La Rioule - Saint-Gervais-les-Bains

Having walked down from Bellevue where after the fact we realised we should have just stayed, myself, my partner and our 2yr old stopped for what we thought would be a reasonably priced relatively tasty lunch. Our arrival was acknowledged with an up and down scowl and not even a hint of a smile by a young and thoroughly miserable waitress. Though not busy, we sat for probably around 15/20minutes before anyone even gave a menu. The choice was small. We ordered 2 croûte au fromage, kids knack et pomme de terres sautées, an apple juice, carafe d’eau, 2 panache and 2 pints…the total 78€ WTF? For lunch? I understand you also pay for the setting but… Our soggy croûte was tepid with curdled cream, (and I’ve eaten a few over the years here) and mine had a dark short and curly which, whilst the thought still made me gag, I very much hoped was simply the gentleman’s chest hair as I ate my way around the area due to there not being anywhere else to get food until we reached Saint Gervais. Judging by other reviews I’d say we didn’t just catch them on a bad day. We say take a packed lunch or eat elsewhere as this is most definitely not worth it.

We arrived at 14.20, mid August. Owner said, j'arrive, 2 minut. Table was still dirty, no problem. We were hungry and dishes looks very delicious. We started cleaning by ourself, according to covid rules of course. 20 min later we approach the owner, j'arrive, she said. 20 min later, 40 min from our arrival, the waitress said only dessert and drinks. I went to the owner saying we were there waiting 40 min. Kitchen is closed she repeated. We didn't see there was another restaurant 10 min walking so, we stayed and ordered 2 gaufres and 2 coffee. Neither bad nor good. Expensive, 13.80€ If you arrive at Col de Voza, choose some other hidden restaurant, they will probably be more happy to serve you. Once again, service is terrible. Waitress gave the worst service I've seen so far.

This is new on our repertoire of lunch spots and it is excellent. The cheese and charcuterie platter is fantastic and we were fortunate enough to be able to have farcon for lunch today, highly recommended! A local dish made with potato, prunes and bacon. Perfect for a sunny lunch on the mountain. If you're not skiing, the tramway du mont blanc stops 20m away. And there are unparalleled views of mont blanc. X

If you don 't know, when you hike (walk/tour around the the Alps in France or Switzerland, you 'll find cafes at various points among the trails what could be better than taking in a view over a bier? La Rioule situated next to the Gare Col de Voka did not disappoint, serving us the best cheese plate we had during our entire vacation (which wasn 't all hiking . Anyway, huge cheese plate two of us shared and ate it all (probably not a good idea as there was a lot of cheese : . The Pelforth was cold and tasty. And the salad hit the spot too. Many folks were just enjoying the sunshine and views and the company of fellow hikers. Just perfect.

A simple menu, good dishes, excellent value for money. a warm little room, a careful team. we came with babies and children and were perfectly welcomed, which is not the case for all restaurants.