Crispy, crusty cheese – the best raclette restaurants

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Intro

Winter is the perfect time for enjoying cheese! These warming specialities are particularly popular in the colder months of the year. But if you find fondue too hard to digest, you might prefer to order raclette and then watch as the half wheels of cheese are heated over the fire, pared and served on a plate. Some restaurants still follow the old preparation methods, while others simply put small raclette ovens on the table, or bring the melted cheese from the kitchen. Connoisseurs particularly appreciate the crust left over from the rind, as well as the accompanying side dishes. Consequently, good restaurateurs will not skimp on the quality of potatoes and gherkins they serve. Although many of the best raclette restaurants are naturally to be found in Valais, cheese culture has long since moved beyond the canton’s boundaries.

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern, Lucerne

As you’d expect from a restaurant named after a traditional craft, the approach here is “old school”. But who’d have thought you could take tradition as seriously as this? Customers can choose from traditional Lucerne pasties with sausage meat, various kinds of fondue and even a raclette tasting platter: three types of cheese, served with potatoes cooked in their skins, pearl onions and various other sides. Whether it is advisable to eat a portion of Sbrinz with pear bread with the wine before starting on the raclette is open to debate, but it’s certainly an option.

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Raclette Factory, Zurich

It’s hard to think of another restaurant in German-speaking Switzerland that has specialised in raclette to the extent of this one in Zurich. Of course, it looks more modern and fun than old-fashioned serving practices, as well as making a lot of sense. Guests can assemble their own raclette like a construction kit, choosing smoked, truffle or blue cheese, and side dishes such as potatoes, bread and bacon. The monthly special raclette is for anyone who likes a surprise.

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Château de Villa, Sierre

This restaurant in Sierre has become the stuff of legend – and rightly so. Gourmet groups both large and small eagerly reserve a table to try to get to the bottom of the secret of raclette. While other restaurants might at best allow you to choose the types of cheese, here local raw milk cheeses are prepared according to ancient methods, served and explained by the various producers. How about pairing your meal with red wine from Salgesch or white wine from the indigenous Valais grape varieties? It’s all a matter of taste!

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Restaurant Walliserstuba, Brig

Melted cheese is not regarded as a delicacy in Brig, but rather as a staple foodstuff. As a key ingredient in “Cholera” – a classic Valais vegetable tart, in grilled cheese, in fondue (perhaps with Williams pears) and of course in raclette. This is available here every day of the week, but on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is prepared with produce from the renowned Turtmann cheese dairy. It goes without saying that demand for a table is highest on these days, so booking is strongly advisable.

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Restaurant Baracca Zermatt, Basel

Please note that this restaurant is in Basel and not in the Valais. And it will only be available to visit between October 31 and the end of March, when people go really wild for melted cheese. Guests at the restaurant at Basel Zoo can order all-you-can-eat raclette, with a considerable variety of cheeses prepared in a variety of ways – just remember diavolo means really hot and spicy! The homemade ice cream that provides the necessary change of pace after the orgy of cheese is particularly refreshing.

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Restaurant Chäsalp 61702 cm ü. M., Zurich

Many people know the Chäsalp as the Tobelhof, while others simply refer to the cheese paradise high above Zurich. If you stop by here, you can choose between fondue and raclette, unless you’re tempted by the meat dishes instead. Raclette is served at the table, so you can prepare it just the way you want – with variants ranging from mild, young cheese to garlic raclette. On request, fresh apples, pears and pineapple chunks can be served in addition to the traditional side dishes.

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Auberge de Savièse, Geneva

Probably the prime address in Geneva when it comes to cheese. Enjoying raclette in a relaxed atmosphere is just as popular as fondue – and both specialities here include a choice of wine from Geneva or from Valais. There are several varieties available from both places. Should anyone wish to stray away from the traditional cheese dishes, they might like to try Malakoff, a special dish made up of “beignets de fromage”, accompanied by gherkins and pickled onions.

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Restaurant le Chalet de Gruyères, Gruyères

Where could you eat a more authentic raclette than in Gruyères, a place that has become famous for its cheese specialities? The authentic atmosphere with plenty of wood is one thing, while the holy trinity of fondue, grilled cheese and raclette is quite another. Of course, everything that goes with it is also just right here, including traditional antipasti such as dried meat and desserts such as meringue with La Gruyère double cream. A real gourmet destination!

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