Lake Geneva restaurants: Dine like a local

Five Lake Geneva insiders pick their favourite places in the region to wine and dine...

Created in partnership with Lake Geneva Region Tourist Office

Lake Geneva restaurants: Dine like a local

Jérôme Aké-Béda, Sommelier and maître d’hôtel, Auberge de l’Onde, Saint-Saphorin, recommends:

Restaurant Là-Haut, Chardonne

‘A new restaurant, opened six months ago by young Mathieu Bruno, who was a chef de partie with us for a while and has now struck out on his own with his Québécoise wife, Milène. He cooks creative, seasonal cuisine and his wine list includes many of my favourites with a handful by the glass (such as Pierre Fonjallaz’s Dézaley Réserve) – plus there’s a gorgeous view from up there (hence ‘là-haut’), high above the vineyards.’ http://restaurant-la-haut.ch

Lavaux Vinorama, Rivaz

‘This wine bar and shop offers more than 290 labels (red and white) from around 150 different vignerons. Every week there are eight different Chasselas from various growers and terroirs to taste, and every two weeks a fresh selection of eight red wines and four ‘specialities’, such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier or Chardonnay.’ www.lavaux-vinorama.ch

Blaise Duboux, Organic-biodynamic wine grower in Epesses, Lavaux, recommends:

Les 11 Terres, Epesses

‘A wine bar and shop right here on our main street belonging to 11 wine growers in the village (myself included) and designed as a showcase for our wines. It’s open from 3pm until 7.30pm (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the winter and spring), and a bit longer at the weekend. You can drop in, have a (Riedel) glass of wine and a planchette (board) of organic cheeses, cured cold meats or smoked duck breast from a local farmer. Check the website to see which of the 60-odd wines in stock are offered by the glass that week.’ www.11terres.ch

Auberge du Vigneron, Epesses

‘I also have a soft spot for our village auberge, just along the street from 11 Terres. It’s run by a young couple, Laurent and Estelle Frutig, who serve food that is simple and good, with bistro-type dishes chalked up on a blackboard (typical Vaudois smoked sausage with lentils, lake fish with frites, beef tartare, crème brûlée with pistachios…), accompanied by a good selection of local wines by the glass.’ www.aubergeduvigneron.ch

Joelle Nebbe-Mornod, Swiss-born owner of Alpine Wines, a major importer of Swiss wines to the UK, recommends:

Restaurant La Pêcherie, La Plage, Allaman

‘Whenever I’m in the Lake Geneva Region I have to have my fix of delicious filets de perches [perch fillets from the lake, served with frites and tartar sauce]! Every Vaudois has strong opinions on who does the best, but this unpretentious little lakeside place in Allaman is one of my favourites. There is other fish on the menu, too – such as char, whitefish and pike – and the restaurant is right on the water, so the view is fabulous and the fish couldn’t be fresher. There’s a short wine list, mainly from La Côte.’ www.la-pecherie-allaman.ch (pictured top)

Hôtel de la Gare, Lucens

‘This is a hotel-restaurant I love to visit when on a wine-buying trip in Canton of Vaud. Owned and run by Pierrick and Jane-Lise Suter, it offers good food and an outstanding Swiss wine list, which (unusually for Switzerland, where people are very faithful to their local wines) covers the whole country. (The 2017 Gault Millau Switzerland guide ranks it among the 10 best lists in the country.) It’s a bit off the beaten track, but has simple rooms so you can drink and not drive – or, as it’s by the station, if you time it right, you can return to Lausanne by train.’ www.hoteldelagarelucens.ch

Brice Gaue, Manager, Auberge du Raisin in Cully and member of the Gauer hotel dynasty, recommends:

Le 3C at Hotel Les Trois Couronnes, Vevey

‘The Hotel des Trois Couronnes in Vevey has a Michelin-starred restaurant, which I like, too, but for a glass of Calamin [Chasselas from the smallest Lavaux appellation] and some mezze or a plate of pasta or vegetable tajine, combined with uninterrupted lakeside views from the huge terrace, Le 3C Brasserie is very hard to beat.’ www.hoteltroiscouronnes.ch

Caveau Corto, Grandvaux

‘One of my favourite places for meeting up with friends over a glass of Calamin [the most local Chasselas appellation] is Caveau Corto in Grandvaux, named in honour of the legendary character Corto Maltese, whose story was illustrated by Hugo Pratt, a resident for many years in the village. Open at weekends from April to November, it has spectacular terraces with views down onto the vineyards and across the lake. It’s jointly owned by 12 Grandvaux winegrowers, who each take a turn to staff the place and feature their wines for that weekend, along with simple plates of food.’ www.caveaucorto.ch

Raymond Paccot, Oenologist at Domaine La Colombe in Féchy, La Côte, recommends:

Restaurant Le Cerf and Brasserie La Fleur de Sel, Cossonay

‘We’re great gourmets (and gourmands!) in our household and it’s tough to limit myself to choosing just two places, but this is one of my favourites. Chef Carlo Crisci does terrifically inventive food – I bet he’d go down a storm in London if he ever decided to set up there! For a simpler, more accessible menu that gives you a sense of the chef’s creativity, there’s also the brasserie [with a Michelin red bib]. The wine list is faithful to the local crus (including some of ours!) – it’s a great way to discover new wines when visiting an area.’ www.lecerf-carlocrisci.ch

Nomade, Lausanne

‘A restaurant, wine bar and shop in the lively Flon area of Lausanne’s old town, where you can have a full meal, or just the plat du jour or a plate of tapas – always packed, great atmosphere and some interesting wines by the glass are on offer.’ http://restaurantnomade.ch

This article first appeared in a sponsored guide in the August 2017 issue of Decanter magazine, out now.

Read more about the Vaud region of Switzerland  

 

Vaud wineries to visit near Lake Geneva

Where to go during your trip...