207 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

Formerly a 16th-century tavern, this lively brasserie is a favorite meeting place for Luzern's art and media crowd, humming with locals lunching by the bar, while the more formal old-style restaurant glows with wood and brass under a low-beamed parquetry ceiling. Fresh market ingredients are combined to create modern, international fare, including local fish in lemon olive oil, Irish beef with potato fritters, and goat's cream cheese pralines. There is ample outside seating when it's warm, including a small garden.

Young and old meet in this friendly, trendy place with a great big mural featuring the restaurant's specialty: chicken. The special dishes change daily, and the popular lunchtime menu and Sunday brunch are reasonably priced. Besides the tasty half or whole chicken dishes (available only at dinner), diners will find a wide selection of meat selections; vegetarians are also well catered to. The large, shaded outdoor terrace with a bar playing hit music is a great place to cool off in the summer.

The Teufelhof hotel's less expensive dining option, the artsy Atelier serves modern cuisine made with regional ingredients. Daily specials are written on chalkboards, and the unfussy à la carte menu always features lighter fare like soups and salads along with seasonal pasta, vegetarian, and meat plates. The house specialty is a classic, though now hard to find, Basel dish: veal cutlets from a local butcher served with fried potatoes and wild pepper jus. Wine is also more than an afterthought here, with more than 400 bottles on its appealing Swiss- and Euro-centric list. Best of all, unlike many Basel restaurants, Atelier is open on Sunday and Monday.

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.

With the splashing of the paper mill's waterwheel in the background, this is a restful spot for lunch, afternoon coffee, or Sunday brunch (it's open only until 5 pm), whether in the medieval house or the streamside courtyard. The hand-scrawled chalkboard lists daily specials—generally salads, quiches, soups, and pasta dishes, plus one daily vegetarian option—or try one of the delicious homemade cakes. After 3 pm hot food is no longer served, but sandwiches and other snacks are available. The Sunday brunch is one of Basel's best—try the Birchermüsli, the original, creamy, fruity version of muesli.

The glassed-in terrace of the Tonhalle concert hall provides a year-round garden setting and a beautiful view of its large park. The all-day kitchen serves up distinctly regional cuisine—St. Gallen's Olma Bratwurst with butter Rösti, for example—and also features a vegetarian option. Daily lunch specials are a good value, and it's a good spot to come for coffee and cake during off-peak hours. The outside terrace is a quiet luxury in warm weather.

Whether beneath the yellow-and-white striped awning out front or under the chestnut trees of a beer-garden-like side terrace, this is an excellent spot for a late-day Prosecco accompanied by an Alpine charcuterie board. Situated across the road from the Höheweg parklands, sidewalk seating offers postcard-perfect views of the Jungfrau—and if dinner hour sneaks up, you can always stay for a tasty Caesar salad or burger.

Locals come to this upscale spot for oven-fired pizzas—without a doubt the best in town. The elegant dining room is a year-round hit with locals; in summer there is nothing more delightful than sitting under the garden's sprawling trees and umbrellas. Inventive Italian dishes using local ingredients are robust and flavorful. Entrances connect to the opera house, making it a natural for pre- and post-performance dining.

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 busy restaurant caters to crowds with a palate for simple local fare—Rösti (hash-brown potatoes), Geschnetzeltes (sliced veal in cream sauce), burgers, and spaghetti. The Tagesteller (daily special) is an especially good deal at lunchtime, and English-language menus are available. Though plain and cafeteria-like, it's an excellent choice for families; it even houses a small bowling alley. Nonsmokers can also enjoy a separate seating area upstairs.

The restaurant part of the Fischerstube, a famous local brewery, has a simple look, with whitewashed walls and sanded wooden tables, and offers a range of tasty snacks like oven-fresh pretzels to heartier meat-heavy dishes of sausages, schnitzel, and burgers. The brewery produces its own lagers and ales in the copper tanks you see at the back of the room; if you're serious about sampling the local color, stop in here for a cold one. If you like the Ueli Bier, named for a Fasnacht jester, you can buy a growler to take home—or ask for one at your table. In summer, the small rooftop beer garden is very popular.

A homey, rustic eatery slightly outside Klosters offers up an eclectic menu of traditional Swiss dishes, international plates, and—a rarity in this region—Asian recipes, all family-friendly and without fuss or fanfare. Stone-clad floors and wall-to-ceiling Arvenholz (the traditional pinewood interior of the region) ensconce you in the warmth and comfort of a true mountain abode. Diners can enjoy a range of Thai and Indian curries as well as sushi and sashimi, along with sausages and fondue, followed by homemade cakes—it's all somehow reminiscent of a family gathering at the kitchen hearth. In the summer months, you can choose to dine in the relaxing outdoor garden.

One of Zürich's oldest inns, Kindli was visited by royalty in the Middle Ages, and in the centuries that followed, notable personalities were drawn by what many described as the building's "special aura." These days, the space is warm and inviting, serving seasonal variations of Swiss classics like simmered Swiss beef with horseradish and vegetables followed by caramelized apple tart. Rich, colorful paintings, dark-wood paneling, elegant bistro furnishings, and linen table settings add to the upscale, welcoming comfort of the restaurant.

A robust Swiss menu has made this Vieille Ville institution a magnet for local street sweepers, foreign heads of state, and everyone in between. Before tucking into a fondue or raclette (melted cheese served with small potatoes in their skins, pickled pearl onions, and gherkins), order a starter of air-dried meat cut paper thin—a specialty of the canton of Grisons. Other choices include Schübling (sausage) or veal strips in cream sauce: both come with sinfully delicious Rösti, a buttery cake of grated potatoes. In the summer you can sit outdoors and soak up the Old Town's historic vibe.

Classic French dishes with a contemporary touch define the three- to six-course menus at this refined restaurant within the rocksresort—or try their renowned Wiener schnitzel off the à la carte menu. Beneath wood-beamed ceilings, guests dine on seasonal specialties such as locally-raised Wagyu beef in a port-wine reduction or filet of sole with dashi butter.

Dating from 1801, and once the haunt of Zürich's beloved writer Gottfried Keller, this lively restaurant serves traditional meat dishes—Geschnetzeltes Kalbfleisch—lightened up with fresh seasonal vegetables and a champagne sauce. One section is a dark and heavily graffitied wine bar, with sagging timbers and slanting floors; there are also two welcoming little dining rooms with coffered ceilings and plenty of carved oak and damask—choose the cozy, charming Gaststube (not the more staid Stübli). It's always packed, and service can be slow, so stake out a table and plan to spend the evening. Guests who succeed in swinging around the room's famous wooden rafters three times win free wine for their table. You'd be amazed at the number of diners who make the attempt.

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.

During the winter high season you'll have to be quick in order to snag a table on the sun-filled deck of this traditional restaurant on the main drag; a great location on the way back from the lifts, it's perfect for a cold after-ski brewski or tummy-warming Williamine pear schnapps. Inexpensive yet well-prepared Walliser favorites and tasty snacks hold you for another drink and a few more rays, or stay a bit longer for the fondue Chinoise, boiling beef slices in broth with homemade fries.

Housed in a cozy wooden chalet on a hidden side street away from the town's busy thermal baths, this tiny restaurant's coziness is matched by its friendly service. Specialties include fondue, sliced meat platters, and a raclette à la discretion (which is French for "all you can eat").

A chest-high glass barrier stands between you and white water at the tip of this stylish, sun-soaked restaurant and bar. The dining area, indoors or outside beneath a retractable roof, serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes and a fair amount of seafood as well as a Sunday brunch. Built like a ship's prow past the edge of the Matteschwelle weir, the unique establishment maintains a hip, beachlike atmosphere with its chaise longues, teak bar stools, and cushioned wicker chairs.

The town's former armory houses a small, no-frills bistro serving tasty examples of the local fare, such as any variation on cordon bleu you can imagine. Whether adorned with Appenzeller or raclette cheese or with ham, all schnitzels come with French fries. Local business executives come especially for the lunch specials, which include soup or salad and are a steal in comparison to swankier places nearby. The location next to the cathedral makes it a perfect pit stop during a day of sightseeing.

This European-inclined restaurant in a quiet corner of the Niederdorf is part of the trend towards portions that don't overflow your plate, with lighter, seasonal takes on traditional Swiss fare. You might try bacon dumpling salad with balsamic onions, or pork breast with honey and chanterelles, then finish with apple fritters and vanilla ice cream. Wainscoting and dark parquet floors paired with a monochrome palette make for a comfortable dining room; an outside courtyard is open in summer.

The Seven Group has taken over little Ascona, with several locations spanning the promenade, including an upscale gastronomic restaurant, a dedicated seafood offering, an Asian-inspired sushi joint, and a casual bistro. If you're not in the mood for fine dining, head to the more relaxed Ristorante Easy, which serves tasty pizza and lighter fare. On Friday and Saturday night, this is the place to see and be seen in the area. Although many restaurants close in the winter, Ristorante Easy is open all year.

Tucked down an alley off Via Pessina, this cozy basement taverna squeezes loyal locals and tourists onto hard wooden chairs and benches for authentic regional specialties, hearty meats, and pastas. Ticinese wines are served in traditional ceramic bowls—try a strong red to cut through the thick polenta taragna, made of cornmeal and buckwheat (once you try it, you will never eat the bland yellow version again), served with luganighe, cumin-flavored local sausages. End your meal with strong espresso matched with light, melt-in-your-mouth tiramisu.

The grill is the first thing you see in this grotto-style eatery specializing in pure and simple seafood alla griglia (grilled). Homemade pasta is another specialty, and when the two are combined, as in the house favorite—linguine allo scoglio (with shellfish)—plates are left cleaner than whistles. The decor is a study in refined linen and rustic wood, and the service is helpful and down-to-earth. The restaurant is at the end of a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood, not far from the Lugano South exit on the autostrada.

For one of Graubünden's—if not Switzerland's—top food experiences, make a beeline to world-renowned chef Andreas Caminada's tasting-menu-only restaurant, within a charming castle in the mountain town of Fürstenau. Diners can choose from three- to five-course menus at lunch and dinner, all featuring seasonal, local ingredients presented in beautiful and imaginative ways; delightful wine pairings include producers from both Switzerland and neighboring countries such as Germany as well as more traditional choices. Reservations (taken up to eight months in advance) are absolutely essential. You can also stay overnight in one of nine comfortable guest rooms; the stunning grounds include an outdoor pool with lovely views.

This extremely popular historic guildhall has been transformed into an airy and elegant dining room, and is famous for its traditional and beautiful ceramic stove. Though the Swiss-international food can hold its own, many visit just for the atmosphere: arched doorways, beamed ceilings, mural-covered walls, and a charming courtyard. It draws a crowd with its two-or-three course business lunches, and dinner features well-executed seasonal cuisine with plenty of vegetarian, fish, and meat choices livened up with interesting sides and sauces.

As soon as it even vaguely looks like it'll be warm enough, the hip deck-shoe crowd drives, runs, cycles, or even sails to one of the best places on the lake, which not only has its own dock, but is its own dock, jutting far out and offering fabulous views. The food isn't bad either: seasonal ingredients make the difference in dishes such as beef tournedos with matchstick-thin French fries, or spaghetti with lobster. Sunglasses required.