PLENTY OF CHOICE IN ALL PRICE BRACKETS

Zermatt has several restaurants that specialise in grilling various meats over charcoal grills: the best of these are Le Gitan (Hotel Darioli) and Le Mazot . The first is cosy and friendly and tends to stick rigidly to a tried and tested formula, including a spit-roast herb chicken that must be ordered in advance, while the latter is more gastronomically adventurous.

The Gourmet Restaurant in the Alpenhof hotel and the Corbeau d’Or in the Mirabeau both serve inspired contemporary cuisine. The restaurant of the Derby is famous for the classic dishes served from its flambé trolley. Markus Gohl, one of very few Swiss chefs who can use curry with confidence, runs the Avena , where he has established a wide-ranging modern menu in which he usefully offers many dishes in large or small portions. In the Hotel Post the Spaghetti Factory serves a wide variety of Italian dishes as well as the famous build-your-own pizzas while in the basement the new Broken now serves Tex-Mex. Le Chalet , also known as Giuseppe's, serves robust Italian fare in rustic surroundings. British-run Nelly's has a very wide-ranging good value menu, including lots of smaller "tapas"-style dishes.

For more exotic cuisine, the Hotel Albana accommodates the Rua Thai Thai restaurant and the Fuji of Zermatt Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, which provides great entertainment for children of all ages as the chef cooks your dinner in front of you.

The Mediterranee has relaunched as Z'Art - still run by the same team as a restaurant-cum-wine-bar but with art (currently, stunning black and white photos of the surrounding mountains) adorning the walls and for sale. You can order anything from Asian starter "finger-food" to substantial main courses. For a classy, if somewhat expensive, snack of escargots or frankfurters right up to a fine fillet steak, the always-cramped but always convivial Elsie Bar is the place to go.