Restaurant recommendations

If you are looking for something different from the usual “Swiss” tourist food (fondue, Rösti, Züricher Geschnetzeltes, Schnitzel, etc.) I can recommend two restaurants in the Zürich Altstadt:

Mére Catherine is a very nice, upscale modern French restaurant with tables on a pleasant patio as well as indoors. We used to dine there on our arrival night, but it has become more expensive than we like. But the food is excellent and worth a splurge if you are interested in that. The menu is in French, German, and English.

https://www.mere-catherine.ch/

https://www.mere-catherine.ch/_files/ugd/9201a1_c931ecf6a4494ed687a29234c37868ab.pdf

We ended our most recent visit, this past September, with a nice Italian dinner at Trattoria Sempre, suggested by forum member Laurel, who lived in Italy several years. The place is cozy (tables close to one another), friendly, and not loud, and the food we had was very good—-actually better than we had our last week in Italy at a hotel on Lago Maggiore. Menu is in Italian, German, and English.

https://www.bindella.ch/wp-content/uploads/Trattoria-Sempre-Speisekarte-11.24.pdf

I cannot help with Luzern as we have not yet found a restaurant we like there, at least for dinner. There is a great little lunch place with creative salads I might be able to find again if you are interested.

In Zermatt we had an apartment and mostly cooked our own dinners, but we did go out one night. I chose the venerable and traditional Walliserstube. It was not bad, but very touristy and “Swiss”, as well as expensive. So not a place I would recommend.

http://www.vs-stube.ch/images/speisekarte/speisekarte.pdf

In Zermatt we loved Restaurant Spycher, excellent food. We also enjoyed Grampis, much cheaper and still very good food.

If you are looking for something different from the usual “Swiss” tourist food (fondue, Rösti, Züricher Geschnetzeltes, Schnitzel, etc.)

I am confused by this statement, I would highly recommend trying these authentic Swiss foods!

Things like Raclette and cheese fondue are classic winter favourites in Switzerland, perfect for cozy evenings when it’s cold and dark outside. Sure, you’ll see them promoted in tourist spots because they’re such iconic Swiss dishes, but that doesn’t mean locals don’t eat them. In fact, they’re a regular part of Swiss life during the colder months. Just take a look at the huge variety of raclette and fondue cheeses in grocery stores—it’s clear they’re just as popular with locals as they are with visitors!

I was happy to se Lola mention Trattoria Sempre. It was full of locals when we were there in September. Reasonably priced for Switzerland, which means you’ll part with +CHF 100 or so for tapas and wine but it is very good. Reservation advised and they take them online.

My usage of “usual Swiss tourist food” is actually referring to fondue, when it is on a summer menu. As SwissNomad notes, the Swiss do enjoy fondue in winter, especially in mountain villages and ski resorts. But when it is served in summer, that is for tourists. And in my opinion, fondue too rich and high in fat for a summer meal.

I do enjoy Schnitzel and/or Rösti on occasion, but not every night. So for dinner we generally seek out Italian or even Asian restaurants, or ones offering more fish, salads and vegetables than the traditional Swiss menu.

Zermatt: have enjoyed meals at Da Nico (Italian), Restaurant Julen/Schäferstube, and Sonnmatten (WInkelmatten area)
Luzern: For somewhat traditional Swiss: Weisses Schloss, Helvetia, Taube or even Rathaus Brauerei; for something more updated, Felsenegg is nice; or for Italian: Casa Tolone, La Cucina, Barbatti, or Mamma Leone
In Switzerland, often the Italian places are the way to go!

Luzern: La Bestia pizza on Frankenstrasse by the train station and the aforementioned Rathaus Brauerei along the river by the Hotel des Alpes.

Zermatt: Walliserkanne on Bahnhofstrasse and Vivanda in the Hotel Post for more upscale fare.

We had a wonderful meal at Ammos in Luzern. Food and service were both excellent. Reasonably priced for that area.