Top acclaimed restaurants in Bern

“Vegetables in their different facets” – the restaurant Zoe (run by Fabian Raffeiner and Mark Hayoz) in Bern’s Münstergasse could not have chosen a more appropriate motto. Once you set foot in this purely vegetarian restaurant, you quickly realise that meatless cuisine can be just as varied and rich in flavour. We recommend you try the 7- to 10-course menu which, for example, will convince you with a composition of herb oyster mushrooms with a mushroom ragout, fermented garlic and buckwheat. Gault Millau critics awarded the restaurants 15 points, and even the Michelin Guide is a fan. The creative Bernese restaurant did not only receive one of the coveted Michelin Stars, but also a Michelin Green Star, an award for particularly sustainable and environmentally conscious gastronomy.

Chef Dirk Wagner makes the dream of a Mediterranean dining experience come true in the sandstone jewel at Läuferplatz. The restaurant’s pretty terrace on the banks of the Aare River is almost like a movie backdrop, so it comes as no surprise that, in the summer, the 100 outdoor seats are just as popular as the freshly caught fish on the menu. The chef’s philosophy is to serve modern Mediterranean dishes made from regional products, which have been lauded by the Gault Millau gastronomic guide (14 points). The icing on the cake: the in-house wine cellar with over 100 treasures from cava to dessert wine, perfect for accompanying the delicious tapas. Our recommendation: Go for a little after-dinner walk across Untertorbrücke (Untertor bridge), the city’s oldest bridge, located just a few steps from Casa Novo.

Oh, to indulge on delicious food and fine wine … Whether you’re enjoying a 6-course meal or a relaxed aperitif platter, seated in the historic vaulted cellar or outside on Münstergasse alley – Wein und Sein in Bern’s Old City (16 GaultMillau points and a Michelin star) is a place for connoisseurs and gourmets. The menu contains only a few keywords – you won’t find out how the regional ingredients are prepared, combined and arranged until the food is served. It goes without saying that it is always accompanied by the right wine. But it doesn’t end there: Wein und Sein also offers exclusive gin, rum, and whiskey specialities.

What would a grand hotel be without the great classics of French cuisine? Duck breast with oranges, ravioles d'escargots and a cheese selection for dessert are staples on the menu at the Bellevue Palace’s brasserie Vue (awarded 14 Gault Millau points). Chef de cuisine Gregor Zimmermann likes to add his personal touch to the classics, focusing on specific products and savoir faire. The Brasserie Vue also focuses on seasonal dishes and regionally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Unique: Despite first-class gourmet cuisine, the atmosphere at Brasserie Vue is casual and relaxed – so you can leave your tie and chic deux-piece at home. Would you like to spend a mellow fall evening on the Bellevue’s terrace, enjoying a cool glass of white wine, and a view of the Aare River and the Alps?

The Brasserie Obstberg lies hidden away in the Bernese Obstberg neighbourhood. It unites the chic of an urban brasserie, the down-to-earth attitude of a country inn, and the relaxed flair of a neighbourhood bistro – a wonderful place for lovers of French cuisine (Gault Millau thinks so, too – 12 points). One thing’s for certain: many a guest would gladly make their way there from Paris to enjoy the classics tournedos de boeuf, coq aux vin or tarte Tatin and the delicious seasonal dishes created by chef Pascal Cueni. We recommend taking bus no. 12 to get to Brasserie Obstberg: it is just a stone’s throw away from the stop “Tavelweg”.

Gourmets flock to the Fischermätteli neighbourhood to indulge in exotic delicacies at Huayuan. If you love traditional Chinese and East Asian cuisine or if you’ve been dying to try it, you’ve come to the right place – and the Gault Millau critics would agree, having awarded the restaurant 14 points. The dishes are lovingly prepared by chefs Xiuhan und Liangfu Wang and have been delighting guests for years. From Hot Pot and fermented eggs to miso soup, Peking duck and dumplings: at Huayuan, fans of authentic Chinese cuisine are in for a treat!

Süder is for everyone: business partners like to meet here for lunch, couples for a romantic dinner, and groups for celebrations. The relaxed, Gault-Millau-lauded restaurant (14 points) is located in a historic building just a short walk from Eigerplatz square and offers fresh, seasonal cuisine. Chef Kevin Künzler deliberately keeps the selection on the menu small, instead adding “a little more care, more love, more commitment and a dash of magic”, to use the words of Süder. This “dash of magic” has made dishes such as the beef tartar “Süder” a house classic and keeps the lunch and dinner menus interesting and surprising. Also magical: the large garden, where hosts Renate Fankhauser and Martin Moser serve their food in the warm summer months.

Just a moment! Eating here requires some fantasy, because the dishes at the restaurant moment in the Gerechtigkeitsgasse are only advertised with their three main ingredients, so there is plenty of room for speculation and anticipation. The menus are always a snapshot of what the region of Bern has to offer. The seasonally changing compositions are always a real pleasure. Make sure to book your table well in advance, even for lunchtime, when easy and fresh dishes are on the menu. Meat, fish and vegetables are all produced in Switzerland, most of it even in the region. The young team around host Sven Stauffer has caught the attention of GaultMillau scouts who awarded the restaurant its 15 points. The wine list offers an exquisite selection of natural wines, in keeping with the terroir cuisine.

Located in the west wing of the Bernisches Historisches Museum is Bern’s most highly awarded restaurant with 17 GaultMillau points and a Michelin star. Its “Easy Lunch” menu at noon includes dishes such as ramen, rice bowls and burgers. In the evenings, the Steinhalle team welcomes guests to a casual dining experience. The dishes are inspired by chef Markus Arnold’s travels, introducing flavours from all over the world to Bern’s gastronomy scene. This dual concept of laid-back lunch menu and elegant 5 or 6-course dinner is highly popular – make sure you book your table in advance!

Jack’s Brasserie without its Wiener Schnitzel would be like Bern without the Minster – unthinkable. Gault Millau has even named it the best schnitzel in all of Switzerland! The many regulars would be happy to confirm. At the restaurant in the Schweizerhof Bern hotel, top quality is the top priority: The duck liver comes from animal-friendly farming in Appenzell, the tartar is made from organic beef, the vegetarian and vegan options are always seasonal. No wonder, then, that Jack’s Brasserie was awarded 14 Gault Millau points. We also commend it for its initiative against food waste: Guests who aren’t able to finish their meal can take the food home in a recyclable box. Each box supports the association “United Against Waste”.

Built as a silk merchant’s residence over 150 years ago, the elegant villa later housed French ambassadors and, after a few annexes were added, a pension, a hotel, and an old people’s home. The Veranda, located in the carefully renovated main building, has been part of the house’s history since 2001 and offers fresh, predominantly organic cuisine lauded by Gault Millau (12 points). Chef Max Zwahlen focuses on regional dishes and products with a Mediterranean influence, but also likes to draw inspiration from recipes and spices from all over the world. In the summer, the food is served on the cosy terrace and under the plane trees in the spacious garden.

In the passage of the Schweizerhof hotel lies the realm of Domingo S. Domingo. The chef of the Mille Sens is considered a master of flavours, textures, and colors – a view shared by the Gault Millau experts (15 points). At lunchtime, the menu includes bowl creations and healthy, market-fresh dishes from which guests can put together their own personal meal. In the evening, the chef with Filipino roots serves up a signature dish, the “Domingo pur Menu”, where a Bernese Wagyu empanada is combined with tamarind sauce or a Cru Sauvage chocolate slice with Kafir fior di latte, for example. The Tavolata, with its many different starters and main courses as well as cheese and dessert variations to share, is just as much a treat for the senses.

What is a restaurant other than a place where you eat? “Essort” means “eating place”, and the philosophy behind this eatery is just as simple as its name: the dishes are not attributed to a specific cuisine, but rather celebrate the "art of simplicity". The ingenious, refined combinations are inspired by the Mediterranean, the Middle East and everywhere in between. Authentic, simple and awarded 15 Gault Millau points. The menu changes daily and varies depending on the season. What they do have year-round are their homemade ice creams and sorbets. How about a scoop of almond sorbet? Or some baked apple ice cream? Or would you prefer a refreshing elderflower sorbet?

A small slice of heaven on the outskirts of Bern: The Haberbüni, located in an old farmhouse in the Liebefeld neighbourhood, has been known to gourmets for a long time. Be it under the trees in the garden or below the wooden beams inside the old farmhouse – every guest feels welcome and relaxed here. “Haberä, schlemmä, schwelgä” (eat, indulge, enjoy) is the motto of the restaurant that has been awarded 14 Gault Millau points. The evening menu contains seasonal 4- or6-course meals, and at lunchtime, the Haberbüni serves Mediterranean classics and regionally inspired treats. There are tried-and-tested favourites like beef tartar or veal tripe in tomato sauce, but also seasonal dishes such as mushroom consommé or different venison varieties.

It may be small, but the restaurant “Zur Gedult” in the lower part of Burgdorf’s Old City has a unique charm, with its relaxed, cozy atmosphere and delicious food. In the kitchen of the city’s oldest restaurant (the house was built in 1716), chef Lukas Kiener creates wonderful compositions with a great eye for detail. The tartar, for example, is far more than your average everyday tartar – it’s combined with egg yolk, roasted capers and marinated onions and thus turned into a delicious culinary experience. The experts are equally impressed and have awarded the restaurant both 17 Gault Millau points and a Michelin star. And in September 2019, Lukas Kiener was named Gault Millaus “Chef of the month”.

It’s not just the unique panoramic view of the Emmental valley’s rolling hills that make a trip to Moosegg worth your while: At almost 1,000 metres above sea level, you will also find the Moosegg restaurant, which attracts gourmets from near and far with its modern country cuisine. Chef Daniel Lehmann and his team use recipes and products from the area and combine them with international influences. Lehmann knows most of the producers, traders, and vintners personally, which results in a seasonally changing Moosegg menu that has been awarded 16 points by Gault Millau and a Bib Gourmand in the Guide Michelin. A special highlight: the wine menu is a whopping 90 pages long and guaranteed to make any wine lover’s heart skip a beat.

The boutique hotel L’Auberge, located in a stately villa in the centre of Langenthal, celebrates gourmet cuisine highlights that have long since disappeared from many fine-dining menus: if ordered in advance and for two or more people, there’s whole duck or sea bass for dinner; for four or more guests, there’s filet Wellington or the “Offal Feast” with liver, kidneys and spleen. The trip to the Oberaargau region is also worthwhile for the other creations of chef Andri Casanova (awarded 14 points by GaultMillau) – his homemade ravioli and the Angus beef tartar are famous far beyond the village borders. You can also put together your own multi-course menu to suit your mood. By the way: there are 17 individually furnished rooms in case you feel like prolonging your stay.

Hünigen Castle is a popular venue for weddings and family celebrations, and one reason is the legendary garden with its 3,500 roses. Another reason is the castle restaurant under chef Eiline Hirsiger, which is adequately named “Rosarium”. Feast on a delicious meal in the restaurant that has been awarded 13 GaultMillau points – whether you’re getting married or not. There’s a rich lunch buffet on weekdays, and in the evening, you can choose between “à la carte” and the multi-course “Menu du Château”. There’s also a weekly Sunday brunch with hot and cold dishes that you can enjoy it outside amidst the fragrant rose bushes when the weather is nice.

The Stadthaus Burdorf is known as the “Rütli of the Canton of Bern” among the locals, as it was here that the canton’s first democratic constitution was drafted around 1830. After a gentle renovation, the historic building and former town hall now houses a hotel with 18 rooms as well as the restaurant La Pendule. Chef Christian Bolliger uses market-fresh ingredients to create three-course bistro menus and four-course gourmet menus; à la carte options include a club sandwich with chicken breast and homemade ravioli. There are also enticing Swiss products to discover, such as salmon from Alpine breeding in Lostallo or calf’s cheeks. La Pendule’s cuisine has been awarded 15 GaultMillau points.