Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello Food & Beverage

The Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is located in a fairly remote location. The small town of Montebello has a population of approximately 900 people. While there are some restaurants and cafés in the city, there aren’t a lot. This means that most guests at the Fairmont will be getting food and beverages at the hotel. This post includes a review of the food and beverage offerings that are available at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. This post is the third part of a four-part review:

• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Room & Resort Review
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Amenities & Activities
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Food & Beverage
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Town Activities

Seasonality of Food and Beverage Offerings

As with so many things at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, the food and beverage offerings are also very seasonal. While there is one restaurant and a lobby bar that are open year-round, the other food and beverage options are only open seasonally. Unlike the seasonal activities at the Fairmont Montebello, the seasonal food and beverage options are only open in the summer. This is because the additional food options are an outdoor terrace seating restaurant and special patio barbeques. Bartenders also set up on the terrace to serve beer, wine, and cocktails during the summer.

The availability of these options are highly dependent on nice summer weather. I traveled to the resort during the low season (in between winter and summer). Because of this, none of the restaurants were packed. In the summer, I believe that the restaurants should be fairly available considering the additional dining options. However, I highly recommend getting advanced reservations in the winter due to the increased number of guests without increased number of restaurant options.

Aux Chantignoles

The main dining room restaurant at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is Aux Chantignoles. When other restaurant options are available, this serves as the formal dining room at the resort. Aux Chantignoles is open at the following times:

• Breakfast – 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
• Lunch – 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
• Dinner – 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

In the mornings, the restaurant serves breakfast from the a la carte menu, or guests can partake in the breakfast buffet. Neither option is included in the standard room rate. In addition, the buffet is quite expensive. Unless you are very hungry or want to sample a little of everything, a la carte ordering will save you money.

Dinner also has a good spread available for diners. Main dishes range from filet mignon, lamb shanks, and beef tartare to lobster cavatelli, trout, and roasted eggplant. Again, prices are a little more on the expensive side (Fairmont hotels command a higher price point). Overall, service was good at dinner.

In-Room Dining

In-room dining is available every day from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM while Aux Chantignoles is open. While there is a separate in-room dining menu, it mostly mirrors the menu available at Aux Chantignoles. The hotel serves breakfast from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Lunch and dinner are served the remainder of the day. The in-room dining menu also includes beer and wine, as well as a kids’ menu (although those probably don’t mix often).

The Fairmont Montebello provides two methods for ordering in-room dining. The first option is to call the restaurant and order with the attendant. The second option is to place an order online. The in-room dining menu that is located in each room has a QR code on the front. Scanning this QR code will take guests to an online ordering website. Items ordered for in-room dining are delivered pretty fast. During my stay at the resort, we ordered in-room dining for breakfast on several occasions. For each order, hotel staff routinely delivered the food in approximately 15 minutes. The delivered table spread included everything necessary for the meal including condiments, seasoning, and silverware. While not as fancy as a meal in Aux Chantignoles, this was a great way to enjoy a meal in a relaxing environment.

The only downside that I thought of at the beginning of the trip was that they don’t provide the option to order breakfast the night before like many hotels do. While I initially thought this might be a negative, by the end of the trip I did not think this was the case. The food is delivered so quickly after ordering. Because of this, I preferred being able to order at any point in the morning and have the food within 15 minutes. That way I wasn’t stuck to the schedule I thought of the night before.

Sunday Brunch

On the first Sunday of every month, the Fairmont hosts a large brunch. The brunch has seatings at both 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM. In addition to hotel guests, this dining service is available to the general public. For this reason, the hotel highly recommends reservations. The brunch has quite a spread, but it does come at a steep price. Adults are $75 per person, and children are $37.50 per person.

Bar Le Foyer

Bar Le Foyer, or lobby bar, is the final year-round food and beverage option worth a mention. This bar provides beverages for all guests who are enjoying the large central fireplace and log-cabin lobby in the Fairmont Montebello. The bar opens at 3:30 PM most days (although it opens at 12:30 PM on Friday and Saturday). Drinks are served until 11:00 PM.

The cocktail menu covers all the basics and includes some of Fairmont Montebello’s own twists on classic cocktails. The bar also has a limited selection of beer including most of the traditional American domestic beers. Unfortunately, there are not many that would count as craft beers. Finally, the bar offers the same wine list that is available at the main restaurant.

In addition to drinks, Bar Le Foyer has a limited snacks menu. The menu includes staples like a charcuterie board, a cheese board, mixed nuts, and marinated olives. These would be appropriate as a pre-dinner appetizer or a snack in the afternoon between a brunch and dinner.

Overall, Bar Le Foyer provided all the basics. However, the expensive price tag which is typical of the Fairmont brand is continued at the bar. I would definitely get a drink or two while at the resort, but I would also consider bringing a bottle or two of wine to the resort with you. Alternatively, you could buy wine at the local grocery store. Just keep in mind that the grocery store selection is limited. Wine glasses and a bottle opener are provided in each room. This is a great way to enjoy a good bottle of wine and save some money at the same time.