Practical Information

Restaurants

The influence of Italy, France and, Germany, are reflected in the Swiss cuisine and in its restaurants.

Cheese figures prominently in their most famous dishes, such as fondue and raclette. Fondue is best eaten among friends, where each person has their own fork used to spear bits of bread, which are then dipped into the heated fondue pot, filled with a mixture of cheese, garlic, wine and spices. There are non-cheese fondues as well. Raclette is made by heating an entire round of raclette cheese until it melts. The melted cheese is then scraped onto individual dinner plates, accompanied by boiled potatoes, vegetables and a choice of meats, which can then be mixed in with the melted cheese.

Restaurants in Zurich offer culinary delicacies from around the world. Its internationally renowned cafes set in elaborate and beautiful surroundings are among the best, with fondue and other Swiss national dishes being among the most popular.

Restaurants in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, serve some of the best high-quality Swiss cuisine. Local specialties such as schnitzel, oxtail stew with fried macaroni, and calves liver with herbs are among the favourites, and one can also try Bernerplatte, a plateful of half-a-dozen varieties of meats with potatoes and sauerkraut.

Geneva, a cosmopolitan lakeside city, is host to over a thousand restaurants. Geneva’s Old Town is lined with busy terrace cafés offering a host of atmospheric Swiss eateries offering everything from periwinkles to a dozen fresh oysters, complemented with an excellent wine.

More information on Swiss cuisine and restaurants can be found at MySwitzerland.com.