G
Need a Holiday?
GENEVA
Hungry? Eat something tasty :D
We all know we need to eat to survive. But what is there here that Is nice for you to eat, that tastes absolutely delish? A lot of places, but there are also a lot of things that do not taste at all very good. Unhelpfully, Geneva has two main seasons - Summer (April - October) and Winter (October - March) - During the Summer there are millions of outdoor, by the lake restaurants/cafes for you to enjoy the wonderfully hot sun. In the Winter, many of these wonderful restaurants/cafes close and go inside for more cosy surroundings.
€ = reasonable €€ = Mid €€€ = Quite Expensive, those with a range (eg € - €€) means that you can choose to eat reasonably or more pricey depending on what you feel like eating.
For take-out pastries go to the SHOPPING page of this website (under patisseries) but these are some tasty sit-in food places to go eat breakfast, lunch and/or dinner in. So here's the usual list and subject list so to speak:
There are set hours for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Geneva and here is an approximate guide to the timings:
Breakfast: Usually these times are different for every restaurant. It should say on their websites but breakfast is normally served till about 11:00am
Lunch: Usually 12:00 till 14:00
Dinner: Usually 19:00 till 11:00.
Large tips are not expected (!). The staff are well paid and do not really rely on tips. Eating out is expensive but it is great and ingredients usually bought locally from high standard places. It helps also to reserve your table at a certain time if you know where you are going. Some restaurants serve throughout the day ('non-stop service') but not all of them.
Looking for the perfect dessert? Course you are. The 'Cafe Gourmand' is my best recommendation. This way you can try 3-5 of the resaurants' best mini versions of their desserts, all served with a cup of tea or coffee to go with it. Delicious.
Geneva is basically the land of small and strong coffees. But what if you're a large milky coffee lover? Order the 'Renversé', simular to a Latte, and Genevan. But watch out don't try and order this in any other place than Geneva... they won't understand what you mean. If you're into having a small something with your coffee order the one and only 'Pignon' its a small, almondy sweet cake that is also a Genevan speciality. Perfection. All Patisseries are amazing, with their own French, delicate flavours. Again. Perfection!
A calm lovely cafe serving homemade quiches, soups and double servings of cake in the middle of Carouge, whats better? Its got a wonderful little terrace in the summer and great for brunches/lunches :D
So, youre old enough to drink alcohol right? Well this is great for those who are. A bar à vin, a wine bar, is the perfect way to spent a night as a couple or just on your own, drinking and eating in style. Don't drink too much though, its not the usual drink till you drop bar :P Plus, to add to the greatness its in a cool and friendly area called Carouge. Wonderful.
Local Restaurants/Cafes in quiet villages. Shhh... (€€ - €€€)
Love quiet nights out in the perfect little village that may as well be something like out of a stereotypical Swiss or French movie? Yeah well there are lots of these little beauties everywhere, you just have to try and find them. Here's a few places to start you off: The Auberge de Landecy in Landecy, Cafe de Peney in Peney (nr Satigny), Cafe de Cartigny (in Cartigny my village) and Les Curiades in Lully.
Going to Bains des Paquis? The larger one without the ropes on the trees that is more oriented around what the adults/teens would enjoy? Yeah well this is right on this beach. Its a bar/cafe that sells drinks and food all year round so you can snuggle up by a heater in the winter and continue to eat outside.
Going to Bains des Paquis? Yeah well this is right by the entrance to this beach. Its a bar/cafe that sells drinks and food right on the lake so you can sit and eat their paninis/sandwiches/cakes with your toes in the water. But its only open during the Summer, April through October that is.
A quiet relaxing lunch in a little square. Sounds perfect right? Well to make it even better its behind the Brunswick Monument on the Quai du Mont-Blanc, where (if the weather lets you) you can see the Mont-Blanc. Its a must go to cafe-restaurant, that is great for breakfasts, lunches AND dinners.
So, are you sick of the almighty Starbucks (we have five in the same area, weird isnt it?) and McDonalds sort of places? Sure you are. So if you go to this coffee shop you are going to the local rivals to these places (especially Starbucks) the best thing is that it is much nicer and has a wider veriety of hot chocolates, juices and many other sorts of things. Personally I like this coffee shop better than the usual Starbucksy sort of thing the money goes to better hands as well :D
This wonderful patisserie/bakery is also a cafe. With warm Plat Du Jours (Dish of the day), soups, salads and sandwiches this patisserie should really go in the food section. But I'll put it here as well :)
Ok, who doesnt like Japanese Sushi? Not most people, so this, as you have probably guessed is a great sushi place in Geneva. I'm not gonna go on about it... Its sushi and there's nothing better. There are other sushi shops like Wasabi and The Sushi Shop but I reckon the best one is Mikado.
'Vegetarian, traditional, vegan food, raw food & detox treatments, in office or at home.' - I feel Bio Web page pretty much sums it up! Well Done I feel Bio :)
Le Flacon. It's smart I'll give it that. Its in Carouge a wonderful place to be. Smart and delicious, just to put it out there :).
Yet another old warehouse setting in Plainpalais, BUT its next to the Museum of Modern Art AND the Philippe Patek Museum. A large room with lots of interestingly interesting curiosities on display.
Ohhhhh GREAT SERVICE HERE. Its modern as well. AND light. BADUM TSSS a must go :D
With a name like this, must get parents joking to their kids saying that thats their restaurant. But despite the name, french for The Terrible Children, it is actually a great boutique, cafe, restaurant and music venue in Plainpalais.
Just a lively Parisienne style brasserie. Nothing big. JUST KIDDING. Its lively, and bustling with people and it has great taste. There really can't be much more that you would want...
Into modern stuff in an old warehouse setting? Yeah, confusing but you know what it exists. And this is it. Its a large restaurant and the best thing is? Its open all day, now thats rare in Geneva.
Brasserie des Halles de I'ile (€)
Yeah another large warehouse restaurant in a brilliant and beautiful surrounding as it stands in the middle of the river. And whats more? They have really reasonable prices and live music.
Yeah, another Italian, that is frankly more traditional and more well known. Could actually be the most famous in Geneva out of the lot.
Yup a large Italian restaurant by the National History Museum. Yeah perfect for those culture lovers :) and those that like modern busy Italian places with table football and relax area for kids.
Shopping and food - doesn't get better!? Walk up a narrow red staircase and order great food, cosy indoors or nice terrace in the summer and then get tempted by the fashion! Nice choice of food at lunch or evening times.
A yummy beach bar/restuarant near the Jardin Botanique, Botanical Gardens, a wonderfully relaxing place to be. If/when you go and if you are a fishy type of person, or if you're just in a fishy type of mood, order the Filet de Perches. Its like a swiss version of the british fish and chips but better, and they taste french too, it is a different type of fish after all. From here, you can also sunbathe, sail and wake board just to make it 10x better than it already is. Open again only for the summer (April - October).
So basically are you really into healthy drinking? Yeah, if you are THIS is the place to go. This shop hasn't actually got a proper shop in Geneva (as you've probably noticed on the website) but there is one in a shopping center called Balexert, it is pretty hidden though. So here is the link to find where it is. There are loads of other wonderful shops in Balexert but really I don't think you would be wanting to walk around a shopping center for a day of your holiday right? But if you are here for maybe the cinema (lots of showings in English language) then go!
Just THE BEST no exception. There is absolutely no excuse good enough not to go here. Its a MUST GO place. Its full of ice-creams, and they speciallize in ice-cream sundaes. BRILLIANT. I would even go during the winter... (It actually first opened in the winter, and yeah I had ice creams there during the winter - the ice cream temparatures are just right not too cold, and obviously not too warm so when you eat your ice cream inside - and its cold outside - when you walk out your not frozen). My personal favourite is the Banana Split (its the same thing in french :D) I order it every time. AND its in the most convenient place, right down the road from the Bel-Air tram stop (this one has the ice-cream sundaes, the indoors room and its open all-year, there is sometimes a stall right by the bus stop but with just the ice-creams) and its on the river 10 seconds from the main shopping street.
Semplice (€€-€€€)
A restaurant in the old town? Yes please! New Italian restaurant, special, small so you really need to make a reservation. Not so cheap but worth the extra. Really friendly staff.
A Italian cafe/restaurant - the original one is located in Confederation Centre (bit of a soulless shopping centre in the middle of town but has 2 great restaurants - this one and Brasserie Lipp - this one is right next door to Brasserie Lipp) and they sell simple but delicious Italian meals and the best best hot chocolate in town - a small cup of thick thick rich hot chocolate - the proper stuff. The second newer one is on Route des Acacias.