The best part of hiking Chamonix’s legendary vertical kilometer to the top of Planpraz is the stunning view of Mount Blanc from the top.  The second best part is building up an appetite big enough to fully enjoy the delicious spread of burgers, fries, drinks and sides offered at Moo – Chamonix’s best burger joint.

After the vertical ascent, I met up with a friend from back home who was visiting the valley for a rock-climbing adventure.  She was craving a juicy burger after a big day on the cliffs.  There are a lot of great restaurants in Chamonix, and even quite a few good burger joints.  I don’t eat meat though, so when we looked at Moo’s menu and saw that they offered a variety of meat burgers as well as a vegetarian falafel and sun-dried tomato option, it seemed like the perfect place for us both.

It was a warm night so we sat down at the rustic wooden tables outside, where we enjoyed a view of the Mont Blanc glacier while deciding whether to order sweet potato or regular fries. We decided, why not get an order of both? Our meal was swiftly brought out within 15 minutes.  My friend’s burger craving was satisfied with the infamous Vietnamese pulled pork burger which featured a generous serving of slow-roasted meat topped with kimchi, pickled vegetables, and spiced mayonnaise on a sesame bun.

Growing up in the health-food conscious Northern California coast, I’ve had some good vegetarian burgers before.  None, however, compete with how tasty I found Moo’s falafel and sun-dried tomato burger. The falafel was a hearty mix of chickpeas, flavorful dried tomatoes, and spices with a crunchy outer crust, topped with a dollop of hummus and fresh arugula.  Paired with double serving of crispy fries and a good Italian beer, both burgers satisfied our hunger after a big day of running, hiking, and climbing in the mountains.  I’m looking forward to a summer filled with many more epic hikes, promptly followed by many replenishing evenings at Moo.