182 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

A touch of Paris in the heart of Luzern—advertising posters from the 1920s and 1930s, simple wooden tables, and a green-and-yellow-checkered floor—is the setting for sumptuous dishes based on fresh market ingredients. Steamed sea bass or rack of lamb are typical offerings. The darker, barlike entrance leads to the bright main room with a terrace overlooking the river.

The "Années Folles" decor—green-and-white tiles, mustard-yellow ceilings, warm wood—and busy waiters in ankle-length aprons channel Paris. Local diners of all stripes come to tuck into hearty portions of choucroute (sauerkraut) with pork and potatoes, vegetable couscous, tartares of beef or fish, and heaping platters of seafood. The dining room expands onto a delightful summer terrace at the foot of the Vieille Ville, and, unusually for Geneva, this place serves late: the kitchen stays open until 11 pm.

MasterChef  TV series participants Benoît Waber and Leonard Gamba are earning top honors with their gastronomic café, set in a spacious, renovated warehouse near the university. The chefs create a unique, limited menu each week, with the goal of titillating the senses using unusual or unexpected ingredients. Dishes like grilled perch with lemon caviar and caper flowers provide a zesty take on fine dining—for half the price of other similar restaurants.

A number of dishes are served at this narrow eatery, with entrances on the main street and the promenade, but the most-ordered is filets de perche. Served with a garden salad, frites, or pommes vapeur (steamed potatoes) and savory tartar sauce, it's a weekly routine for many families. Without a reservation in summer, you will have to wait for a table outside; two small dining rooms connected by an open kitchen have difficulty containing the faithful in any season.

All the customers seem to know each other at this traditional dining institution, where shared wooden tables and clattering china create the perfect ambience for fondue, mussels, sausage, or choucroûte (sauerkraut). Prominent members of Lausanne's arts community swarm here after rehearsals and concerts, as service continues until 11 pm—late by Swiss standards.

The politics lean left at this town classic, where the sprawling terrace spills out onto the square, and the crowds come more for the ambience than the food. Among the Italian favorites, the amazingly delicate piccata alla Milanese (veal cutlets pounded thin, coated in egg, and sautéed) is a standout. Also popular are the spicy penne all'arrabbiata (pasta with a spicy tomato sauce) or any of the 20 varieties of pizza. Red-checkered tablecloths and occasional appearances by local politicos round it all out.

In a 17th-century rustic-luxe Bauernhof (farmhouse) whose raw beams, aged wood, and native carvings have been self-consciously restored, the Chesa Veglia (run by Badrutt's Palace hotel, which is just up the street) is divided into three restaurants: an upscale grill (Grill Chafaö), which uses an original stone oven; a cozy Stübli (Patrizier Stuben); and a pizzeria (Pizzeria Heuboden). Menus include a good range of Continental and local cuisine—with sky-high St. Moritz prices, except for the more casual, family-friendly pizzeria (which, true to St. Moritz style, still uses premium ingredients like truffles and Grison air-dried meat in addition to the classics). The grill, open only in winter, features live piano music in the evenings, and there are two bars where you can people-watch over a drink before or after your meal. When Elizabeth Taylor and other legendary VIPs headed to St. Moritz, this was their favored watering hole, and it still attracts a smart and stylish crowd in season.

This much-loved establishment has been serving up a selection of the finest Piedmont cuisine for more than 70 years and is well-known for its antipasti and wonderfully decadent desserts. Don't come here for modern Italian food—the menu is quite traditional, with a fine selection of classic pasta, fish, and meat dishes. The elegant atmosphere is quite traditional, too, though has been gently refreshed by the new owners in 2020. Dine while enjoying the view of the Rhine from your white-draped table. Riverside terrace seating is available.

There are four of these appealingly decorated restaurants around town: this one in Vieille Ville, as well as one on Rue Lissignol in Centre Ville Rive Droite, one in Plainpalais, and one in the International Area. The idea is basic: lunch and dinner, you get half a roast chicken, Provençal-style potatoes, and green salad for SF16.90. Sauce for the chicken is optional (and a bit extra); there are a few additional salads as mains in the same price range. Chez Ma Cousine is understandably popular, not only because the food's cheap and good, but also because sitting outside in the Vieille Ville and International Area is great for people-watching.

Inspired by New York steak houses, local powerhouse Philippe Chevrier created this modern restaurant with exposed brick and sleek black leather banquettes in the heart of downtown. The meat-centric menu features top-quality beef from Switzerland, Ireland, and Japan as well as an extensive wine list.

Locals have been squeezing into this cozy, eccentric café for more than a decade. More than a dozen coffee drinks are served alongside buttery pastries and heartier breakfast options. This little "ladybug" is cute as can be: the decor is decidedly funky, with gravity-defying stacks of books glued to its colorful walls and oversize Warhol-esque portraits in the restrooms. An outdoor seating area on a main pedestrian street means it is prime people-watching territory.

For seasonal Engadine specialties served in a charming setting, try lunch or dinner at the Colani Stübli, inside the Hotel Steinbock. The restaurant serves regional dishes such as barley soup, Rösti, and Capuns (meat-filled dumplings wrapped in Swiss chard), but really shines in the autumn, when the kitchen prepares exceptional game and chestnut dishes. One item not to miss all year-round: the polenta "Engadiner Art," a filling cornmeal dish with bacon and local cheese. Though the menu is heavy on meat, there are a number of vegetarian items, too. The Stübli has been modernized in keeping with Engadine style—think lots of wood and warm colors—and the service is fast and friendly.

Zürich's iconic confectionery, this landmark chocolatier and café for wealthy Bahnhofstrasse habitués concocts excellent seasonal truffles and pastries, though it's most famed for its Luxemburgerli, small cream-filled macaroon-style cookies. Good, plain hot lunches, sandwiches, and salads are also served, as are hot chocolates and coffees. There are also branches at the Hauptbahnhof, on Löwenplatz, and at Zürich airport.

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.

With its pine-paneled interior and crackling log fire, this traditional Engadine restaurant has all the coziness of Grandma's house: it's more homespun than glitz and glamour, and reasonably priced and low-key for couples or a small group of friends. The specialty is a decadent champagne fondue, though other favorites are veal liver with Rösti and, in winter, escargots. During summer months, there are tables out front that offer partial views of the lake and, as an added bonus, the La Gondla Après Ski bar—in an old gondola, not 10 steps from the restaurant door—is open daily in both summer and winter.

This hip café, bar, and restaurant is beloved by students, business executives, and artists. The simple yet eclectic decor features vintage advertisements and polished-wood seating, and several tables are available outside during the summer months. Appetizers such as tempura zucchini flowers and main courses like chicken tagine with apricots are deliciously refined—their humble prices make this popular eatery a rare bargain. Brunch is served on Sunday, and the bar has seven beers on tap, a dizzying number by Swiss standards.

Elaborate ice-cream sundaes and cakes, to eat in or take out, are the specialty here.

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.

Extraordinary art in all forms is the trademark of this Michelin-starred location at the atmospheric Villa Castagnola, where paintings and sculptures from a variety of artists line the walls and halls and exhibitions change twice yearly. Chef Frank Oerthle has a way with seafood: specialties change seasonally but can include steamed oysters with caramelized spring onion and wasabi-infused scallops. But be sure to save room for the desserts, whose deliberated presentation bring new meaning to the term culinary art.

The ice-cream maestros at Gelateria Arlecchino, across the street from the Jet d'Eau, crank out some 50 homemade flavors, including ginger-lime, tiramisu, pineapple mint, green tea, licorice, and several sugar-free options.

With a luxurious shady terrace spilling into the Höhematte in summer and mellow piano sounds enhancing the classically elegant interior, this café-restaurant serves rich, hot Swiss meals (as well as some Chinese and Thai dishes). The recipes may date all the way back to 1818, but most of the dishes are freshly made in-house on a daily basis; leave room for the chocolate specialties and pastries, like the glossy strawberry tarts, which you'll also find in the adjoining shop.

The moment you step across the threshold into this low-slung, two-story restaurant decked with mountaineering memorabilia, the tantalizing aroma of melting cheese should sharpen your appetite. Downstairs, watch meat roasting on the wood-fired grill while enjoying the chalet-style decor. Upstairs a mélange of Mediterranean tiles and traditional Valaisan exposed dark-wood beams creates a romantic atmosphere. This is a great place for regional dishes and meat specialties like juicy Chateaubriand grilled to perfection and dripping with a creamy béarnaise sauce, served by lively staff.

Inhale tempting smells from around the world at this old-style, open-bin store where oak shelves are lined with coffee, dried fruits, nuts, and grains.

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.

At this self-proclaimed gourmet burger bar, Lausannois feast on freshly grilled, juicy burgers while avoiding the town's McDonald's and Burger King. The chain has a refreshing "go-local" philosophy, and most ingredients are produced within a 25-mile radius. Try the Elvis burger with blue cheese and bacon, or the veggie burger with warm goat cheese, arugula, and spicy chutney.

Centrally located, this is one of the top Fribourg restaurants, thanks to owner-chef Frédérik Kondratowicz's superlative take on seasonal cuisine. The ambience in this one-floor-up spot is bourgeois bistro with artsy notes, and there are some great views of Fribourg from the windows. Fresher than fresh are such delights as lamb with an herb crust, vegetable moussaka with candied orange, and asparagus-and-spinach risotto. Swiss and French wines are the focal point of the thoughtful wine list.

Choose between a marble-columned pizzeria in one wing, a Swiss-focused restaurant in another, and a terrace that stretches comfortably along the waterfront where you can enjoy food from both. The lake fish specialties are solid, but there is also a nice range of steaks, pastas, and salads, plus a children's menu.