18 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

This simply furnished creperie-cum-tearoom opposite the Jardin Anglais is an ideal spot to grab a cheap but tasty meal. Its location close to the university ensures a young crowd, many of whom head here to enjoy a choice from more than 120 types of crepes: sweet or savory, meat or vegetarian. Gluten-free, wheat, and buckwheat varieties cater to many diets. A selection of more than 30 teas also can be enjoyed while playing video games or perusing the comic books on offer.

Just past Spreuerbrücke, with views of the river and the glitzy Chateau Gütsch, this brasserie-style café-bar-restaurant arranges seasonal ingredients into dishes such as pulled beef with rucola and burrata or pumpkin spaghetti with chestnuts and pesto. The menu changes regularly, but it’s always one of the best places in town for homemade cake.

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.

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.

The terrace of Le Café du Belvédère has a fabulous view up the river to the Planche-Supérieure. The friendly staff serves a selection of teas, coffees, and homemade syrups as well as alcohol, and you can enjoy platters of local cheese and smoked meats in addition to Asian delights from the excellent Tam's Kitchen restaurant upstairs. Inside it's a café littéraire by day and a lively bar and meeting spot at night. An eclectic mix of 1970s plastic furniture and a huge, rounded plastic bar contrast wonderfully with the wood-beamed interior.

This French-inspired deli-café-bar on the quayside under the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum’s striking canopy roof has all bases covered. At breakfast and brunch, the menu features dishes such as shakshuka with hummus and a poached egg while later, for dinner, there are small plates designed for sharing. It also serves lovely reviving brews like fresh ginger, honey, and lemon that can be sipped while you watch paddle steamers set sail. Inside, the mood is artsy, with cool seating such as hammock chairs. 

The service at Lokal comes across as arrogant, but the food—savory onion soup, cordon bleu heaped with pomme frites, coq au vin, and mounds of fresh green salads—is surprisingly affordable and always excellent. Sunday brunch shouldn't be missed. Part of a former industrial complex that houses a contemporary art museum, cinema, and theater, Lokal is a hip restaurant inside a former locomotive hall. It's surrounded by a spacious terrace strewn with tables full of St. Gallen's Dior- and Swarvoski-clad set.

See all the famed Berner Oberland peaks as you dine on a 007 burger or James Bond spaghetti at this revolving restaurant atop the Schilthorn, which makes a full rotation in 45 minutes. The food is better than it has to be, and most opt for the substantial James Bond brunch buffet, with a large selection of everything from pancakes to soups, served daily till 2 pm; otherwise, choose from a salad or soup buffet, cheese or meat platters, and eclectic dishes ranging from Swiss Rösti and pork schnitzel to hearty pastas.

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 chicken simmered in white wine, rabbit stew, and classic garlic snails. 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.

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 6 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.

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!

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.

Decked out in chalkboards, pendulum lamps, and toolbox cutlery holders, this workshop-inspired eatery in Luzern’s modish Neustadt quarter serves global cuisine with a creative twist (think: coconut-crusted salmon drizzled in peanut sauce or salad in a pumpkin-mustard dressing). It also offers various cookery and cocktail workshops.