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Best foods you can find in Lausanne, Switzerland

Best foods you can find in Lausanne, Switzerland

by George Black
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Table of contents

  • 1. Fondue - a Swiss start
  • 2. Pate - soft power
  • 3. Tartare - raw strength
  • 4. Causa - layered fun
  • 5. Foie gras - a special treat
  • 6. Ramen - calm dignity
  • 7. Casserole - serious fun
  • 8. Mangu - always fresh
  • 9. Amuse bouches - a dose of elegance
  • 10. Hot chocolate - a worthy finisher
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The capital and largest city of the Swiss canton of Vaud, Lausanne is a city on a hill, which entails a lot more than a passing thought would suggest. Lausanne became a focus of international sport, hosting the International Olympic Committee. Ironically enough, it's also a noted wine-growing region. The city has a 28-station metro system, making it the smallest city in the world to have a rapid transit system. As you can see, it's very alive and full of life. Let's check out the part of life of utmost interest to us - food.

1. Fondue - a Swiss start
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Café du Grütli
#14 of 791 cafes in Lausanne, Switzerland
Rue Mercerie 4, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 10AM
Fondue
Fondue

It's a dish made of melted cheese and white wine. Two kinds of cheese are melted in the hot wine. Then spices are added. Fondue is eaten hot right from the pot by dipping pieces of white bread or vegetables with special forks.

Let's just get the obvious offerings over with as soon as possible. Not to imply that fondue is somehow inferior to any other dish in existence. The former food of shepherds and peasants, it will always hold a top spot in European cuisine, regardless of a particular region. But in a city like Lausanne, fondue is a classy go-to dish for a quick meal or an experience to remember if you're a tourist getting to know the ambience.

Le Grütli is a very good place to start the journey.

2. Pate - soft power
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La Poesia
#15 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Av. du Chablais 53, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 11:30AM
Pate
Pate

Pâté is a popular dish in French cuisine. It is a filled pastry made of puréed liver, meat, fish, vegetables, herbs, or spices. Pâté is traditionally served as an appetizer or full course in a multicourse meal.

European cuisine is global in its influence, but regional sections often bleed into each other, resulting in delicious offerings available across the continent. For example, pate is considered to be French in origin but is rather popular in this part of Switzerland. What pate is, if anyone doesn't know, is a paste, pie or loaf filled with a forcemeat comprising ground meat from pork, poultry, fish or beef; fat, vegetables, herbs, spices, etc. Some even add wine or brandy to the mix.

Poesia has a great name to come with good food.

3. Tartare - raw strength
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Petit Boeuf
#49 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Av. Vingt-Quatre-Janvier 4, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 10:30AM
Tartare
Tartare

Meat tartare - a delicious dish for lovers of exclusive food with the addition of raw meat. Despite the fact that the main component of the dish is raw coarse beef, the tartare is truly delicious. This dish is prepared surprisingly fairly quickly but served as a gourmet dish along with dry red wine and fresh vegetable salad.

The next offering comes from Andorra, which is the closest thing to exotic in the heart of the civilized part of Europe. Steak tartare is a dish of raw minced beef or horse meat usually served with onions, capers, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings. If you're not into mixing things up, secondary components are often presented separately, to be added to taste. Legends say that the dish originated from the cuisine of Mongol riders.

Petit Boeuf would be quite suitable here.

4. Causa - layered fun
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Brasserie des Trois Rois
#36 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Rue du Simplon 7, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 11:30AM
Causa
Causa

Visiting any market in Peru, you will find two things: potatoes and avocados. For the preparation of the traditional causa, these two ingredients are laid in layers, as for casseroles. Then the dish is cut into slices and served cold. Also, canned tuna, meat or a hard-boiled egg can be added to the causa.

This time, the offering is quite exotic by European standards. For those in the know, causa is a typical and widespread entree of the Peruvian gastronomy, which has a pre-Columbian origin. For those who don't know such details, it's a rather interesting dish in the shape of a mini casserole, with the top and bottom consisting of yellow potato and the filling typically of any white meat. The preparation admits many variants, like the causa filled with tuna, trout, chicken, shellfish, etc.

Brasserie des Trois Rois is a good option to check out here.

5. Foie gras - a special treat
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Brasserie du Royal c/o Royal Savoy
#57 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Av. d'Ouchy 40, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 12PM
Foie gras
Foie gras

A luxury dish made of a duck or goose liver. It is a real delicacy with rich, buttery and delicate taste. It is part of France heritage by the country law.

This one is known as a speciality dish. Foie gras is made with the liver of a duck or goose, which makes it quite the calorie factory. Generally, the traditional French preparations of foie gras are made over low heat, as fat melts faster from the traditional goose foie gras, which is not as common now as it used to be. American and other New World preparations, typically employing duck foie gras with alternative preparation methods.

Brasserie du Royal c/o Royal Savoy should grab your attention.

6. Ramen - calm dignity
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SUSHIZEN Grancy Ramen Bar & Sushi
#9 of 66 sushi restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Bd de Grancy 20, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 11AM
Ramen
Ramen

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, with a combination of a rich flavoured broth, one of a variety of types of noodle and a selection of meats or vegetables, often topped with a boiled egg.

Let's step away from European classics and pay attention to what the modern globalized cuisine can offer. Ramen is as universal as such a dish can be - noodles served in a meat-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, nori, menma, and scallions. Ironically enough, Japanese ramen is itself an adaptation and reimagining of Chinese food from a certain historic period.

SUSHIZEN Grancy Ramen Bar & Sushi is a good source of Asian cuisine.

7. Casserole - serious fun
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Amici
#10 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
ATTENTION Nouvelle adresse!, Rue Cité-Derrière 11, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 9:30AM
Casserole
Casserole

It's a rich, slow-cooked meal containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white beans (haricots blancs). The dish originated in Southern France. It is named after its traditional cooking vessel - the casserole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides.

Baked dishes are nothing new, but a classic like a casserole always deserves a spot on the list of popular dishes in this part of Europe. The now-classic recipe for a casserole includes the proper dish, of course, but also pieces of chicken, ground meat, fish or other protein such as beans or tofu, various chopped or canned vegetables like green beans or peas, and a starchy binder. Casseroles take a long time to cook, but they're worth it.

Amici is the restaurant of choice for a casserole.

8. Mangu - always fresh
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Oniwa
#35 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Av. de Tivoli 8, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 11AM
Mangú
Mangú

It is a typical breakfast in the Dominican Republic, which consists of cereal, made from the banana puree. Fried in oil onions can be added. Mangú can be served with scrambled eggs, salami, and grilled white cheese.

The next offering is actually a national breakfast dish in the Dominican Republic. Mangu is made up of boiled green plantains with or without peel on, it always gets removed eventually when cooked through. Plantains are mashed with a fork and some water in which they were boiled, then topped with sautéed red onions that have been cooked with vinegar and oil. The result is a very refreshing mix for any time of the day.

Oniwa is the place to seek out for some mangu.

9. Amuse bouches - a dose of elegance
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Restaurant du Jorat
#50 of 1348 restaurants in Lausanne, Switzerland
Grand'Rue 16, Mézières, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 8AM
Amuse bouches
Amuse bouches

The term ‘amuse bouche’ (pronounced ah-myuz boosh) is French for mouth amuser. Similar to the concept of canapes, amuse bouche is a complementary small bites that are served at the start of the multi-course dinner.

Near the end of our list, let us make the classiness of the items offered here even more pronounced. In the most distinguished restaurants, little things like amuse bouches are actually served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse of the chef's style. Therefore, you will always have to eat something else at the place you choose, but if an amuse bouche is good, the rest is likely more than worth it.

Restaurant du Jorat is one of such places.

10. Hot chocolate - a worthy finisher
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Coccinelle Café
#12 of 791 cafes in Lausanne, Switzerland
Rue Pichard 18, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Closed until 7AM
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink that consists of melted chocolate or cocoa powder, warm milk, and usually sugar. Hot chocolate may be topped with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Nothing is really outlandish or unusual about a cup of hot chocolate to finish your day when eating out somewhere decent. This kind of dish is perfect for a city like Lausanne, as it is the result of both civilization advancing and cultures embracing each other that anyone can find a simple pleasure in seemingly simple food. Especially if a restaurant makes it properly and ensures the sweetness and the hotness are up to standards.

Coccinelle Café is one of those places you love to find yourself at when relaxing.

Lausanne is a beautiful, distinguished, and vividly living city. Have fun being there as much as eating out.

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