The Best Restaurants in Lausanne
Anne-Sophie Pic brings her sensitive, floral cuisine to Lausanne with chef Jordan Theurillat. The menus change regularly, reduced at lunchtime and elaborate in the evening. French technique meets local produce - precise, fragrant and with great flair.
High above Lausanne, Franck Pelux serves French fine dining with rough edges between the mountains and the lake. Intense in flavour, clear in technique - such as poached sea bream or gnocchi with caviar. Sara Benahmed's service is also highly professional.
Like Japanese chefs, the "L'Appart" brigade welcomes every new guest. The top restaurant, which opened two and a half years ago, is practically fully booked. The menu consists of seven courses with two extension options. We are introduced to Luis Zuzarte's cuisine with a mille-feuille and Sbrinz and Swiss shrimp tartelette. Perfect creations, followed by the first starter: We are poured a bouillon of collected herbs with beurre noisette. A bouquet of herbs peeps out of the jug, a telling detail. Delicate notes, a fine start. The wafer-thin courgettes with marigold and hogweed flowers are also delicious. Caviar with fermented raspberries sits enthroned on the cauliflower mousseline. The dish is perfected with beurre blanc. After a tomato duo with Mexican corn mushrooms, we can't resist the additional course of agnolottis. The dumplings should have been cooked a few seconds longer in salted water, but they taste great thanks to the filling of smoked ricotta, champagne broth and Swiss shrimp bisque. Giving vegetables a stage is a real culinary art. This has been achieved with the eggplant, which has an unprecedented consistency. Thanks to sous-vide, it becomes supple, while miso and the first porcini mushrooms add an umami note. The main course is followed by 45-day matured beef, which is full of flavor and flanked by hyssop and cucumber jus and pickled wild garlic. The light desserts are pleasant in size: an apricot sorbet with shiso served in a goblet, followed by tarragon poached cherries with fresh almonds and raisined yoghurt. The young team has pulled out all the stops. And with love, ease and relish.
"Learning on the job" is the premise of the Lausanne Hotel Management School's restaurant. From the realisation of carefully compiled menus to perfect service - the students at this talent factory of Swiss hospitality prove their skills day after day.
This restaurant is a wonderful destination for lovers of good food. In the beautiful historic building with its large garden, a dedicated team serves cuisine that is rooted in the region but also draws inspiration from faraway lands.
Inspired by the diversity of local markets and with a pinch of cosmopolitanism, this charming restaurant serves creative bánh baos and seasonal dishes during the day. In the evening things get cosy with "tapas'siettes" to share, a carte blanche for the curious and regional wines.
Jacques in Lausanne offers a modern interpretation of the French bistro: expressive cuisine with refined sauces and a balanced selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The service is lively and contributes to the typical Parisian bistro feeling.
A visit to the brasserie in the "Lausanne Palace" hotel is always worthwhile, especially for lovers of classic French cuisine. And it's almost always possible, as the restaurant is open 7 days a week, from lunchtime to evening. When you enter, a nostalgic atmosphere immediately sets in, thanks to the furnishings with lots of dark wood, marble and white table linen. The menu also fits in with this, with classics such as Caesar salad, oeufs à la florentine and malakoffs as starters and snails, perch fillets and blanquette de veau as main courses. Looking at the menu, however, you realize that the concept of traditional cuisine is not rigidly adhered to - there are also lighter dishes and vegetarian options. For starters, we eat a selection of seafood served iced on a platter. Oysters, Norway lobster and prawns are fresh and of the highest quality, there's nothing to complain about. The queen pâté "Bouchée à la reine", which is served next, is also excellent: crispy, fluffy, filled with a ragout of sôt-l'y-laisse and veal milk. We didn't really need the rice, but it's a wonderful way to top off the fine sauce. Then for dessert, the Pièce de Resistance: a large baba à la Williamine with pear and heavy cream. It tastes excellent, we fight our way through it, but only manage half. The attentive service and good wine list are also highly praised. Since the beginning of October, there have also been 30 Chasselas from Switzerland by the glass every day, including many special wines.
The menu at this elegant Japanese restaurant is based on high-quality fish and seafood specialities. The sushi masters prepare delicious creations of the highest calibre and also take a detour to South America: the ceviche with yuzu is a delight.
The French-style bistro offers a cosy interior and tasty, uncomplicated and contemporary cuisine made from market-fresh ingredients. The dishes are presented on a slate board and the courteous service is happy to help you choose.
At the Brasserie du Royal, the Grande Nation meets Lausanne noblesse. The cuisine remains classic, but favours lightness and seasonal freshness. Dishes are served in the stylish salon or on the peaceful garden terrace - with a view of the greenery and an eye for detail.
Mathilde Deschamps not only has a soft spot for French-influenced cuisine, but also a passion for good wines. Everything fits together in the historic ambience. Fish from the market and the legendary Tatin sisters' tart are almost an integral part of the menu.
The elegant, timeless ambience is just as enjoyable as Willy Rossignol's gastronomic art. The menu offers delicacies for lunch and dinner, prepared using the best seasonal produce. Meat, fish or vegetarian: all preferences are catered for here.
The "Beau-Rivage Palace" hotel fully deserves its name, as it really is an impressive palace. There are several restaurants on the first floor with a view of the garden and a large terrace; today we are dining in the "Kaigan". In the hotel's Japanese restaurant, we receive an extremely friendly welcome from our friendly host and are shown to the bar. Here we enjoy our lunch with a view of the teppanyaki grill. The host brings us the menu, we put our trust in him and let him put together a selection of dishes. We are soon served a well-seasoned tuna tartare, fine flambéed salmon slices and crispy fried rice squares with tuna inspired by the famous "Nobu" restaurant chain. The menu continues with a selection of sushi made from perfectly seasoned rice and fish of the highest quality. This is served at the table with grated Japanese wasabi root, which has little to do with the traditional bright green paste. The suggested glass of Petite Arvine goes perfectly with it - we almost opted for sake instead, of which there is also a good selection. Now we just have to order something from the teppanyaki grill in front of us. We opt for the succulent Iberian pork secreto, served with wonderfully crunchy vegetables. We also enjoy the house dessert "Flamed Yukimi", a flambéed mochi filled with ice cream and strawberry compote. We leave the "Kaigan" very satisfied and very full in the early afternoon.
Dining at the fairytale castle of Ouchy is excellent. This is ensured by the 57° grill restaurant - the name stands for the perfect core temperature of the steak. Other cuts of meat, fish from the lake and chicken from Gruyère are also cooked to perfection.
A must for meat lovers in Lausanne: Beef'Or is dedicated to perfectly grilled Wagyu, Kobe or Swiss beef from the Josper grill with homemade chips in beef fat and fine sauces. In summer, the rooftop terrace beckons for aperitifs with tapas and drinks.
Modern bistro cuisine meets local tradition in the historic Casino Rotunda from 1908. Whether cordon bleu, féra salads or antipasti, there is something for everyone here. The marvellous view over Lake Geneva makes the brasserie a Lausanne classic.
In a charming corner of the old town, northern Italian cuisine is served here in the form of specialities such as agnolotti del plin with sage jus or calf's liver saltimbocca with polenta. The wine list is skilfully curated and the service is pleasantly unaffected.
L'Accademia on Lake Geneva serves traditional Italian cuisine with a sophisticated twist. The dish of the day changes for lunch, while in the evening you will find homemade gnocchi and precisely prepared ravioli carbonara with truffles. An elegant, tranquil setting on the Quai du Port.
Qasti means "my story". Chef Alan Geeam serves home-made mezze such as hommos, makanekh and soujouk in warm rooms in the city centre. The focus is on sharing dishes. Inviting, authentic and close to Lebanon. Oriental top class!