Tips for eating well in Geneva, from breakfast to aperitif, from lunch to dinner, five places not to be missed for all budgets: addresses and advice in the post.
A Geneva, as in all the big cities of the world, you can really eat everything and at affordable prices for all budgets. You can let yourself be tempted by an excellent and steaming one hamburger bought in a food truck and eaten at the side of the road or pamper yourself with a posh aperitif on the terrace of a luxury hotel with lake view. So here are some tips on where to eat in Geneva.
Ideas for eating in Geneva
Whether Japanese, Peruvian, Eritrean or simply French the food you dream of eating for dinner, rest assured, you will find it without too much effort. But you have to be careful, because Geneva is known all over the world for many things but certainly not for being a cheap city. So what if you are on vacation here for a few days and want to enjoy the local specialties without being scared when the bill arrives? Just know the right places of course! So here's to you 5 rooms in Geneva in which you can eat well without too many sacrifices.
1. Breakfast at Caffè Paradiso: 21 Rue des Bains
Former industrial area redeveloped, super minimal and refined furniture, in which wood, marble and aluminum are the masters. Fresh flowers on every table and a simple but welcoming environment. The Paradiso coffee it is a real oasis of peace and beauty in which to enjoy a relaxed and peaceful breakfast while enjoying an excellent cappuccino. On the menu they stand out blueberry pancakes, cinnamon rolls and homemade brownie. For those who love breakfast skip the highlight: avocado toast. A large slice of toasted wholemeal bread with a fried egg in the middle and with many slices of soft avocado on top, all covered with seeds of all kinds and crunchy bacon, delicious.
2. Lunch at the Fabrique: Rue Micheli-du-Crest
Iron stools, rough wood tables, white tiled counter and lots of tapas on the menu. Fabrique, a stone's throw from the Plainpalais square, is the perfect place to have lunch in the center of Geneva. Platters of cold cuts and cheeses from all over Europe, hamburger, bruschetta and meat tartare make up a simple menu but at the same time refined in flavors and ingredients. At lunch there is also the possibility of choosing a set menu which for about twenty francs offers an appetizer and the dish of the day (to be chosen between two or three options).
3. Snack with Manu's ice cream
Whether it's the 18th of July or the 25th of December, we know that the craving for ice cream never goes down. If we are talking about artisanal ice cream, then the cards on the table change and we are also willing to travel miles for a cup of our favorite flavor. Here at Geneva they love Italian ice cream and Manu is a chain of ice cream shops which has several clubs scattered throughout the city. Managed by Italians, the ice cream is excellent and artisanal, the cones are giant and the flavors delicious. A must try if you are in town.
4. Aperitif at the Petite Reine: Place de Montbrillant 15
This lovely bar near the Central Station is the perfect place to enjoy a drink fresh beer mid-afternoon . Or while browsing the guide to decide where to go for dinner. An easy-going place, with a very heterogeneous clientele and with a relaxed and peaceful environment. Mismatched tables and chairs, colorful murals on the walls, very kind staff but above all ... very affordable prices, a detail that is definitely not negligible when it comes to drinking a beer in Geneva.
5. Dinner at the Café du Soleil: Place du Petit-Saconnex 6
For dinner it might be interesting to try some local or traditional Swiss dish, and then we must talk about fondue moitié-moitié, or the cheese fondue. Traditionally, this dish made exclusively of cheese is prepared by melting Gruyère and Vacherin (typical of the canton of Friborg) together with garlic and white wine in a cast iron pot. Everything is eaten very simply by dipping large pieces of bread into it. In the city there are many places that serve fondue but according to many Genevans, that of Café du Soleil nobody beats it, it is the best of all. The other proposals on the menu are also typical dishes of the Swiss tradition: you can taste excellent meat, including the famous entrecôte de boeuf. Plus, it's one of the few places in town that serves Malakoffs, crispy fried cheese balls very typical of this area (beware, they quickly become addictive).
These are only five addresses, but obviously many restaurants here in Geneva allow you to eat well without spending a fortune. Also because the Genevans love to eat and enjoy life by going out for lunch and dinner and pampering themselves with adorable little places. So if you are in town and you don't know how to choose the right place, at this address you can find other reviews of places very similar to these.
