Eating out (restaurants)
Among the hundred or so restaurants, bistros, small cafés and large establishments contained within the city of Lausanne, here is a selection of some addresses, based on the quailty of the food you can eat there and the friendliness of the place. Bon appétit!
A salad
The salads of the Café de l'Hôtel de Ville (Place de la Palud, opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 9h00-23h30, Saturday: 9h00-18h00) are fabulous: vegetables, fruits, cheeses, vinegars and oils of all sorts and diverse regional products are mixed on your plate to the great pleasure and surprise of your tastebuds. Delicious. The café is very small, therefore it is better to book in advance. ((0)21 312 10 12).
A refined dish
The chef of
Les Alliés cooks with finesse. The menu changes according to the seasons, the meats and fish are always prepared in very fine sauces, using pepper, coconut milk etc. and served with diverse varieties of rice, sautéed apples, lentils and garden vegetables. The deserts are fantastic: smooth mint sauce, crème brûlée with white chocolate, apple and pear balls in sweet wine, everything to tickle your tastebuds! In the summer, the flowery and colourful interior passage is a haven of vitality and provides a well-being which is appropriate for this place. At lunchtime, the daily menu costs only 17 francs!
A local dish
You are very hungry and you feel like trying some Swiss brasserie dishes? Pork chops in Madeira wine, cheese fondue, Brains in Black Butter, calf’s head, sausages with cabbage, sauerkraut, cheese crusts, perch filets and other main courses can be found on the menu of the Café Romand ((Place St-François 2, closed on Sundays and bank holidays), alongside the very popular and typical local dish : le papet vaudois. It is very good, generally made with leeks, potatoes cooked in white wine, embellished with a bit ot cream, stock (depending on families and their recipes), all served with a sausage of your choice.
A pizza
La Torre doesn’t look anything special but it makes the best pizzas in Lausanne, always with a friendly servide. There are perhaps a bit more expensive than elsewhere (expect to pay between 15 and 20 francs) but they are always accompanied by a small mixed salad as a starter. As a take-away, all of them cost 14 francs!
Good meat
Les Trois Rois (Rue du Simplon 7, (0)21 616 38 22) has a simple menu, seasonal and above all at very reasonable prices considering the quality of what you find on your plate. Expect to pay around 30 francs for a dish and a menu. The beef tenderloin steak is absolutely divine, served with homemade chips and vegetables which still smell fresh from the market. During the season, the game is excellent : the thyme sauce is abundant and the spätzli are unlimited!
