182 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

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").

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.

Snow-white tablecloths and chairs stand out against shiny, dark hardwood floors in this open, minimalist restaurant. The attentive staff and personable owner are quick to bring you modern Italian dishes and a fine selection of fresh fish, as well as vegetarian-pleasing delights like balsamic-marinated tofu with grilled vegetables. They also retreat to let you linger over coffee. Favored by locals, it's one of the few greats in town, with few or no tourists in sight.

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 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.

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 Seven 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, Seven Easy is open all year.

At this carved-wood chalet dating from 1787, you can sit out on the flower-lined terrace and choose from many interpretations of Lake Brienz whitefish and perch. The menu also has a range of veal classics. If you want to linger, there are nine modern guest rooms, all with a bright and cheery feel.

Right on the Niederdorf's main square, Hirschenplatz, this squeaky-clean Swiss-kitsch restaurant has an airy, modern decor, with Alpine-rustic chairs. It serves good home-cooked national specialties: Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, Rösti, Leberli, bratwurst, schnitzel, and battered fish with French fries and tartar sauce—the gang's all here. An added attraction if you're visiting in summer: fondue and raclette (melted cheese served with small potatoes in their skins, pickled pearl onions, and gherkins), usually winter dishes, are served year-round. Excellent lunch menus are rock-bottom cheap and served double quick. There's outdoor seating on the cobblestone pedestrian square in warm weather.

This overflowing tearoom with exquisite pastries is a must-stop before or after an activity-packed day. Run today by the third generation of the Taillens family, this landmark is beloved by locals and visitors alike. Light meals—salads, soups, and sandwiches—keep service clipping along at a fast pace. Toss aside the calorie counter and peruse the dessert cases for a decadent concoction of chocolate, fruit, sugar, and whipped cream. There are now three additional locations in town as well as Le Farinet, the family's more formal Mediterranean restaurant.

With a focus on the highest-quality ingredients and a simplistic, Mediterranean cooking style that allows each individual taste to shine, dining here is a true culinary experience, though be prepared to spend almost as much on a meal as on a hotel room. Though the menu changes seasonally, it always includes a tempting mix of fish, game, meat, and poultry dishes, with a blend of local and international ingredients. To finish off, try the chocolate mousse made with olive oil; the result is a deeply rich, unctuous dessert, which miraculously remains as light in your stomach as it was in your mouth. The seven-course tasting menu is actually an excellent value when compared with the à la carte dining.

This charming retro-style eatery, part of the bed-and-breakfast of the same name, serves up eggs, smoothie bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch at a lovely location along the Aare River. You can also swing by for cake and coffee, or order wine or local craft beer with snacks throughout the day.

Following the success of its train station branch, Tibits opened this larger and more glamorous version nearby. The food is 100% vegetarian and sold by weight from a buffet of hot, cold, and sweet selections with an international flair. Sandwiches and soups such as pumpkin, lentil, or pea fill in the gaps. To drink: fresh fruit and vegetable juices, organic wine, flavored coffee, herbal tea, and cocktails such as rooibos-tea-infused vodka. Everything on the menu can be ordered to go, making the train station Tibits an especially practical option for travelers. Both branches offer outdoor seating in warm weather. When loading your plate, keep in mind that those samosas are heavy!

Not far from the Middle Bridge and right next to the Rhine, this self-proclaimed “urban Swiss” restaurant has a rustic-chic look inside and a wonderful terrace overlooking the river outside. The short but satisfying menu includes an interesting selection of meat and veggie starters, creative versions of hamburgers and fish-and-chips, and a regularly changing choice of shareable dishes using seasonal, local ingredients.

Though its rich, carved-wood decor borrows from Graubündner Alpine culture, this dining spot is no tourist trap. There is a definite emphasis on the heavy and the meaty, but the kitchen is flexible and reasonably deft with more modern favorites as well: seafood in saffron sauce, chopped veal with mixed mushrooms, and delicious fruit sorbets. The house, built in 1325 and functioning as a restaurant since 1551, has always stored Italian-Swiss Valtellina wines, which were carried over the Alps to Zürich.

Well priced for the area, this bright, genial restaurant has nothing swanky about it—lots of wood, ancient moldings in the form of grapes, and a welcoming wood fire where meat is roasted while you watch. In addition to grilled meats and whole trout, there are delicious and varied homemade pastas served family-style from crockery bowls. The owners look after the grill, and their touch with Italian-Romansh cooking is light and straightforward.

This homey wine bar offers both simple and more elaborate gourmet meals, depending on your interest. Inside, the massive wooden winepress is the star; outside, it's the beautiful garden terrace with views of the surrounding vineyards. Snack on a Bündnerfleisch Teller (meat plate) or Alpkäse (cheese plate), try some local pastas or meats, or soothe your sweet tooth with homemade goodies. Don't miss the selection of local wines for sale.

At this little restaurant in the Hotel Monte Rosa, plates of melted raclette and bubbling pots of fondue are delivered to tightly packed tables by an agile waitstaff. Be sure to try the unusual variations on cheese dishes like the fresh mushroom or pear-laced fondue. The restaurant is named for Edward Whymper, the first man to reach the Matterhorn summit—imagine the climbers' stories that must have echoed within these walls. In the winter season the place stays open until 1 am.

Step past the ancient facade and into a room roaring with local action, where brisk waiters deliver the dishes that Mutti (Mom) used to make: fresh Kutteln (tripe) in rich white-wine sauce with cumin seeds; real Kalbs-kopf (chopped fresh veal head) served with heaps of green onions and warm vinaigrette; and authentic Luzerner Kügelipaschtetli (puff-pastry nests filled with finely ground beef, savory herbs, and cream sauce). Occasional experiments in a modern mode—such as steak with wasabi sauce—prove that Peter Galliker's kitchen is no museum. Desserts may include raspberries with peppermint ice cream.

On the fourth floor of the Fribourg Centre, this café does waffles and crepes—both savory and sweet—as well as panini and pizza. The outpost of a popular Swiss chain offers a perfect time-out from heavy-duty retail therapy. You can also choose from a wide selection of teas and coffees.

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.

This French-inclined international restaurant in a quiet corner of the Niederdorf is part of the trend toward lighter food and portions that don't overflow your plate. You might try beef tartare with wasabi and mango chutney, or lamb curry in yogurt-mint sauce, then finish with a creamy slice of napoleon. Wainscoting, parquet floors, and crisp white tablecloths make for a comfortable dining room; an outside courtyard is open in summer.

This friendly place serves up a delightful mix of veggie and meat dishes for lunch and dinner, or you can just stop by for a dessert, if you'd like. For scenic value, it's hard to beat the tables strewn around the plaza, since they have a direct view of the cathedral's towers. 

In the hamlet (little more than a cluster of mazots) of the same name, this restaurant turns out inventive meals that merit acclaim. A half-hour's walk from Zermatt, it overflows until late afternoon with diners sunning on the terrace or packed into the 400-year-old log house. (The quickest way to get here is to walk or ski down from Furi.) Hosts Max and Greti Mennig masterfully prepare such seasonal specials as venison salad with wild mushrooms and handmade tortelloni with spinach-ricotta filling. The selection of wines and brandies sets skiers aglow.

With its magnificent Renaissance-inspired facade, this airy guildhall, with whitewashed woodwork and leaded-glass windows looking out to the Fraumünster, remains a lovely place to dine on such seasonal dishes as fillet of perch in almond butter with spinach, or sliced veal and Rösti. The Zunft-Saal (guildhall) is a pinewood showpiece, which greatly outshines the main restaurant—a rather dull Biedermeier room. To drink in the impressive architecture, opt for outside tables on the edge of the cobblestone square in warm weather.