Gourmet restaurants to choose when traveling Switzerland:

With part two of a gourmet restaurant advice Switzerland, I end my series of blogposts about my lovely home country. I started with a guide on how to visit this Alpine nation, and this along a grand tour across the country. Further blogposts were on premium Swiss destinations that are ideal for discerning travelers. Then, I published a list of all the luxury hotels (part one and two) you find here. Finally, I went into (Michelin) restaurants for the traveling gourmets to Switzerland (part one).

Where to go for fine dining on the grand tour of Switzerland

As before, my tips for fine dining lovers base on a grand tour of Switzerland. For details to this itinerary check out my correspondent blogpost.

At an earlier point, I already drew your attention to the fact that many fine restaurants in Switzerland are at luxury hotels.

So, it is usually no bad choice to go for dining-spots at high-end accommodations. But of course, there is lot of great dining available outside of hotels, too. My gourmet restaurant advice Switzerland will go into both. It is comprehensive yet not complete of course.

On this occasion, I come to high-end culinary places on following partial tours: No 3 (Zermatt-Saint Moritz), 4 (Zurich-Saint Gallen-Appenzell-Bad Ragaz) and 5 (Chur-Ticino).

Modular tour No 3: Zermatt-Saint Moritz – fine dining in Switzerland’s southern Alps

Zermatt

Restaurants at luxury hotels

All the luxury hotels I mentioned in my post in question (part two) offer recommended gourmet restaurants. The hotel, where I have stayed several times, Riffelalp Resort has two outlets, Alexandre (international cuisine)

and Al Bosco (Italian cuisine),

see here my post.

Another Zermatt hotel where I lodged recently, The Omnia has a restaurant with the same name, The Omnia (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine). And I had a great meal here (see also my post).

As to other fine restaurants at luxury hotels, there are the following ones. The Cervo Mountain Resort features Madre Nostra (14 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine). Both Mont Cervin Palace and Grand Hotel Zermatterhof offer a Michelin one star dining spot: the former Ristorante Capri (17 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine), the latter Alpine Gourmet Prato Borni (16 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine). In addition, Mont Cervin Palace hosts Grill le Cervin (14 points Gault Millau, international cuisine), Grand Hotel Zermatterhof  Lusi Brasserie (13 points Gault Millau, international cuisine).

Other Zermatt restaurants

Then there are two more fine dining outlets in town with a Michelin star. These are about After Seven (17 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine) at the Backstage Hotel Vernissage and about Brasserie Uno (15 points Gault Millau, contemporary cuisine). Also La Muña (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, Peruvian-Japanese cuisine)

at Hotel Schweizerhof Zermatt might be worth a try. I found the one at Davos good.

Furthermore, there is quite a number of mountain restaurants in Zermatt that are culinary hotspots. For an overview, have a look at my two posts: Where to eat in style on the slopes in Zermatt and the same v.2.0. Just to name a few of them, Zum See (Michelin The Plate, 14 point Gault Millau, international cuisine),

 Chez Vroni (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine)

and Findlerhof (14 points Gault Millau, international cuisine).

Andermatt

In case you make a stop between Zermatt and Saint Moritz, using the Glacier Express, you can try out the excellent culinary offer in Andermatt. It is on offer especially at The Chedi Hotel.

There is the The Japanese Restaurant on the one hand with exceptional authentic cuisine from Nippon (Michelin two stars, 18 points Gault Millau, Japanese cuisine).

On the other hand you find here The Restaurant that showcases Asian and European food (Michelin The Plate, 15 points Gault Millau, international cuisine).

For more details, here is my post about dining in style at The Chedi.

Apart from those restaurants at The Chedi, high-quality gastronomic is also available on the ski slopes. First, there is an offshoot of The Japanese Restaurant, The Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, Japanese cuisine). Second, you can have lunch at Guetsch by Markus Neff (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, classic French cuisine). Unfortunately, especially the latter comes with a hefty price tag.

Saint Moritz

Here I make a difference between the town of Saint Moritz and the rest of the Upper Engadine. The majority of recommended places for fine dining here are in town or in its close neighborhood. And most are located at luxury hotels.

Saint Moritz town

I start with the ones at luxury hotels before highlighting one more place to go here. The star hotel here, Badrutt’s Palace

has three fine dining spots onsite: Matsuhisa, a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau), Le Restaurant (Michelin The Plate, classic cuisine) and Chesa Veglia (15 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). There is even a fourth on the slopes, Paradiso (Michelin The Plate, 13 points Gault Millau, traditional cuisine).

As to the other four high-end accommodations in Saint Moritz, they do not fall behind. Kulm offers a vast choice, too: Kulm Country Club by Mauro Colacgreco, a three star Michelin chef from France (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine); Amaru by Claudia Canessa (15 points Gault Millau, Peruvian cuisine),  The Pizzeria (14 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine) and Sunny Bar by Tom Booton (14 points Gault Millau).

Others have a more modest selection of fine restaurants: Suvretta House has the formal Grand Restaurant (17 points Gault Millau, international cuisine) and the Suvretta Stube (14 points Gault Millau, traditional cuisine). Plus, there is the separately located Chasellas (Michelin The Plate, 15 points Gault Millau, traditional cuisine). Carlton features the two star Michelin Da Vittorio (18 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine). And Kempinski sends two fine dining spots into competition: Cà d’Oro (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine) and Da Adriano (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine).

Also the newest luxury hotel in town, Grace Hotel La Margna has its gourmet spot, Restaurant The View (14 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

As to fine dining outside of hotels, a recommended place to go is Dal Mulin (Michelin Bib Gourmand, 15 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine).

I dined here in the past and liked not only the good food but also the relaxed setting. Another remarkable dining spot is Krone (Michelin one star, 14 points Gault Millau, Italian cuisine).

Around Saint Moritz

A great address for fine dining lovers is In Lain Hotel Cadonau in Brail, bordering to the Upper Engadine (here my post). It features three places to dine in style: Vivanda (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine),

Stuevetta (14 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine)

and Kaeserei (Michelin The Plate, Swiss cuisine).

Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina

where I stayed couple years ago (my review) has its Kronenstuebli (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, French cuisine).

And there are three more Michelin starred restaurants in Saint Moritz’s close proximity. First, there is the two Michelin star Ecco (winter only, 18 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine) at Giardino Mountain in Champfèr. Its (new) chef, Reto Braendli, works in summer in Ascona at the Giardino.

Second, you find in the Saint Moritz area the one Michelin starred Restaurant La Chavallera at Hotel Krone Saeumerei am Inn in La Punt Chamues-ch (16 points Gault Millau, modern & Alpine cuisine). And third, another one Michelin starred venue is located very close from the previous, Chesa Stueva Colani at Hotel Stueva Colani in Madulain (17 points Gault Millau, innovative cuisine).

Modular tour No 4: Zurich-Saint Gallen-Appenzell-Bad-Ragaz – gourmet restaurants in Switzerland’s east

Zurich

I possibly cannot give an overview of all recommended fine dining establishments in Switzerland’s biggest city as there are much too many. Instead I will focus on three groups of gourmet restaurants: those at luxury hotels in the city of Zurich, my favorites in the Lake Zurich area (in and outside of hotels) and finally my top picks of the moment in Zurich itself.

Fine dining at luxury hotels in Zurich

Almost all the high-end accommodations in town feature gourmet restaurants, too. I start with The Dolder Grand. Here you find one of three Michelin two star fine dining spots in town, The Restaurant (19 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine). In the past, I had dinner here (see my review) and some time ago I had the chance of indulging in Heiko Nieder’s

top cooking again, at an event in Saint Moritz (my post). And I must admit, he is a true master in his field! As to other restaurants at the Dolder, recently they upgraded their gastronomy. There is still the more casual Saltz (15 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). New are Mikuriya (16 points Gault Millau, Japanese cuisine) and Blooms, an open air eatery (15 points Gault Millau, vegetarian cuisine).

A small yet fine collection of hotels, The Living Circle, has three premium hotels in the Zurich area, all coming with excellent restaurants. The star among them is Widder with its two Michelin starred Widder Restaurant (18 points Gault Millau, modern French cuisine). Lately, I had the chance to dine here, and it deserves its accolades!

But also its sister hotel Storchen with La Rôtisserie offers superlative gastronomy (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine).

Alex Lake Zurich is a newer addition to this small hotel group, more about it follows in the the next chapter. Whilst staying at the latter in the past, I also had a fabulous dinner at La Rôtisserie, see here the details.

Now to a luxury hotel reopened in 2020 and to a traditional high-end one. La Réserve Eden au Lac is a newly renovated grand hotel with dining spots that might be worth a visit, Eden Kitchen & Bar (Michelin one star, 16 Gault Millau points, Italian cuisine) and La Muña (Michelin The Plate, 16 Gault Millau points, Peruvian-Japanese cuisine).

The Baur au Lac opened a new restaurant in mid 2024, Marguita, with Mediterranean cuisine. In contrast to the previous dining spot here – the two starred Michelin Pavillon – there is no gourmet tasting menu. Instead you order from a varied à la carte menu. The other eatery, Baur’s (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, classic French cuisine), remains as it is.

There is yet another luxury hotel with a change in the kitchen. It is about Hotel Park Hyatt with its Parkhuus (Michelin The Plate, classic cuisine) where a new chef is on the helm. And to make this list complete, the four-star Hotel Marktgasse features Igniv (Michelin two stars, 17 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine).

Last but not least, a new high-end lodging with a gourmet culinary offer opened end of 2023 in Zurich. This is about  Hotel Mandarin Oriental Savoy. Orsini is its signature dining spot where Dario Moresco is in charge. He was appointed by Antonio Guida, the two-star Michelin chef at Mandarin Oriental Milan. And I can say that this young chef does extremely well, a new culinary hotspot in Zurich was born (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau)!

The hotel’s second restaurant, Savoy Brasserie & Bar (15 points Gault Millau), also seems to excel.

Upscale dining-spots in the Lake Zurich area

I come back to the Hotel Alex Lake Zurich in Thalwil that I mentioned in the last chapter. Here a former sous chef from Restaurant Widder is at work at Restaurant Alex (14 points Gault Millau, Italian/international cuisine). When staying at the hotel in the past, I had dinner at Alex, although helmed by a former chef (here the details).

If you look for an equally good alternative in the Zurich Lake area, give also Restaurant Belvoir at Belvoir Hotel in Rueschlikon a try (14 points Gault Millau, international cuisine).

I really enjoyed my meal here (see my post).

As one would expect, you can here also discover dining restaurants worth going to that are not located in hotels. I have already tried out Sihlhalde in Gattikon-Thalwil (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine)

in a beautiful rural setting. And Restaurant Woeschi in Zurich-Wollishofen (Michelin one star, 15 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine) is on my agenda!

Gourmet restaurants outside of hotels in Zurich

I start with my favorite restaurants in town before continuing with the ones on my bucket list. Often, I prefer modern, creative cuisine over traditional, classic one. And this shows in my Zurich suggestions, too.

My favorites of the moment in Zurich

All the places I am going to mention are such ones I have dined at in the past year and liked them a lot. I start with two “oldies” that I revisited and still found excellent. First, it is about Maison Manesse (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine). Unfortunately, they give up their current location at Manesse Square end of 2024 and looking for a new one (not yet found).

Second, I dined at Kle (Michelin one star, 15 points Gault Millau) again.

It confirmed my view that there is no better address for upscale vegan food in Zurich if not in Switzerland.

Now to places I had dinner for the first time. Regrettably, I chose two which I was fond of but which are in some kind of transition. On the one hand, it is about a truly memorable culinary experience by one-star Michelin chef Oscar de Matos at Restaurant An (closed). If you want to try his well-made cuisine you can book a private event with him. On the other hand, I ate fabulously at Restaurant Kin, which closes end of 2024. Yet the chef, Beni Landolt, wants to follow the credo offering Asian inspired modern cuisine, which is affordable too. Let us see what comes out of it!

Furthermore, I very much enjoyed the creative cuisine at the newly opened casual fine-dining eatery Ameo (14 points Gault Millau)

and the modern Japanese at Gaijin Izakaya (14 points Gault Millau).

Finally, I tried out one of Nenad Mlinarevic‘s dining spots! In case you do not know him, this two-star Michelin chef is one of the best known in Switzerland. And I choose Bauernschaenke (Michelin Bib Gourmand, 15 points Gault Millau, regional/international cuisine), his first one, where I had a great lunch in a relaxed setting.

My to-do list

Now to my go-to list in the city of Zurich! In terms of creative, moderne cuisine, I still have not managed to try out the following restaurants (on my to-do list for 2024): Neue Taverne (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, mostly vegetarian), Wirtschaft im FRANZ (Michelin one star), Lindenhofkeller (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, by Sebastian Roesch, a one-star Michelin chef) and  Afghan Anar (Michelin The Plate, Afghan cuisine). And I still think that I should visit all of them!

Now to my new additions to this list: Rémy (15 points Gault Millau, modern European cuisine), Silex (14 points Gault Millau, modern European cuisine) and Yu-An (modern Japanese food). All of them are contemporary and casual fine-dining spots. In terms of top league restaurants, I have no urgent need to go to any particular place (some are also ridiculously expensive).

Saint Gallen

Restaurants in town

If you opted for the one and only upscale hotel in Saint Gallen, Einstein, all the better. Because it hosts the top fine dining place in town, Einstein Gourmet (Michelin two stars, 18 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine).

I have dined here on two occasions, and it was both times a true epicurean experience (my review).

Another recommended restaurant for fine dining lovers is Jaegerhof (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine).

I know it from a recent dinner, which was heavenly! And they also have one hotel room available in case you are interested. In the past, I also had a pleasant lunch at Netts Schuetzengarten (Michelin Bib Gourmand, international cuisine), here my review. And last, I had a fine meal at Zum Goldenen Schaefli (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine) a few years ago.

Restaurants in the Saint Gallen area

If you do not mind heading out of town, there are three more renowned fine dining spots in the area. I just came upon one one of them recently, Restaurant Mammertsberg (with six guest rooms) in Freidorf (my post about it).

The managing couple I wrote about in my post has left in the meantime. A big name took over in October 2022, Andreas Caminada’s protégé Silvio Germann. He had been working at Restaurant Igniv in Bad Ragaz for seven years (two Michelin stars, 18 points Gault Millau). And he was able to retain the same rating for Mammertsberg (creative cuisine).

The others are Segreto in Wittenbach (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine) and Neue Blumenau in Loemmenschwil (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine).

If you prefer staying in the countryside, there are three more interesting places in the nearby Appenzell.

Appenzell

The rural area of Appenzell is not far from Saint Gallen and easy to reach from this city, especially if you have a car at your disposal.

Unfortunately, one of the two hot addresses in Appenzell is not any more (Incantare). So, there is only one left, Gasthaus zum Gupf in Rehetobel (8 guest rooms plus 16 at Dorfhus Gupf) with its Michelin one star Gupf Restaurant (17 points Gault Millau, classic French cuisine). Yet there is one more fine dining spot that might be worth trying out. It is Truube in Gais (Michelin one star, 17 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). It is about half an hour to drive from either of the two inns I have just pointed out.

Bad Ragaz

This small town between Saint Gallen and Chur is a great stop for those who love the finer things in life. You find here not only one of the best and biggest luxury hotels in Switzerland, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, but also lots of places to dine in style. And most of them are located at the mentioned hotel.

For 2024, there is a realignment planned for two of the six dining spots at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. While nothing changes at the top, two other restaurants – Namun and Olives d’Or – will be replaced by three new ones.

Everything remains as it is with the other four eateries. This is about one of two flagship spots on site, Memories (Michelin 3 stars, 18 points Gault Millau, chef Sven Wassmer) and

and the chef’s second restaurant Verve (Michelin one star, 15 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine).

The same is true for the other flagship restaurant, Igniv (Michelin two stars, 17 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine, chef Joël Ellenberger).

If you care for a fine dinner outside of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, I have a tip for you. Go to the nearby Hotel Roessli where Restaurant Roessli (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, international cuisine)

is located. For more information check out my fine dining guide on Bad Ragaz and my review of Restaurant Memories at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz.

Fuerstenau – cutting edge gastronomy at Schauenstein Castle

If you are a serious foodie and are in in the lucky position of having some time left in the area, consider a short stay (19 rooms) or a meal only at Andreas Caminada‘s Schauenstein Castle. It is located about 20 minutes south of Chur by car.  He is one of only four Michelin star chefs in Switzerland and also the man behind Igniv, the high-end tapas style eateries in Bad Ragaz and Zurich.

I had dinner here on two occasions, a blogpost about my recent visit to Schauenstein Castle in Fuerstenau (19 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine)

can be found here.

Modular tour No 5: Chur-Ticino – High end restaurants in Switzerland’s south

Once you have arrived in Switzerland’s near Mediterranean south – ponder going to Bad Ragaz and/or Fuestenau before boarding your train in Chur – , you are on for great Italian food!

Lugano

As in other Swiss cities too, many of the leading restaurants are at luxury hotels. At Hotel Villa Castagnola you find  Galleria Arté al Lago (16 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine). There is one more good eatery at this hotel is Le Relais (15 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). At Villa Principe Leopoldo you can dine in style at Principe Leopoldo (16 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine).

With regard to Splendide Royal, a new chef took over, Marco Veneruso. He watches over the flagsphip place I Due Sud (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine)

and the main restaurant Veranda (14 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

Last but not least, there is recommended fine dining available at Lugano’s newest high-end lodging, Restaurant The View (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, modern cuisine)

at Hotel The View.

I had dinner at all the places mentioned, either on my recent visit to Lugano (here my post) or some time back. Outside of hotels, you find two more fine-dining spots that might be worth going to. One the one hand, there is Meta at the event venue of Palazzo Mantegazza (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). On the other hand, Restaurant Badalucci is a newer addition to Lugano’s fine dining scene (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

Locarno

I must admit that I have not eaten at restaurants yet in this relaxed town,

although having been in the area quite often. But I know it well from day trips when staying in nearby Ascona. But I did quite a thorough research instead relying on the Michelin and Gault Millau guides.

First to the restaurant at the one and only luxury hotel in the area,Villa Orselina, in the hills above Locarno. Il Ristorante di Villa Orselina has Mediterranean cuisine on offer (15 points Gault Millau). One minute by foot from here you find another eatery, Al Gusto da Christen (14 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine). And 11 minutes from Hotel Villa Orselina in the other direction, there is yet another recommended dining-spot, La Chiesa (16 points Gault Millau, creative cuisine).

In Locarno’s town center you find a range of fine-dining spots. There are two serving Mediterranen cuisine and both awarded Michelin The Plate: Da Valentino (15 points Gault Millau) and Locanda Locarnese (14 points Gault Millau). A bit away from the center yet easily to reach is Osteria del Centenario in Locarno-Muralto (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

Just in case you do not mind leaving town there are three more gourmet spots nearby. And this in Ponte Brolla on the Maggia river (6 minutes by car). First, you find here the chic Da Enzo (Michelin The Plate, 16 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine) and second, two more hotel restaurants, Albergo Ristorante Centovalli (Michelin The Plate, 13 Gault Millau, regional cuisine) and T3E Terre (Michelin The Plate, 14 Gault Millau, Mediterranen cuisine).

Ascona

Three luxury hotels are situated here, and all come along with upscale restaurants as well. I start with with the Eden Roc where I stayed twice in the recent past. The signature place here is La Brezza (Michelin two stars, 19 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

Further eateries are the main dining spot, Restaurant Eden Roc (15 points Gault Millau, classic cuisine),

the casual Marina (international cuisine) and

La Cassetta (14 points Gault Millau, seafood).

For more information on dining at Hotel Eden Roc, have a look at my related post.

The Castello Del Sole where I have lodged quite a few times over the years, features the Locanda Barbarossa (Michelin one star, 18 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine).

Not so long ago, I had the chance to indulge here in a sublime culinary experience.

Furthermore, you find here the half board restaurant Ristorante Tre Stagioni (15 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine),

where I dined several times on my recent stay at the hotel. And I liked what I got! In case you are interested in more details about the restaurants at Hotel Castell del Sole, have a look at my blogpost.

And finally the Giardino, where I stayed several times too some time back, is home of Restaurant Ecco (creative cuisine) and the half board eatery Hide & Seek (Michelin The Plate, international cuisine). As to the former, the long standing two-star Michelin left. Apparently a highly decorated successor has already been hired but not yet announced.

If you want to have dinner outside of these three high-end hotels, I have a few tips. Unfortunately, all of those are out of reach on foot. They are easily accessible by car, I have indicated driving times. As to Ascona itself, I have to admit that I have not warmed to upscale restaurants in town so far.

In Ascona’s neighborhoods, you can either go to Ponte Brolla (7 minutes, see under Locarno) or to Losone (5 minutes) where you find two recommended fine dining spots. There is Osteria dell’Enoteca (Michelin one star, 16 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine) in Losone,

where I had a great dinner on Ascona stay some time ago, or Ristorante Centrale (Michelin Bib Gourmand, 13 points Gault Millau, international cuisine). Yet another gourmet spot is La Braciere in Ronco sopra Ascona (11 minutes) at Panorama Hotel Elisabetta (Michelin The Plate, 14 points Gault Millau, Mediterranean cuisine). My family had drinks here on one occasion, and we liked the ambiance.

Overall

After part one of a culinary journey along the grand tour of Switzerland, this was part two of a gourmet restaurant advice Switzerland (part one). Other posts in this context were about premium destinations and luxury hotels (part one and two) in my home country. All these blogposts will be updated on a regular basis.

last revised: December 2024

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