182 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

Across from the waterfront east of the town center, this unashamedly nouvelle restaurant serves innovative Franco-Italian cuisine that's absolutely top quality. You can have an aperitif on the lakefront terrace before sitting down to a meal in a chic environment with warm terra-cotta tiles and dark-wood furniture. There are meal plans to suit every wallet, from the moderately priced business lunch to the lavish five-course menu de dégustation (sampling menu). 

For a candlelit, romantic Swiss meal with a truly spectacular view, take the funicular up to the restaurant at the Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl. The rustic-chic setting and expansive terrace provide perfect outlooks to the lakes and mountains as you dine on local and seasonal specialties. Though there's a large selection of meat and game dishes (in season), fish-lovers and vegetarians will also find satisfying choices. Bring your appetite, because the portions are large and the food is hearty. The large wine list includes lots of fine choices from Graubünden vineyards.

In the late 1600s, postal workers traveling the Oberland needed a place to eat and swap horses, and they found what they needed in this lumbering wood chalet, one of the oldest buildings in the area. Today the Amacher family taps into its 10 generations of experience running the place to serve outstanding Swiss specialties: Don't miss what could arguably be the country's best Suure Mocke, a tangy braised-meat dish that's marinated in wine and vinegar for two weeks, or opt for one of their traditional fondues, Röstis, or Swiss meat dishes. More than half the guests are locals who gather among the thick, lumpy walls of plastered river rock to sample about 30 wines, many of which are Swiss. Yummy desserts like apple pies and meringues are hard to pass up.

The formal Bel Étage showcases chef Michael Baader's masterly culinary inventions, with seasonal dishes using a mix of Swiss and international ingredients; for the best sampling, try one of the tasting menus, with well-thought-out wine pairings. The restaurant takes up four rooms of the historic Teufelhof hotel and is jazzed up with modern art on the walls, plus there's a lovely terrace for when the weather's fine. In the on-site wine shop, you can buy bottles of the wines you liked best to take home. Don't miss the fantastic cheese trolley for dessert.

Since the tragic loss of world-renowned chef Benoit Violier, his determined widow, Brigitte, has continued to oversee the three-Michelin-star restaurant, propelling it to even higher accolades. Chef Franck Giovannini is winning hearts—and stomachs—with his fresh twist on haute cuisine. Giovannini draws on his decade of experience with the famed chef to uphold the restaurant's well-earned reputation as one of the best in Switzerland. It's a quick drive west from Lausanne to this understated manse. The service is spectacular, the staff is friendly, and the food is absolutely stellar. Giovannini creates imaginative combinations of flavors plus stunningly refined presentations. For these finely orchestrated prix-fixe menus the ingredients are key—lamb raised in the Pyrenees, cardoons (an artichokelike vegetable) grown in the village. Pace yourself, making sure to leave time and room for selections from the immense cheese cart or celestial desserts. Reserve as far ahead as possible—lunch may be your only option.

The inviting restaurant inside Boutique Hotel Glacier has prime views of the Eiger mountain and puts a contemporary twist on seasonal and local ingredients. Choose from a three-, five-, or seven-course fish, meat, or vegan menu, with beautifully presented dishes using Alpine sturgeon, veal, Grindelwald honey, elderflower, and other regional products. Wine, a passion of the hotel’s owner, is a huge part of the experience, with more than 150 wines—many organic and biodynamic—available by the glass; pair wines or juices with your tasting menu for a memorably delicious experience.

Tidy, bright, and modern, this second-floor restaurant may lack the historic feel of some of its neighbors, but it features remarkable cooking from a well-regarded chef. Look for locally sourced dishes such as white fish and root vegetables marinated in honey, or lamb shanks with chanterelle mushrooms, seasonal vegetables, and bread dumplings. The café draws local families at lunch; business executives choose the slightly more formal dining room.

Chef Tanja Grandits gives her guests a delightful culinary experience in a refined—but not uptight—setting, using a cuisine style that the German-born chef calls "aroma kitchen." Contrasting flavors, colors, and textures shine through in fanciful creations of fish, seafood, and Swiss meats combined with unusual touches such as wasabi mousse or green tea guacamole, which can be sampled in the nine-course "Aroma Menu" (also available in a vegetarian version), or in the more affordable three- to five-course lunchtime menus. The restaurant is in the residential neighborhood of Bruderholz; take tram No. 15 or 16 from Marktplatz, get off at Jakobsberg, and walk about 15 minutes.

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.

Zum Goldenen Fass (the Golden Barrel) bills itself as "radically seasonal and totally regional," with the emphasis on the unique rather than the traditional. Come not for tablecloths or thick menus—you won’t find them—but instead for the focus on local ingredients, a regularly changing menu, and an excellent wine list.

The 450-year-old cellar underneath the Adler Hotel on the edge of Appenzell town is the place for fondue in the winter. Carved-wood-paneled walls, a dark medieval room, and ancient glassed-over cobblestones are a bit chilly and museumlike, but the friendly service and excellent local wine list will warm you right back up. Credit cards only accepted for bills over SF40.

This friendly, glassed-in coffee bar serves fresh croissants from 7 am (9 am on Sunday), sandwiches throughout the day, and wine or beer to a sidewalk crowd come nightfall.

This carved-wood-and-shingle 17th-century landmark attracts both locals and travelers with its two restaurants: The Bistro serves old-style Swiss cuisine—try the Felchen (a kind of whitefish) from nearby Lake Brienz or the Wiener schnitzel—while the Gourmetstübli, a showcase for chef Richard Stöckli's renowned international fare, features four- to seven-course menus that may include fish and mussels in a saffron-pepper sauce or an Alp cheese ravioli with brown butter foam. The established wine cellar offers Swiss and international wines; should you have a few too many glasses, there is always the option of staying over, as the Alpenblick is also a hotel, with rooms spread over two chalets. The place is in Wilderswil, 2 km (1 mile) south of Interlaken.

It doesn't get more Swiss than this: the ingredients, the recipes, the wines, and the decor are all Helvetian (and though traditional, there's a youthful vibe). Enjoy seasonal dishes such as Engadiner pizokel (flour dumplings) with ham, or duck breast with dried-plum sauce and mashed potatoes; the owners' devotion to local ingredients means the menu often changes. The interior is elegantly casual, with wainscoting and etched-glass windows, linen tablecloths, a mounted chamois head, and paintings of the Matterhorn and other well-known landmarks. 

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.

A bit of Siem Reap in the middle of Zürich West: the lavish interior is full of stone carvings and wood latticework that seem right out of Ta Prohm, minus the jungle. The menu is huge and includes generous amounts of green curry, oyster sauce, and ginger, covering India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. The lunch specials are a good deal for those on a budget, and multicourse meals satisfy bigger appetites. Tables double in number in summer with outside seating on the square.

Shaded by a grove of plane trees, this eatery's superb terrace is one of the most romantic in town, and chef Domenico Rezza pursues nuova cucina (contemporary Italian cuisine) with ambition and flair, proving he has real culinary dazzle. Casual yet sophisticated cuisine reigns, with regional Italian dishes as well as local favorites like freshly caught lake fish all subtly featuring unusual flavor combinations.

Low ceilings, whitewashed beams, and a worn zinc bar give context to simple regional dishes like cassoulet, émincé de veau (veal strips in a cream sauce), filets de perches, and the namesake pigs' feet (served grilled or stuffed)—the selection varies. The crowd can be noisy, and table service can occasionally be a tad gruff, but locals and tourists keep streaming in, not least because it's one of the few places in town that serves meals straight through from noon to 10 pm. The terrace is great for people-watching.

Set amid Gruyères's most historic buildings, the exterior of this medieval structure welcomes guests with cheerful flower boxes and green-and-white-stripe awnings. Inside, a warm woody interior with raftered ceiling and smooth stone floors offers an appealing setting in which to enjoy traditional dishes such as a moitié-moitié (half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois) fondue. The definitely worth-trying signature dish is called Soupe du Chalet, and is a meal unto itself. Sit in the section called "the veranda" to enjoy great views with your meal.

The Pichard family, keepers of this weathered centuries-old chalet, holds dear the inn's heritage of feeding and lodging stagecoach passengers and Alpine enthusiasts. In summer the front patio hugging the main street fills with boot-clad hikers reaching across platters of air-dried meats and mountain cheeses served with baskets of crusty, dark bread. The rustic structure has carved eaves with hand-painted designs, creaky floors, and old, rippled, handblown-glass windows. The change of seasons brings the crowd inside to sit on heavy wooden furniture eager to swirl ragged cubes of bread in fondue caquelons or scrape raclette and potatoes together on their plates. The menu also includes salads, meat dishes, and Rösti, but don't expect any fussy preparations.

The Auberge de Luins is beloved by locals and tourists alike—there is often a cluster of villagers gathered at the community table debating the quality of the latest vintage or regional politics.

This Italian eatery, just steps from Nyon's château, serves straightforward fare, well-priced plats du jour, and specialty items like shrimp and vegetables on a pillow of saffron cream. An expansive terrace lets diners study the château; in winter, broad windows reveal the comings and goings on the municipal plaza. In fall, the menu expands to include an assortment of game and locally picked mushrooms.

This sleek restaurant brings a taste of Ticino to Luzern's New Town with hearty and reasonably priced Swiss-Italian dishes like spinach gnocchi, sausage with polenta, and all sorts of pizzas. In addition to beautiful mosaic tiles and a crackling fireplace, the dining room features the work of young local artists, and the lounge hosts live piano music some evenings. From April to October, the restaurant sets up camp in a leafy park across the street.

The coats of arms of old Spanish provinces and garlands of onions and garlic line the dark-paneled interior of this upstairs Niederdorf restaurant, specializing in big steaks, seafood, omelets, and paella. Be sure to sample the excellent house Rioja (a Spanish wine specialty shop adjoins, so the choice is extensive). The lively downstairs bar serves amazing tapas, great for lunch. The waiters all come from the old country, so they know what they're talking about.

Meat is the name of the game at this deli-inspired restaurant with private booths and terrazzo floors, where grass-fed game is sourced directly from Swiss butchers and farmers. Classics include leberkäese (meat loaf), homemade pâtés, gelatinous terrines, aspics, air-cured mountain meat, and steak pies. Vegans can always expect one or two dishes on the rotating menu to keep the whole table happy.