Bern, Switzerland — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Bern, Switzerland
Restaurants
Recommended restaurants
Altes Tramdepot Brauerei
This restaurant and microbrewery has an excellent location by Bern's BearPark and attracts quite a lot of tourists. The restaurant offers great views of the Old Town from its terrace, and it gives guests the chance to see both the in-house brewery in action and the chefs at work in the open kitchen. The atmosphere is lively, and the food is hearty, flavorsome and accompanied by the restaurant's own home-brewed beers.
Grosser Muristalden 6
Tel: (031) 368 1415.
Website: www.altestramdepot.ch
Price: $$
Jack's Brasserie
One of Bern's best restaurants, the bistro-style Jack's Brasserie is conveniently located opposite the railway station, and offers a busy and cosmopolitan atmosphere that somehow also manages to be calm, friendly and relaxing. The food is consistently of top quality. The fish dishes are particularly exciting, although the Wiener schnitzel, a house specialty, is sublime.
Bahnhofplatz 11
Tel: (031) 326 8080.
Website: www.schweizerhof-bern.ch
Price: $$$-$$$$
Klötzlikeller
Allegedly the oldest tavern in Bern, the Klötzlikeller can trace its history back to 1635. While it is commonly referred to as a wine cellar, it is also a welcoming eatery offering hearty local fare at reasonable prices.
Gerechtigkeitsgasse 62
Tel: (031) 311 7456.
Website: www.kloetzlikeller.ch
Price: $
Kornhauskeller
Housed in the basement of a church-like, former granary building, with lofty vaulted ceilings and wall frescoes, this atmospheric candlelit restaurant draws the local smart set for excellent Mediterranean cuisine. Reservations are recommended.
Kornhausplatz 18
Tel: (031) 327 7272.
Website: www.kornhauskeller.ch
Price: $$$$
Schwellenmätteli
This is a trendy restaurant, bar and lounge complex on the bank of the River Aare. Dubbed the ‘Riviera Restaurant' on account of its island-like setting by the river, it is a popular venue for al fresco dining in summer. The cuisine is mainly a blend of local and continental elements.
Dalmaziquai 11
Tel: (031) 350 5001.
Website: www.schwellenmaetteli.ch
Price: $$$
Nightlife
Bars: You can't really go wrong with Lorenzini, Hotelgasse 10 (www.lorenzini.ch), with its music bar, cocktail bar and New York-style wine bar. Eclipse Bar, Gurtengasse 6 (www.jansengastronomie.ch), is a trendy option in the Old Town, with a young, chic clientele, which becomes livelier the later it gets. Leichtsinn, Kornhausplatz 10 (www.leichtsinn.ch), is another stylish venue with a sushi bar and outdoor seating, while the spacious Kornhauskeller, Kornhausplatz 18 (www.kornhauskeller.ch), is among Bern's most sophisticated bars.
Clubs: Wasserwerk Club, Wasserwerkgasse 5 (www.wasserwerkclub.ch), is a Bern classic that has hosted acts like The Prodigy, Faithless and Moby, and still attracts serious clubbers and international DJs. Bierhübeli, Neubrückstrasse 43 (www.bierhuebeli.ch), is both a club and a concert hall, and guests can enjoy concerts as well as DJ-spun music here.
Live Music: In Marians Jazzroom, Hotel Innere Enge, Engestrasse 54 (www.mariansjazzroom.ch), Bern has arguably one of Europe's finest jazz clubs, attracting leading international performers of blues, jazz, gospel, R&B and soul. Top international rock and pop stars perform at the Stade de Suisse football stadium, Papiermühlestrasse 71 (www.stadedesuisse.ch).
