10 Best Restaurants in Fribourg and Neuchâtel, Switzerland

This is a very special restaurant, so if you're traveling by car and can book well ahead, definitely stop by to see why it gets such high praise from top critics. The atmosphere is laid-back, staff are on the ball and friendly, and views of the lake and mountains from the terrace are divine. The à la carte fare at the ground-floor bistro looks simple at first—tuna tartare, bouillabaisse, even Wiener schnitzel—but in the hands of owner-chef Werner Rätz the results amaze. For the full experience, opt for the bistro's five-course prix-fixe Menu du Marché, which has whatever is fresh and available, for CHF130, or the Menu Gastronomique upstairs, with seven courses for CHF160 (different from the bistro). The Auberge is in Lugnorre, 5 km (3 miles) northwest of Murten.

f you have a penchant for French gastronomic cuisine that's superbly presented, try Chef Romain Paillereau's well-regarded restaurant just outside town. Enjoy your meal in the sunny bistro, the main dining room, or on the chestnut-tree-shaded terrace in summer. The focus is on gloriously fresh local products that balance vibrant flavors with culinary finesse. The decor is rather pared down but retains features of the original 19th-century patrician house. To reach the hamlet of Bourguillon (Bürglen in German) take a bus from Fribourg train station; a cab costs around CHF25. Either way, it's a 10-minute ride. When you call for reservations, get more transportation how-tos from the staff.

Whether dining in the bright, spacious restaurant, brasserie, or leafy terrace, Le Bocca is often the setting for the region's best food. Just north of Neuchâtel in St. Blaise, the restaurant has an array of menus in its two establishments and an excellent three-course lunch menu. Chef Alexandre Luquet serves up contemporary takes on traditional French dishes, which often include fresh fish and seafood. Hand in hand with the fine food is a great wine list with 25,000 bottles in stock. 

Set amid Gruyères's most historic buildings, the exterior of this medieval structure welcomes guests with cheerful flower boxes and green-and-white-stripe awnings. Inside, a warm woody interior with raftered ceiling and smooth stone floors offers an appealing setting in which to enjoy traditional dishes such as a moitié-moitié (half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois) fondue. The definitely worth-trying signature dish is called Soupe du Chalet, and is a meal unto itself. Sit in the section called "the veranda" to enjoy great views with your meal.

Centrally located, this is one of the top Fribourg restaurants, thanks to owner-chef Frédérik Kondratowicz's superlative take on seasonal cuisine. The ambience in this one-floor-up spot is bourgeois bistro with artsy notes, and there are some great views of Fribourg from the windows. Fresher than fresh are such delights as lamb with an herb crust, vegetable moussaka with candied orange, and asparagus-and-spinach risotto. Swiss and French wines are the focal point of the thoughtful wine list.

Traditional Swiss fare (local fish, cheese specialties, Rösti, ham off the bone called jambon à l'os) and some French classics are served in this inviting restaurant set in a pink-hue historic building that doubles as a hotel. The plain, spacious guest rooms have a wonderful view of the mountains and town castle, and there's an ample breakfast buffet.

Enjoy a perfect café crème or a whole meal along with the Neuchâtelois at one of the most authentic cafés in the Old Town. This place models itself on a traditional Parisian brasserie, and the striking art nouveau interior certainly helps: the molded ceiling, etched windows, and blue-and-green decorative tiles all date from 1905. Fish is a specialty, and large platters of fruits de mer (shellfish) in season are a delicious treat. A menu-of-the-day special is always reasonably priced.

On Fribourg's main street, this restaurant's clean lines are softened by gleaming gold fixtures, and, in nice weather, the leafy vistas from the sun-dappled balcony. One bite here, in the restaurant's second incarnation, reveals why chef-owner Pierrot Ayer has earned so much praise. His showstopping menus take guests on a culinary adventure, one in which he declares war on traditional flavors, while at Le Petit Pérolles upstairs, lighter (and less expensive) fare is served all day.