Dining in Montreux
 

I did a search and found hotel references but not much on restaurants. My family and I will only be there one day/night in December, staying at the Hotel Helvetie. Would love a restaurant suggestion in walking distance to the promenade and/or hotel. I have no idea what typical "Swiss" food is like but am open for anything.

Montreux is not exactly known for great restaurants. Which might explain the lack of reviews you are finding. This surprised me too, but I stay with a friend who lives there so I think my information is accurate.

L'Hermitage is one fantastic and very expensive restaurant on the lake if you really want a splurge (not sure if it is walking distance or not as we were coming from Vevey by car the time I ate there).

If you want a lake view, simply walk along the quai (promonade) and you'll see the choices, family-style Italian was one meal we had recently.

Because you'll be there in winter, I'd recommend asking around (maybe you'd have to walk up into the Montreux Old Town area or even take the bus into Vevey) and try to find a place for fondue, or local winter specialty dishes such as sausage and cabbage, venison stew and the like.

I visited Hotel Helvetie in August and would definitely stay there if I had occasion to need a hotel in Montreux.

I'm glad you had a favorable outlook on the hotel. A lot of them are closed during the winter and we wanted to be close to the station. It's very affordable.

I'm sure we'll find something good to eat. We'll probably stay away from Italian food since the following day we'll be headed for Italy.

Hi sandi_travelnut,

Just as Montreux isn't known for great restaurants, it also isn't known for "Swiss" restaurants because of the French influence and its position as an international resort.

Having said that, my best meal there was at the Hotel Restaurant du Pont, 12 rue du Pont, in the old town; I had a lunch of ravioli with shaved white truffles while seated among a crowd of working men in dark blue overalls. Unfortunately, you can't see the lake from there, so I don't know if you'd care to make the trek uphill.

A good bet would be the Auberge de Rivaz, where I had a wonderful menu of asparagus during spargel season: spargel soup, spargel salad, spargel with cold cuts . . it was great, and it has a luscious lake view. But it's quite a ways from Montreux, in the tiny village of Rivaz, west of Vevey.

Some pricier restaurants would be the Auberge de Raisin, a Relais & Chateaux hotel/restaurant in the village of Cully, outside of Lausanne (1, place de l'Hotel-de-Ville, menus at 75-195 chf in 2001); or the "Le Pont de Brent" in the suburb of Brent above Montreux (menus 170-200 chf in 2001). The Auberge de Raisin is right at the lake, with great views.

Another option would be the restaurant (forget the name) in the Hotel Victoria, another Relais & Chateaux hotel/restaurant, in the village of Glion, again above Montreux. It's fairly easy to get to, though -- either walk to Territet and take the funicular or take the train from Montreux. This May, I had a lobster & black truffle salad that was fabulous! You'll have a panoramic view of the lake from Glion (I've stayed at this hotel about four times). Here's a link: http://www.victoria-glion.ch/En/restaurant.asp?id=3

Perhaps the best option for convenience and view would be one of the restaurants in the five-star hotel, the Royal Plaza. They have a gourmet restaurant as well as a cafe-type restaurant, both right at the lake with great views. The hotel is situated at the western edge of town, almost in the suburb of Clarens. Here's a link: http://www.royalplaza.ch/anglais.html

Still another option might be to visit the Migros inside the huge Forum complex in the center of town -- buy prepared salads, bread, cold cuts, water, chocolate, & yogurt; then find yourself a nice grassy area with a great view and chow down!

Let me know if I can help further.

s

Thanks s,

I may be picking your brain a bit more later when we actually make the train reservations from Paris to Montreux and Montreux to Venice. We "chatted" about that before but they haven't posted the actual schedules yet for our travel dates.

Hi Again,

Of course, I'm happy to help!

I should add that that lobster salad at the Victoria was with black truffle OIL, not black truffle. Hope no confusion.

You know, you'll probably come upon the perfect little lakeside cafe just as you stroll down the promenade, and most of them have glassed-in spaces. Guess the "grassy area" picnic idea won't work real well in Dec!! But you get the idea --

Ah well.

Back to the tangled syntax of my students.

s

ps, I'm going to Gstaad in Dec, plan to leave the US on 20 Dec. What are your dates?

Swandav, you're making me hungry!

Sandi, I visited the hotel lobby and restaurant area, but did not see rooms. It is very conveniently located, maybe 6 blocks from the train station (downhill!). It has a "faded elegance" I'd say to the atmosphere... lots of red velvet, carpets, brocade, draperies, like that. It also has a rooftop patio that I'm guessing would have an interesting view over the town.

Since you only have one night, I would encourage you to look for local and seasonal choices for dinner. Fondue or raclette (a melted scraped wheel of cheese thing). Typical Swiss food in this area is definitely French influenced as mentioned. But also determined by the season, as with the homemade sausages and cabbage (a dish which taste alot better than you imagine it could).

I think a hotel along the lake for dinner is a good suggestion.

Even if not for dinner definitely stop by the Migro, downstairs at The Forum, and pick up some food items. If not for a picnic, just for the fun of it and to have for snacks along the way the next few days. Stock up on minature Swiss chocolate bars, you can buy them in family-size packs there.

Yum! I'm sure we won't be wanting for food...just always like to have some ideas in my hip pocket.

S - we'll be there the day and night of December 22nd.

Oh oh oh, Montreux has a street market festival (Marche de Noel?) around the holidays every year!!!

suze,

I had to leave Montreux in late November 2002 just as the folks were setting up the MdN; I felt cheated!! I think it'll be a nice thing to see (though the fest huts were these brown plastic fake-wooden-chalets that made me scratch my head . . . ). Still, there will be gluehwine (sp?) to swill and warm chestnuts to gobble -- I assume! It'll be fun. Though Montreux wasn't on my list of excursions for this trip, maybe I'll squeeze in a few hours there to see the fest before they tear it all down.

sandi_travelnut, ah, I'll just be settling in to the mountains that early, trying to do some heavy shopping before the stores close for the holidays and trying to get my bearings. If I do get to Montreux, it'll probably be 23 or 24 Dec. It's too bad you'll have such a short stay. Maybe you'll enjoy it so much that you'll be back. Hope so!!

s

We stayed at the Eden Hotel and ate at the restaurant there. Would NOT recommend it--pricey and just so-so.

Is the Christmas market set up in the old town?

Hi sandi_travelnut,

The huts I saw were being positioned on the promenade at the lake. Here's a website: http://www.montreuxnoel.com/2004/main/e_main.html

This doesn't give the location to verify though.

s

No it is right along the main street, which runs parallel to the lake and the quai. The Old Town is up a STEEP cobblestone street, up the hill from the main drag and inland ~4-6 'blocks'.

Actually this might be a unique place to have dinner! I havn't had the pleasure of Monetreux in December, but any time there's a street fete, seems there's lots of vendors with food and wine too.

It's a misconception if you think the Swiss people can't be tacky (plastic log chalets, what a hoot!)... my friends had a hilarious story about life-sized paper-mache cows from last year's event.

Sorry, I meant the Marche de Noel is not up in the Old Town. Whether along the lake promonade, in the town square, and/or the main street, I'm not exactly sure.