down to land near Doussard. Chalet La Pricaz is built right on the ridge, with a terrace that opens onto the drop and the turquoise water of the lake, four hundred metres below.
What to order
The menu stays short and unsurprising: tartiflette, fondue, raclette and reblochonade, made with local ingredients rather than reheated from a central kitchen. The cooking alone isn’t the reason to make the climb — it’s the combination: a generous board set on a table that looks over the whole Annecy basin. Reviews repeatedly mention generous portions and a welcome that stays warm even on a busy Sunday.
The terrace, above all
Two dining rooms exist for bad weather, but the terrace is the real reason to come: an end-to-end view of the lake, and a steady stream of paragliders launching a few metres away all day. Ask for a table on the drop side — it makes all the difference; the seats against the building don’t share the same view.
What we wouldn’t do
Drive up on a low-cloud day. The table loses most of its appeal without the view, and the switchback road becomes a long detour for nothing. Check the sky before setting off, especially from Annecy, where you can’t always tell what’s happening at altitude.