26 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

This is a mountain restaurant where you come for the views and stay for the Rösti, Appenzell cheese dishes, and cervelat (Swiss sausage). Since it's accessible only by cable car plus a 20-minute hike, you'll have earned your meal at this cliff-side café, which sits at the top of the Appenzeller Alps. Here, you'll be treated not only to sweeping views of the cool green valley below, but to meringue-topped vanilla ice cream. Credit cards only accepted for bills over SF50.

Choose a few jewel-like pastries and order leaf-brewed tea in the carved-wood dining room up the stairs from the tempting displays of chocolates at Confiserie Schiesser, steeping since 1870 in its prime location opposite the Town Hall. Light lunches include a selection of salads, quiches, and crepes. 

Just below Einstein’s House, you’ll find this cozy bi-level spot perfect for breakfast, a light lunch, coffee or tea with cake, or an evening tipple. The small lunch menu includes crowd-pleasers like Caesar salad and croque monsieur, or you can snack on an antipasti plate or Mediterranean-style dips for an afternoon pick-me-up.

This friendly, touristy restaurant up the hill from Klosters stands proud in its majestic setting, with a large, open terrace offering incredible valley and mountain views. As for the food, there is a wide selection of dishes to choose from—most using regional and sustainable ingredients—but be sure to try their seasonal game specialties. Inside, decor runs to mounted animal trophies and old-world exposed beams; outside is the breathtaking mountainscape.

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.

In the late 1600s, postal workers traveling the Oberland needed a place to eat and swap horses, and they found what they needed in this lumbering wood chalet, one of the oldest buildings in the area. Today the Amacher family taps into its 10 generations of experience running the place to serve outstanding Swiss specialties: Don't miss what could arguably be the country's best Suure Mocke, a tangy braised-meat dish that's marinated in wine and vinegar for two weeks, or opt for one of their traditional fondues, Röstis, or Swiss meat dishes. More than half the guests are locals who gather among the thick, lumpy walls of plastered river rock to sample about 30 wines, many of which are Swiss. Yummy desserts like apple pies and meringues are hard to pass up.

This friendly, glassed-in coffee bar serves fresh croissants from 7 am (9 am on Sunday), sandwiches throughout the day, and wine or beer to a sidewalk crowd come nightfall.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If sweets are on your mind, pick up a handcrafted chocolate in the shape of Charlie Chaplin's shoes from Läderach, on a pedestrian walkway near the tourist office. The chocolate showroom features live demonstrations and course offerings for budding chocolatiers.

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. 

Their tagline “wildkraüter & feuerwasser” translates to “wild herbs & firewater,” and indeed, the kitchen at this cozy eatery with a hip industrial vibe and expansive terrace offers a fine selection of salads composed of local herbs and vegetables along with cocktails, a large choice of Swiss beers, and a smaller selection of Swiss wines. They also serve up Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as halloumi with buckwheat and roasted chickpeas, tabouleh, hummus, and tzatziki, along with burgers and a soup of the day—all a nice break from the usual fondue and Rösti.

One of the architectural focal points of the Old Town waterfront, this floridly decorated guild house provides an authentic medieval setting in which to sample reasonably priced local fare (the guild's origins can be traced to 1341). Lake fish or pastetli (meat pies with puff pastry) are worthy local options. The interior is woody and publike; in summer the small first-floor balcony or the airy cobblestone riverside arcade provides one of the best seats in town.

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.

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 restaurant serves light snacks and sandwiches as well as hearty Mediterranean dishes and Swiss classics like fondue against a backdrop of panoramic Altstadt views.

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.

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.

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.