Where to eat in Interlaken: what to order and where
Interlaken eats Swiss: rösti, fondue, raclette and lake fish, in a town that sells to a lot of visitors. The Höheweg has the grand cafes and the tourist menus, and the better meals are in a few hotel and chalet dining rooms. Book dinner, and take a picnic on mountain days.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- Around the Höheweg and the side streets behind it, with a few good rooms further out.
- Order this
- Rösti with a fried egg or sausage, or a cheese fondue in the cooler months.
- When to eat
- Lunch from 11:30, dinner from 18:00. Kitchens often close by 21:30.
- Book or walk in
- Book dinner, especially in July, August and December. Cafes take walk-ins.
- Tipping
- Service is included. Round up or leave a few francs for good service.
What to eat in Interlaken
- RöstiFried grated potato, crisp outside and soft within. Served beside sausage, with a fried egg, or topped with cheese.
- Cheese fondueMelted cheese and wine in a pot, eaten with bread. A winter dish, and often sold all year to visitors.
- RacletteMelted cheese scraped over boiled potatoes, with pickled onions and gherkins.
- ÄlplermagronenMacaroni, potato, cheese and cream, finished with fried onions and eaten with apple sauce. A hiker's dish.
- Berner PlatteA plate of boiled and smoked meats and sausages with sauerkraut and potatoes, the classic dish of the Bernese region.
- Lake fishPerch and whitefish from Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, usually pan-fried with potatoes.
- Meringues with double creamCrisp meringues with thick Bernese cream, a dessert you find in cafes and mountain huts.
Where to eat in Interlaken, by neighborhood
Höheweg and the center
The grand hotels, the cafes and the tourist menus face the meadow. Good for a coffee and a view, dearer for dinner. Walk a street back for better value.
Unterseen
The old town across the Aare, with wooden houses and a few quieter restaurants. Less crowded than the Höheweg.
Around the stations
Quick lunches, bakeries and supermarkets near Interlaken Ost and West. Useful for a picnic before a mountain day.
Mountain villages
Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren have restaurants at the railway stations and on the hillside. Book dinner, because many close early.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Salzano
CHFCHFRegional restaurant · Seestrasse
OrderThe regional menu, with local and foraged ingredients
A family hotel restaurant in a chalet, listed in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand. Classical dishes at lunch and dinner, and a set menu on weekday evenings.
- Book
- Book by phone or on its website
Confirmed open: guide.michelin.com
-
Restaurant Taverne
CHFCHFSwiss restaurant · Höheweg
OrderCheese fondue or a venison dish in season
A historic room in Hotel Interlaken, the town's first hotel, serving Swiss cooking with a terrace next to a Japanese garden in summer.
- Book
- Book by phone or through the hotel
Confirmed open: interlaken.swiss
-
Grand Café Restaurant Schuh
CHFCHFGrand cafe · Höheweg
OrderCoffee and a slice of cake on the terrace
A grand cafe and confiserie on the Höheweg, with a terrace facing the Höhematte. Open from mid-morning until late.
- Book
- Walk in; book for a larger group
Confirmed open: myswitzerland.com
-
Radius by Stefan Beer
CHFCHFCHFCHFFine dining · Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel
OrderThe tasting menu, built on regional ingredients
The town's Michelin-starred restaurant, in the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel. Choose it for one special dinner, not for a casual night.
- Book
- Book well ahead, online or by phone
Confirmed open: guide.michelin.com
-
La Terrasse Brasserie
CHFCHFCHFBrasserie · Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel
OrderA seasonal plate from the contemporary menu
The hotel's brasserie, listed by the Michelin Guide. A calmer and cheaper way into the same building than the starred restaurant.
- Book
- Book for dinner
Confirmed open: guide.michelin.com
Food markets in Interlaken
- Interlaken market on the HöhewegA Sunday market with cheese, roasted almonds, raclette, bratwurst and small crafts. It is a fair that comes to town, not a daily food market.A few Sundays a year, from 10:00 to 18:00; in 2026 the last is 1 November, so check the dateSource: myswitzerland.com
How Interlaken eats
- Meal timesLunch is the main hot meal, and many kitchens close early in the evening, especially in the villages.
- TippingService is included in the price. Round up or leave a few francs for good service.
- ReservationsBook dinner in summer and in the ski season. Walk-in tables are rare in the villages at night.
- PicnicsSupermarkets near the stations sell bread, cheese and cold cuts. Many visitors buy lunch there before a mountain day, because summit restaurants are dear.
- WaterTap water is safe and good, and village fountains run drinking water. Take a bottle up the mountain.
Signs of a place to walk past
Menus in several languages with photos of the dishes on the Höheweg.
Fondue sold to a table of tour-group diners at lunchtime, with no cheese blend named.
Summit restaurants as your only plan for lunch, when a picnic costs a fraction of the price.
Eating in Interlaken: questions people ask
What food is Interlaken known for?
Rösti, cheese fondue, raclette and the Berner Platte. Lake fish from Lake Thun and Lake Brienz is common too.
Where is the best place to eat in Interlaken?
For a Michelin-listed meal, Salzano. For old-fashioned Swiss cooking, the Taverne. For coffee and cake with a view, Schuh.
Where can you eat fondue in Interlaken?
Restaurant Taverne serves cheese fondue, and many hotel and village restaurants do in winter. Book a table, as fondue is often for two or more.
Do you need to book restaurants in Interlaken?
For dinner in July, August and December, yes. Cafes and bakeries take walk-ins.
Is Interlaken expensive for food?
Yes. Set lunch menus and supermarket picnics are the best value, and tap water is free.
Is there a food market in Interlaken?
Only a Sunday market on the Höheweg a few times a year. For daily shopping, use the supermarkets and bakeries by the stations.