Lausanne

Café Saint Pierre

Another good spot brought to you by the Café de Grancy team, the Saint Pierre offers a daily lunch menu and a range of small dishes in the evening, with a good selection of wines, etc. The place packs up on weekend evenings (including Thursday) so get there early.

Fr. 30-40

Café de Grancy

The Grancy offers a full dinner menu of substantial quality, which always includes a few good vegetarian options. The reason many travellers will want to visit however is to linger - outside of dinner hours - over a coffee and a book or newspaper, or to really catch the spirit of the place your still-unfinished master's thesis. It's as though the front door is some kind of science-fiction transporter which links it directly to Berkeley.

Fr. 3 for coffee, Fr. 3.50-4.20 for a glass of wine or a beer. Fr. 16 for the (amazing) risotto of the day

Crêperie de la Chandeleur

This cute little crêperie offers the crêpes in a homey Breton atmosphere. If you are travelling with children this is a great place for lunch or dinner as you will be in good company with the owners and locals, and the kids can amuse themselves with the large collection of toys.

Tue-Sat 10:00-23:00·Fr. 25-30

Eat Me

The restaurant, orchestrated by the Chef Stéphane Goubin, proposes a gastronomical voyage "around the world" between Rome, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Bangkok.

From Fr. 60 per person

Holy Cow!

Possibly the best burgers in Lausanne. Their "Elvis Blue Cheese" burger is rated the best burger in Switzerland by gourmet blog theburgerblog.ch. The restaurant seats about 30 but it gets rather crowded in the evening. But it's definitely a must try.

Mon-Wed 11:00-22:00, Tue-Sat 11:00-23:00·Fr. 20

Java

There's something very welcoming about this little bar/restaurant that makes it a fantastic place to linger for a few hours before staying on for a dinner of one of Java's many gorgeously presented Mediterranean inspired dishes, or one of the large selection of savoury crêpes. Vegetarians will feel right at home.

~Fr. 20 for dinner

La Croquignole

A café in the old town on the street to the Ale tower with a variety of sandwiches and other freshly baked products.

La Mosaïque

Very good Ethiopian cuisine. Recommendation to enjoy your meal at the lake and the mountains.

Le Charlot

If you’re looking for a tasty sandwich this is where to go to. The sandwiches are a real pleasure to the eye and in the mouth. Wide selection. The sauces are great.

Le Club

Upscale Italian cuisine in a large trendy all-glass restaurant. Try the truffle ravioli. In the summer the terrace, insulated from motor traffic, is a big draw for singles of all persuasions. Free Wi-Fi.

Expect to pay around Fr. 50 per person for dinner.

Léonardo

A health-focused Italian place with a diverse and lively young staff. The ample salad bar is a big draw, and a good value but the dishes à la carte are also very good. It offers several variations on hand-made spaghetti alla chitara, various bruschetta options, and a veggie burger.

MYO

A high-quality sushi/fusion restaurant with a superb view of the lake and the alps. Vegetarians fear not! The creativity of the chef extends to non-seafood items as well.

~Fr. 60 per person

P'tit Bar

Tiny, as the name would indicate this place can accommodate around 12 people at a time, and that's with strangers seated together at the tiny table, (it works out to be a good place to meet people.) They only serve lunch: salads in the Summer and excellent soup in the winter.

Daily until 19:00

Pinte-Besson

This, the oldest restaurant in Lausanne offers utterly classic Swiss cooking of very high quality. Also serves as the neighbourhood bar.

Mon-Fri 08:00-24:00·Fr. 15-25 (lunch); Fr. 30-40 (dinner)

Poco Loco

So you probably aren't going to travel to Switzerland for the Mexican food, but if you get a hankering while you're there you could hardly do better than this noisy, popular, and fairly authentic joint which is attached to a Spanish-language cinema and a hip bar. The dessert menu offers a selection of Mexican cigars, tequilas, and of course sweets. Moderately vegi-friendly, they do have vegetarian fajitas and a "spinach wrap".

Mon-Wed 11:30-14:00, 18:00-23:59, Thu 11:30-14:00, 18:00-01:00, Fri 11:30-14:00, 18:00-02:00, Sat 18:00-02:00·30-35 Frfor dinner

Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville de Crissier

The top of the top in Suisse Romande or possibly in Switzerland. Reviewers use words like "incomparable", "stellar", and "spectacular" when writing about the culinary stylings of (sadly deceased) chef Benoît Violier. They have three Michelin stars which is as high as the scale goes (and quite rare), and 19 (out of 20) points in the Gault et Millau (also quite rare). Consider reserving several months in advance.

The Menu will run you Fr. 295-360, without wine.

Ristorante St-Paul

Mathilde and Nazzareno Raffa, veterans of the pan-Italian kitchen at the Hotel Angleterre in Ouchy have made a big impression in Lausanne culinary circles with this perfectly authentic southern Italian bistro. Naturally the focus is, as in Puglia is on seafood, but there's plenty to keep vegetarians happy as well. Mathilde's English is perfect and her knowledge of Italian wines is nearly encyclopaedic, so when presented with the wine card just ask her what she thinks.

Evenings Tue-Sat

Sicily

Restaurant Pizzeria Sicily

A bit out of the way, but totally worth the short bus ride, Sicily is a family-run Italian restaurant with, as the name implies, southern Italian and Sicilian specialities. The quality is well beyond what you would expect for a neighbourhood restaurant, and the warmth of welcome goes even farther.

Open now · closes 11 pm·Fr. 20

Tibits

A fully vegetarian buffet with a few made-to-order fast food options (veggie burger), and excellent local wine in the classic setting of the old "Buffet de la Gare". Tibits didn't renovate the space but rather lovingly restored it and it shows.

Open now · closes 11 pm·Fr. 1-30

l'Accademia

Very high-end Italian cooking in a warmly decorated room. The service is impressive, as is the wine list. Of course you pay for what you get.

From Fr. 60 per person

la Table d'Edgard

Known for inventive and subtle cooking and super attentive service, the Table has won a Michelin star, one of two in central Lausanne.

From Fr. 100 per person

Mövenpick

Av. de Rhodanie 4

Daily 06:30-23:30