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Traditionally, dining in Bern has been a pretty grounded affair, characterized by Italian home cooking and German-style meat and potatoes. Two favorite local dishes are the Bernerplatte—great slabs of salt pork, beef tongue, smoked bacon, pork ribs, and mild pork sausage cooked down in broth, then heaped on top of juniper-scente
Traditionally, dining in Bern has been a pretty grounded affair, characterized by Italian home cooking and German-style meat and potatoes. Two favorite local dishes are the Bernerplatte—great slabs of salt pork, beef tongue, smoked bacon, pork ribs, and mild pork sausag
Traditionally, dining in Bern has been a pretty grounded affair, characterized by Italian home cooking and German-style
Traditionally, dining in Bern has been a pretty grounded affair, characterized by Italian home cooking and German-style meat and potatoes. Two favorite local dishes are the Bernerplatte—great slabs of salt pork, beef tongue, smoked bacon, pork ribs, and mild pork sausage cooked down in broth, then heaped on top of juniper-scented sauerkraut, green beans, and boiled potatoes—and Berner Rösti, shredded potatoes panfried with onions, butter, and chunks of bacon. But newer options include creative vegetarian cuisine, refined gastronomic delicacies, fresh fish—often caught in the nearby River Aare—and myriad international foods. Most menus change with the seasons, featuring asparagus in spring, berries in summer, and wild game in fall. Food presentation can be sophisticated, and service is almost universally friendly.
Many of Bern's established restaurants are dark, often underground, and accessible through a kind of cellar storm door that looks much like the one Dorothy just missed getting to when the tornado hit her Kansas farm. But once you're down there, you'll find the atmosphere cozy and warm, with a hint of the medieval—especially in the simpler, beer-hall-type venues. Another option is sitting at one of the few tables that are usually outside each restaurant, but under the famous Bernese arches, so you're sheltered from summer showers on a hot July evening, say, or a biting spring breeze. As soon as the weather permits, indoor restaurants are abandoned—but still open—as diners flock outdoors.
Be sure to make reservations, especially if you want to eat outside in warm weather. Popular garden restaurants that attract both tourists and locals will be packed at lunch, so you might try arriving a little before noon—but don't try the other extreme and come late, because most kitchens switch to the snack menu after 2 pm—if they're still open. Bärenplatz and Waisenhausplatz are good bets for all-day dining options, with some restaurants open 365 days a year.
The focus here is on local and seasonal ingredients, served with a flourish on slates and in miniature Dutch ovens, and the impressive Swiss and European wine list includes 20 available by the glass. Indecisive types can let the staff put together a wine sampler to accompany a full meal or a snack of cheese and dried meat. This charming location itself has a long tradition of hospitality. More than 200 years ago, travelers would get refreshments here after hitching their horses and oxen in the stalls below.
The menu, inspired by Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, sees cold-weather ingredients like truffles, cream, and polenta transition to tomatoes, basil, and fennel as the weather warms up. Meat lovers should consider the classic "Bollito misto" dish served with a green sauce. The wine cellar, visible through glass doors off the dining room, ranges all over Italy. Meanwhile, the stunning stone-walled basement regularly hosts events like family-style dinners and wine tastings.
A beer hall at heart, this restaurant brews lager, amber, and wheat varieties in copper vats behind the bar. Filling dishes like flammkuchen, cordon bleu, Weisswurst, and warm pretzels filled with ham pair perfectly with the house brews. There are also a few vegetarian dishes. Don't miss the outdoor beer garden overlooking the Altstadt. The kitchen stays open from 11 am to at least 11 pm every day of the year.
Beloved by Swiss politicians, this institution is affectionately nicknamed "Delli" and has been operating since 1892, nearly as long as the Federal Parliament Building down the street. It specializes in traditional dishes like Bernerplatte, luscious veal liver with Rösti, and hearty oxtail stew with fried macaroni. The simple restaurant on the ground floor and the somewhat more formal, wood-paneled restaurant upstairs share the same big, generous kitchen. It's a good bet if you're hungry, because your second portion awaits on a warming table nearby.
Modern Thai and Japanese cuisine are the two pillars of this sleek two-level restaurant in the Old Town, with shady sidewalk seating in summer; in winter, try to get a seat upstairs where it's brighter. In addition to curry, noodle, beef, and fish dishes, the menu offers innovative desserts like bananas in fried dough smothered in chocolate sauce. At lunchtime, you can get meals to go for an affordable set price.
Fondue is Harmonie's raison d'être. Whether classic (Gruyère), moitié-moitié (half Gruyère, half Vacherin), or gussied up with truffles and champagne, pots of hot cheese arrive trailing copious amounts of bread and, ideally, a carafe of Vaudois white. Käseschnitte (open-face sandwiches with melted cheese), traditional pork sausage, veal, beef, lamb, and sides of crispy brown Rösti or Spätzle (dumplings) complete the picture of a nation well fed. The family-run establishment, open since 1915, is warm and wood-paneled, with wooden furniture.
This two-story complex of bars and a restaurant is a popular gathering place for stylish patrons looking for an Italy fix. Eclectic photos, prints, and paintings adorn the walls, and various sculptures add interest throughout. Two specialty bars serve coffee, wine, and cocktails, and the restaurant offers delectable homemade pastas and desserts, with a signature dish of veal escalope with ham and sage, paired with saffron risotto. Tuscany and Piedmont jostle for space on the wine list. Upstairs, the open-air atrium with flowers and olive trees is a particular treat in summer.
Everything’s organic at this petite Swiss delicatessen featuring regional specialties, and it's not far from the Hauptbahnhof. Try a local cheese or meat plate with a glass of Swiss wine, one of their substantial salads or sandwiches, or a fondue or Rösti if you have a bigger appetite.
This hip and friendly world-food eatery tucked into the traditional Bellevue Palace gives off an urban vibe, with a DJ spinning tunes during dinner and eclectic dishes designed for sharing. Plates inspired by global food markets run the gamut from Thai papaya salad to Cajun fish tacos to grilled dumplings, which you’d be remiss not to pair with one of the interesting cocktails whipped up by the talented mixologists.
This restaurant serves light snacks and sandwiches as well as hearty Mediterranean dishes and Swiss classics like fondue against a backdrop of panoramic Altstadt views.
Alter Aargauerstalden 31b, Bern, Bern, 3006, Switzerland
A deceptively simple local favorite and one of the most typically French bistros in Bern, this cultural transplant tucked away on a backstreet near the Rathaus has been serving classics like entrecôte Café de Paris (beef in butter sauce) with French fries, escargots in herb garlic butter, and calf's head since 1848. In a city that celebrates the onion, this is a good place to try onion soup. Lunch specials are good value; wines come from Switzerland, Italy, and France.
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