After sifting through over 125.000 reviews, the Swiss Guest Award by table booking service Lunchgate has revealed the best restaurants in Switzerland for 2023. Only three restaurants earned the rare "five out of five" score, with the winning establishments located in three different Swiss cantons outside the traditional gastronomic centres of Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne.
Unlike the esteemed food critics that create the Michelin star ranking for Switzerland, the Swiss Guest Award by Lunchgate rates the country’s top eateries by analysing over 125.000 real customer reviews. To avoid review-bombing, ratings of one to five can only be submitted to Lunchgate if the person has booked a table with the restaurant they are reviewing.
The ranking follows a recent report by online analyst RespondIntelligent, which found that people in Switzerland are becoming more critical of restaurants. Last year, while four and five-star reviews made up 84 percent of the 500.000 reviews analysed, the number of one-star ratings has almost doubled since 2021.
In 2023, only three Swiss restaurants earned the fabled five out of five rating, with the rest of the top 152 earning 4,9s. The three were Bluemä in Uznach (St. Gallen), Stiva Veglia in Schnaus (Graubünden) and Restaurant Kubli in Glarus.
Situated in the stunning town of Uznach near St. Gallen, Bluemä is most famous for its fusion of traditional, creative and seasonal dishes, all served in a light atmosphere. Reviewers praised the restaurant for putting “heart and soul” into the experience, with one writing, “Very friendly, upbeat and motivated hosts, plus excellent food! I’m always happy to come back.”
Switching gears, Stiva Veglia is a place known to foodies in Switzerland, with the establishment already having featured in many cooking magazines thanks to its friendly hosts. The restaurant in the heart of Graubünden has 16 Gault Millau points, serving opulent nine-course menus including anything from Angus beef to local chicken, not to mention the vast array of seasonal dishes.
Finally, the Restaurant Kubli in Glarus was praised for its light Scandinavian decor and equally modern food. Reviewers especially enjoyed the “very friendly and attentive service” and the “sensational” vegetarian dishes on offer.
In all, here is a small selection of the best restaurants in Switzerland and where they are based:
For more information, and to see all the other restaurants on the shortlist, check out the Swiss Guest Award website.
Thumb image credit: Shutterstock.com / Keitma