Le 42

Should You Book Le 42?

If you're choosing between a generic Alpine hotel restaurant and something worth planning your evening around, Le 42 is the clear answer for Champéry. Most mountain villages at this altitude offer either heavy raclette-and-fondue menus or overpriced hotel dining with little culinary ambition. Le 42, housed within Hotel Le White at the entrance of the village, does something more considered: French contemporary cooking with genuine Asian-influenced detours, delivered in a room that earns its place as a destination in itself. The Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 confirms this is a kitchen operating above its mountain-village surroundings — not by a wide margin, but meaningfully so.

The Room and the Setting

The dining room at Le 42 faces the Dents du Midi, which means the mountain backdrop is doing real work here — this isn't a view you manufacture with clever table placement. The interior splits across two levels, pairing sleek modern furnishings with reclaimed wood and quarry stone. The result is an Alpine aesthetic that avoids the usual kitsch: no antler chandeliers, no checked tablecloths. For a food-focused traveller who wants atmosphere without theatrics, the room delivers. The proprietor manages front of house personally, which gives service a hospitality-first quality that larger resort restaurants often lose to formula.

The Food: French Foundations with an Asian Edge

The kitchen is run by the proprietor's partner, whose French training provides the structural backbone of the menu. But the cooking doesn't stay within French boundaries. The gyoza, prepared with a distinct interpretation rather than as a straight Japanese execution, signals the kitchen's willingness to pull from broader reference points. The Michelin inspectors awarded a Plate, which in Michelin's own language denotes cooking of good quality: not a star, but a meaningful signal that the food is worth the journey rather than just the proximity. For context, Michelin Plates represent recognition that a restaurant is worth knowing about, they sit below starred restaurants but above the noise of unrecognised dining.

Dessert course has a specific reputation: the rum baba is the dish to close on. Classic French patisserie executed with care in an Alpine setting is a combination that works on its own terms. Arrive with room for it.

On Takeout and Delivery

Le 42's format, a refined hotel restaurant with a personally managed dining room and cooking built around plated presentation, is not designed for off-premise consumption. French contemporary cooking at this level is inherently dependent on timing, temperature, the room itself. The gyoza and certain composed dishes might theoretically travel better than a delicate sauce-led plate, but there is no confirmed takeout or delivery offering in the venue's public record. If you're staying nearby and hoping to eat in, book the dining room: the experience is structured around sitting down, being attended to, having the Dents du Midi framing the meal. Taking the food out of that context removes the point. For a ski-day packed lunch or après-ski convenience, look to Champéry's more casual offerings, Le 42 is an evening-out proposition, not a grab-and-go solution.

Practical Details

Reservations: Book directly through Hotel Le White, booking difficulty is low relative to comparable Michelin-recognised restaurants in Switzerland, making this an accessible choice for travellers who haven't planned weeks ahead. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate for the room's register; the Alpine modern interior doesn't demand formal attire but rewards a step above ski gear. Budget: €€€ price range places this clearly below Switzerland's starred restaurant tier (where €€€€ is standard) while sitting above everyday village dining. Group size: The two-level layout accommodates both couples and small groups comfortably; for larger parties, contact the hotel directly to discuss table configuration. Getting there: Le 42 is at the entrance of Champéry village on Rte de Chavalet, accessible on foot from most village accommodation. Champéry itself is reachable by train from Monthey, connecting to the main Swiss rail network.

Who Should Book

Book Le 42 if you're in the Portes du Soleil area and want a dinner that goes beyond mountain-resort defaults. It's the right call for a special-occasion dinner mid-ski-trip, a couples' evening where ambiance and cooking both need to perform, or a food-focused traveller who doesn't want to drive to a city for a proper meal. It's less suited to large groups wanting a loose, casual atmosphere, or anyone primarily interested in traditional Swiss Alpine cuisine: this is French-led cooking with international sensibility, not a raclette institution.

For more dining options in the area, see our full Champéry restaurants guide. If you're planning accommodation around the meal, our Champéry hotels guide covers the full range. For pre- or post-dinner drinks, our Champéry bars guide is the place to start.

Swiss Fine Dining Context

Le 42 sits in a different tier from Switzerland's flagship dining destinations. Memories in Bad Ragaz and Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau operate at the multi-starred level with corresponding prices and booking lead times. Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel and focus ATELIER in Vitznau represent the country's most serious kitchens. Le 42's value is in offering Michelin-recognised cooking without the planning overhead or price ceiling those venues require. Among French contemporary restaurants at a global level, Odette in Singapore and Amber in Hong Kong define the ceiling of the format; Hotel de Ville Crissier remains the Swiss benchmark for the style. Le 42 is not competing at those levels, nor does it need to, its context is an Alpine village, within that context it delivers more than the setting might suggest. Also worth knowing about in Switzerland's broader dining picture: Da Vittorio in St. Moritz, 7132 Silver in Vals, Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen, Colonnade in Lucerne, L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva, and IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada for a fuller picture of the Swiss fine dining tier. The gyoza with a non-standard interpretation is worth ordering if you want to see the kitchen's range beyond French technique. Beyond those two, the menu follows French contemporary structure, go in without over-planning and ask the proprietor what's performing well on the night. Given that the kitchen is personally run, those recommendations will be genuine rather than scripted.