14 Best Restaurants in Switzerland

Come to this formal yet welcoming restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountains, for an interesting mingling of regional and international ingredients with an Asian flair, such as duck from Vals with dumplings, and frozen yogurt made with local milk and Junmai sake. Chef Mitja Birlo forages wild herbs, mushrooms, and berries to use in his dishes; pair his innovative nine-course tasting menu with either wines from around the world or juices made from local ingredients such as blueberries and cherries.

In a grand, chandelier-bedecked dining room with sweeping views of the Rhine, chef Peter Knogl prepares sophisticated, beautifully presented French creations (with touches of Mediterranean and Asian flavors) using decadent ingredients. The intimate three-Michelin-star restaurant within the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois—one of Switzerland's best—has only 10 tables, perfect for people-watching. Service is impeccable and surprisingly relaxed, with charming servers ready to attend to guests' every need. Five- or six-course tasting menus are the best option, and for a special treat, opt for the wine pairings to experience some unusual, inspired choices perfectly matched to the exquisite cuisine.

Only the best is served at this highly lauded fine dining restaurant with impeccable service, artistic haute cuisine, and lovely views of St. Gallen. In addition to the indulgent multicourse tasting menus, the restaurant has beautiful wood beam ceilings that lend a strong sense of place to the establishment.

The elegant dining room of the Beau-Rivage is dressed in rich creams and browns with the occasional pop of apple green, but with majestic views of the Jet d'Eau and Mont Blanc the terrace steals the show. The menu evolves with the seasons: Michelin-starred chef Dominique Gauthier tweaks the details of his lineup every few months, and dishes may include such delights as frog legs from Vallorbe or langoustines in kadaïf, a crispy, thin Turkish noodle. The vast wine cellar features 40,000 handpicked bottles, including many rare vintages.

Chef Sven Wassmer creates some of the most innovative Swiss dishes around using ingredients foraged from the nearby forests, in a room that evokes the outdoors with its use of wood and stone. Choose from 6-, 9-, or 12-course menus with mainly natural (and mainly Swiss) wine pairings, while watching the young cooks work their magic in the open kitchen. As a different member of the culinary team serves you each dish, explaining the story behind it, you really feel like part of a unique experience you won’t soon forget.

Since the tragic loss of world-renowned chef Benoit Violier, his determined widow, Brigitte, has continued to oversee the three-Michelin-star restaurant, propelling it to even higher accolades. Chef Franck Giovannini is winning hearts—and stomachs—with his fresh twist on haute cuisine. Giovannini draws on his decade of experience with the famed chef to uphold the restaurant's well-earned reputation as one of the best in Switzerland. It's a quick drive west from Lausanne to this understated manse. The service is spectacular, the staff is friendly, and the food is absolutely stellar. Giovannini creates imaginative combinations of flavors plus stunningly refined presentations. For these finely orchestrated prix-fixe menus the ingredients are key—lamb raised in the Pyrenees, cardoons (an artichokelike vegetable) grown in the village. Pace yourself, making sure to leave time and room for selections from the immense cheese cart or celestial desserts. Reserve as far ahead as possible—lunch may be your only option.

The inviting restaurant inside Boutique Hotel Glacier has prime views of the Eiger mountain and puts a contemporary twist on seasonal and local ingredients. Choose from a three-, five-, or seven-course fish, meat, or vegan menu, with beautifully presented dishes using Alpine sturgeon, veal, Grindelwald honey, elderflower, and other regional products. Wine, a passion of the hotel’s owner, is a huge part of the experience, with more than 150 wines—many organic and biodynamic—available by the glass; pair wines or juices with your tasting menu for a memorably delicious experience.

Chef Tanja Grandits gives her guests a delightful culinary experience in a refined—but not uptight—setting, using a cuisine style that the German-born chef calls "aroma kitchen." Contrasting flavors, colors, and textures shine through in fanciful creations of fish, seafood, and Swiss meats combined with unusual touches such as wasabi mousse or green tea guacamole, which can be sampled in the nine-course "Aroma Menu" (also available in a vegetarian version), or in the more affordable three- to five-course lunchtime menus. The restaurant is in the residential neighborhood of Bruderholz; take tram No. 15 or 16 from Marktplatz, get off at Jakobsberg, and walk about 15 minutes.

Decorated with rich brocades, glittering chandeliers, and bright frescoes, this robin's-egg-blue dining room has plenty of light streaming through a wall of windows. Diners enjoy classic dishes from northern Italy and a menu of Italian, French, and Swiss wines. If roasted scampi and sea asparagus were served at Versailles (instead of the Four Seasons, where Il Lago is located), this is what it might be like. In season, there's a gorgeous sidewalk terrace complete with olive trees and aromatic herbs.

Chef Armel Bedouet creates Michelin-starred fine dining with the freshest local ingredients at this bright, crisp restaurant in Hôtel Royal. Only 15 people can be seated at once, making the experience truly intimate and special.

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.

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.