Your Trip to Switzerland: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Switzerland Airports Getting Around Places to Visit in Switzerland Top Things to Do in Switzerland Top Things to Do in Geneva One Week Itinerary Most Scenic Train Routes Switzerland's Nature Parks How to Go Skiing The Top Hikes Matterhorn Complete Guide The Most Beautiful Lakes Foods to Try Best Restaurants Your Trip to Switzerland: The Complete Guide close Overview Europe Switzerland The 10 Best Restaurants in Switzerland By Elizabeth Heath Elizabeth Heath Twitter Elizabeth Heath has lived in the Umbria region of Italy since 2009 and has been writing for TripSavvy since 2017. She has also written for Frommer's, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, and more. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Published on 12/03/21 Courtesy of Park Hotel Vitznau You don't come to Switzerland to go on a diet. But you probably do come for its famously hearty cuisine, most notably fondue and raclette. While those two dishes rank high in Switzerland's culinary echelon, there's a lot more to dining out here than just dipping into melted cheese. Switzerland's best restaurants offer a mix of delicious temptations, including vegetarian, international, French, and German-inspired cuisine. And because this is Switzerland, its best restaurants also offer unmatched settings on top of the highest peaks in the Alps, on sparkling lakes, and with views galore. 01 of 10 Best for Raclette: Vieux Chalet Courtesy of Restaurant Vieux-Chalet View Map Address Restaurant Vieux Chalet, 3906 Saas-Fee, Switzerland Get directions The cozy Alpine village of Saas-Fee piles on the charm and at Vieux Chalet in the town's historic center, they pile on the cheese. Fondue is on the menu here, but the star of the show is raclette, the melted cheese served on a plate with bread, potatoes, gherkins, and pearl onions. Watching as your raclette is carved off a giant wheel of melting cheese is quite the experience. If they offer the all-you-can-eat option, go for it—you might be surprised how many plates of raclette you can put away! 02 of 10 Best for Fondue: Le Chalet de Gruyères Courtesy of Chalet de Gruyère View Map Address Temporairement Chez La Table des Chevaliers, Rle des Chevaliers 7, 1663 Gruyères, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 26 921 21 54 Web Visit website If you want the best fondue in Switzerland, you better go to the source. The Chalet de Gruyères in the eponymous cheese-making center of Gruyères provides all the authenticity, and cheesiness, that one might expect. Fondue, raclette, and local dried meats go down easily with local wine or beer. Desserts feature double Gruyères cream, which is even more decadent than it sounds. 03 of 10 Best for Hearty Swiss Fare: Zeughauskeller Elizabeth Heath View Map Address Bahnhofstrasse 28A, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 44 220 15 15 Web Visit website One of our favorite restaurants in Zurich, Zeughauskeller combines history, setting, and tasty, meat-centric specialties from German-speaking Switzerland. Wienerschnitzel, steaks, pork shanks, and meter-long sausages come accompanied with rösti potatoes, potato salad, or French fries. You could ask for a side salad, but we say it's better to embrace the hearty fare here as you soak up the ambiance of this huge, cacophonous dining hall, which was once a 15th-century weapons armory. Plan to arrive a little early or a little later for lunch or dinner, or plan to wait in line with lots of other hungry diners. 04 of 10 Best for Desserts: Frutal Courtesy of Frutal Versandbäckerei View Map Meringues, the sweet dessert of baked egg whites, were supposedly invented in Meiringen, Switzerland. So naturally, the most famous meringue confectioner in the country is based here. You'll know you're at the right spot when you see a giant meringue out front. The bakery, dessert house, and tea room serve up plenty of other sweets, including chocolate confections, apple strudels, and creamy pastries. Kids will love the different holiday-themed treats on offer. Continue to 5 of 10 below. 05 of 10 Best for Classic French Cuisine: Brasserie Lipp Courtesy of Brasserie Lipp View Map Address Confédération centre, Rue de la Confédération 8, 1204 Genf, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 22 318 80 30 Web Visit website Nearly a quarter of Switzerland is French-speaking and French is the first language ofGeneva, so there is no shortage of quality French restaurants in the city. That said, few offer the classic authenticity of Brasserie Lipp, which looks like it was transplanted from Paris's Left Bank. Oysters, escargot, moules frites, and beef tartare are all on the menu at this bustling, multi-room institution. Seafood is prominent on the menu, but there are plenty of land-based options, too. 06 of 10 Best Dining with a View: Findlerhof Findlerhof View Map Address Findeln, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 27 967 25 88 Web Visit website Set above Zermatt in the tiny, car-free foodie hamlet of Findeln, rustic Restaurant Findlerhof is accessible via cable car, funicular, or a really steep uphill hike. Most guests stop here on their way down the mountain, rather than the way up. Its woodsy interior and sunny terraces are the perfect setting for traditional rösti, pastas, risottos, and meat dishes. Come for the food; stay for the view. When the clouds part, the mighty Matterhorn looms large across the valley. The panoramas don't get more classically Swiss than this. 07 of 10 Best Fine Dining: Focus Atelier Courtesy of Park Hotel Vitznau View Map Address Seestrasse 18, 6354 Vitznau, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 41 399 60 60 Web Visit website Combine a stunning setting on Lake Lucerne, a chic spa hotel, and two Michelin stars, and you've got one of Switzerland's most outstanding high-end dining experiences. Focus Atelier at five-star Park Hotel Vitznau in the quiet lakeside town of Vitznau offers set tasting menus with unexpected flavor combinations that take guests on a true culinary journey. The artfully prepared platings, each more creative and fantastic than the next, nearly upstage the lake. 08 of 10 Best Dining with a Hike: Berggasthaus Aescher, Weissbad Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli View Map Address Äscher 1, 9057 Schwende, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 71 799 11 42 Web Visit website Spectacular is a word that describes many a setting in Switzerland, but in few places is it more apt than at Berggasthaus Aescher, a rustic guesthouse and restaurant built into the solid rock face of the Ebenalp. For many a hiker, lunch or an overnight at the Aescher is the well-earned reward for an energetic day of steep hiking. Others get there via the Ebenalp cable car, which includes a 10-minute downhill hike to the restaurant — though it's uphill on the way back. If the views aren't enough to wow you, the comfort menu will, with warming soups, rösti, strudel, and coffee drinks. The interior dining room is charming, but the outdoor terrace is the place to be. The guesthouse is seasonal and closes from late November through April. Continue to 9 of 10 below. 09 of 10 Best Vegetarian Dining: Haus Hiltl, Zurich Courtesy of Haus Hiltl View Map Address Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 44 227 70 00 Web Visit website It's safe to say that Haus Hiltl was vegetarian before vegetarianism was trendy. Founded in 1898, the Zurich landmark claims to be the world's first vegetarian restaurant—and it's certainly the longest-running one. The menu here is suited to vegetarians and vegans, but even diehard carnivores might be tempted by potato truffle soup or the Hiltl Wellington, made with smoked tofu and red wine sauce. There are locations all over Zurich, with the flagship restaurant at Sihlstrasse 28, a few blocks from Zurich HB train station. 10 of 10 Best International Dining: The Restaurant at the Chedi Courtesy of Chedi Andermatt View Map Address Gotthardstrasse 4, 6490 Andermatt, Switzerland Get directions Phone +41 41 888 74 88 Web Visit website You might not expect refined Asian fare in the middle of a Swiss ski resort, but the Restaurant at the Chedi Andermatt artfully combines Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, as well as European cuisines for a creative, surprising fusion menu. The hushed setting of the Chedi is just right for specialties like murgh makhani or Thai beef salad. And just so you don't forget you're still in Switzerland, the centerpiece of the restaurant is a 16-foot-tall wine and cheese tower. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email