Where to eat and drink in Geneva right now

04.01.2025 - 20:01 / lonelyplanet.com

Jan 4, 2025 • 6 min read

When you think of Geneva, three things commonly come to mind: watches, chocolate and banking. Now, it’s time to add gastronomy – because this city’s food scene has become more daring and diverse. 

Beyond the classic fondue joints, which remain cast-iron bearers of Swiss tradition, there are a surprising number of expats cooking up dishes never before served in this medieval, French-speaking canton, which takes full agricultural advantage of its position between Lake Geneva and the Jura mountains. In one weekend, you can sit down for a Lebanese feast at Balila, tuck into lamb madras at Indian Rasoi or eat African doro wat with your hands at Nyala Barka. 

Whatever you choose, Geneva is coming into its own as a foodie hotspot. The challenge is being able to fit it all in (stretchy pants encouraged). Here are my 10 personal favorites.

For an experience emblematic of Geneva itself, book a long, wine-fueled business lunch at François-Paul Journe's Le Restaurant. The watchmaker teamed up with French chef Dominique Gauthier to create a bistro as refined and well-executed as his timepieces. Even the white frosted hands on the dial of their signature Swiss chocolate clock dessert reflect the time of your seating.

How to get it: Le Restaurant opened last November on rue du Rhône and was awarded a Michelin star within a year. Book a table online and rub elbows with the upper echelon of watchmakers and their collectors, regardless of what’s on your wrist. 

Framed through beautiful arched windows overlooking Place Longemalle, Balila is serving up bold, family-style Lebanese feasts. Fill your table with deep bowls of silky hummus with pine nuts circling pools of olive oil as the scent of moutabal (roasted eggplant and tahini) fills your nose while you reach for a second helping of spicy batata harra, which takes fried potatoes to another place with red peppers, coriander, garlic and chili. It’s all brought to you by chef Charles-Benoît Mollard, who trained in Lebanon with chef Hussein Hadid. And it shows.

How to get it: Book a table online via the modern bijoux Hôtel Longemalle, where you’ll find Balila upstairs on the second floor. There’s no need to pre-pay for a prix fixe menu; just order à la carte with guidance from your server.

Walking into Les Armures is like going back in time. Located between the 12th-century Tavel House and the Old Arsenal, the oldest cafe in Geneva is still going strong for a reason. Think vacherin and Gruyère cheese fondue in cherry red pots, bubbling and steaming from every charming candlelit table inside what feels like a wood-carved ski chalet from the 17th century. Come in from the cold and get elbow-deep into the best fondue you’ve likely ever eaten. I’m not sure