3 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.

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.