The Best Restaurants in Zermatt
Only in winter can you experience the creations of Michelin-starred chef Florian Neubauer at After Seven. His cuisine is reduced and precise, in summer he travels the world and is inspired by new flavours and techniques, which he incorporates into his Zermatt menus.
"Haute cuisine with an Alpine flavour": At Prato Borni, down-to-earth flavours become a flight of fancy for gourmets. Valais terroir meets great world cuisine - whether it's a local menu, wanderlust composition or wine accompaniment, a true summit meeting of flavours.
That's a clever idea: Capri specialities can be found on Capri in summer and in Zermatt in winter. So travellers can enjoy them twice! Salvatore Elefante has shaped the menu on the fourth floor of Mont Cervin, delighting guests with pasta, fish and desserts.
André Kneubühler and his team prove that alpine cuisine can also be vegetarian. Products from the mountains take centre stage here, and those who want to eat meat or fish can also order them - undogmatic, creative and wonderfully refined.
You shouldn't take the name "Brasserie" too seriously, because in the centre of Zermatt, the food is really cooked up. Head chef Luis Romo conjures up a tasting menu to suit every whim, with a range of dishes to match. This also applies to the wine list with mature Bordeaux à gogo.
At L'Epicure, the alpine surroundings of the Matterhorn merge with the chic and charm of classic French cuisine. Oysters, foie gras and lobster are perfectly combined with the ingredients of Alpine cuisine by chef Mario La Croix with great attention to detail.
The Alexandre on the Riffelalp combines alpine romance - including a view of the Matterhorn - with fine dining. The menu features Mediterranean delicacies served à la carte or as a multi-course gourmet menu. This is also available for vegans.
Whether on skis or on foot, at 2051 metres above sea level, hut charm, Matterhorn views and regional Italian cuisine beckon. Classics such as pasta with scampi, crispy rösti with lamb or creamy risotto warm the heart and palate and the panorama does the rest.
Chez Vrony in Findeln is a real family heirloom: the Julen family has been serving traditional Valais cuisine here for over 100 years - from home-made dried meat to Vrony's burgers. With a view of the Matterhorn and alpine charm, no wish remains unfulfilled.
It's rare to find a restaurant in the middle of the mountains where you can also enjoy an excellent meal. The Aroleid is one of them. Only open in winter, contemporary dishes are served here in a cosy, alpine ambience. The food is cooked on the cooker or on the fire.
At Zermatt's Schweizerhof, guests can expect a careful genre mix of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. The dishes play with textures - raw meets marinated, sweet meets sour - and are surprising, not overloaded. The service is warm-hearted, the setting modern and elegant.
Perhaps the most Italian restaurant in Zermatt is just one of several places to eat at CERVO. Head chef Davide Cretoni comes from Rome, has worked in London and knows how to impress with homemade linguine, beef fillet in puff pastry and lemon tart.
The name says a lot, but not everything. In reality, Saveurs works with regional producers, focussing on sustainability and freshness - from kohlrabi with ponzu to chicken in white wine. The fascinating view is also one of the attractions.
If you take a trip to this beautifully situated restaurant, you will be rewarded with home-made Mediterranean food. There are salads and vegetables from their own garden, handmade pasta, fresh fish and tender meat, accompanied by a fine selection of selected wines.
This Japanese restaurant in the Hotel Schweizerhof serves first-class sushi. But that's not all: there is one of the few teppanyaki grills in Switzerland. The grill master not only provides entertainment, but also perfectly cooked delicacies.
Potato builds bridges between Valais and France - original and yet unpretentious. The chef cooks with ingredients from a radius of just 99 kilometres. The wine list focuses exclusively on Valais wines and selected rarities.
At the Julen, traditional Valais hospitality meets a cuisine that carefully cultivates classics such as fondue chinoise. Rustic parlours with lots of wood create a warm, alpine atmosphere that is perfect for a relaxing evening at the foot of the Matterhorn.
The term "brasserie" has its justification, after all, French classics are celebrated in this Zermatt institution: Foie gras, veal head, crêpes suzette ... The elegance of the wood panelling is just as impressive as the terrace flair.
The @paradise is located 2230 metres above Zermatt. It serves tapas, bagels and sinfully good desserts. Very well curated wine list: the wines can be savoured with a view of the Matterhorn. Accessible on foot, on skis or by mountain railway.
The Im Hof in Zermatt is not just a restaurant, but also a showcase for the Julen farm: meat from Hérens cows that prefer to fight each other in summer rather than go out to pasture, and cheese from black-nosed sheep with photo-modelling genes. Authentic Valais.