Switzerland Guide
Luzern
Eating
1 Heini's Tearoom Falkenplatz 
www.heini.ch . Perfect place for cakes and pastries on a broad, people-watching corner in the Old Town.
2 Hug Mühlenplatz Superb breakfast café, open from 7am, with warm fresh bread and croissants, that also has quality inexpensive lunch menus (around Fr.17). Opening time: Mon-Sat
3 
Jazz Kantine Grabenstrasse 8 Buzzing Old Town hub, open during the day for coffee and beers, and on into the late night as a hopping bar and meeting point, with DJs and live music downstairs.
4 Sunset Bar Seeburgstrasse 61 www.sunsetbar.ch Perfect lakeside café-bar with just the right tone for summer lazing: deckchairs, music, spacious lawns, home-made ice-tea, dreamy views and its own landing-stage. Beware, though: the sharp-dressed regulars crowd in after 6pm. Opening time: April– Oct only
5 Mahlzeit Corner Winkelriedstrasse and Waldstätterstrasse Tiny Moroccan café with a friendly atmosphere and cheap couscous and falafel. Opening time: Mon-Sat
6 Opus Bahnhofstrasse 16 www.restaurant-opus.ch Pricey but excellent waterside café, restaurant and wine-bar, with a bright, warm interior and a huge salad buffet (Fr.15 buys a ton of the stuff). Opening time: Daily until midnight, Fri & Sat to 1.30am.
7 Parterre Mythenstrasse 7 www.parterre.ch Relaxed and inexpensive locals' hangout, open daily from breakfast until after midnight, with quality lunchtime menus (Fr.15). Try their English breakfast – it's satisfyingly filling, even if lacking a bit in authenticity.
8 Salü Helvetiaplatz French-style daytime-only café, complete with citron pressé and pain au chocolat plus soups and salads for lunch. One of several options on this little square. Opening time: Mon-Sat
9 Seebar Within the KKL complex Pleasant daytime hangout, with waterfront views, snacks and sandwiches. Stays open into the night as a DJ-bar.
10 World Café Within the KKL complex Bustling, airy place that does a rapid round of salads, light meals and drinks from breakfast until late.
11 Bodu Kornmarkt 5 
041 410 01 77 www.bordeauxwine.ch Acclaimed French brasserie, with superb, authentic dishes sourced from Provence, Normandy and everywhere in between. Decor is pleasant, service attentive and the wine superb – but the location, with a fine river view, is the clincher. Opening time: Daily
12 Maihöfli Maihofstrasse 70 041 420 60 60 Marvellously relaxed and friendly little all-wood place 1km north of the centre – comfortable, cosy and atmospheric. The cuisine is fresh and modern, with a light, inventive touch, expertly presented, and servers are willing to help you decipher the menu with a recommendation or two, or take the time to talk you through the range of post-prandial grappas on offer. Lean back on your chair and feel good about your dinner. Price: Fr.30–35 Opening time: Mon-Sat
13 Reussbad Brüggligasse 19 041 240 54 23 www.reussbad.ch Easygoing riverside joint to enjoy traditional cooking, relying on a renowned range of fresh fish dishes at around Fr.30. Otherwise, menus are around Fr.18. Opening time: Tues-Sat
14 Schiff Unter der Egg 8 041 418 52 52 www.hotel-schiff-luzern.ch Wonderful old wood-panelled hotel restaurant on the riverside, celebrated for three things: top-quality Würst, huge portions of Chögelipastetli, and twin Spanish waiters who've been serving in the place for twenty years. Summer sees tables set under the arcades directly on the waterfront. Price: Menus Fr.25
15 Spaghetteria Valentino Weinmarkt Central pasta joint, with a range of risotto and other Italian dishes. Price: Up to Fr.20 Opening time: Mon-Sat
16 Bahnhof Buffet Top floor of the train station www.brl.ch A low-budget gem. This greasy-table diner – replete with down-and-outs, smoking schoolchildren and drunken businessmen – charges budget prices for food which has been prepared next door in the kitchen of the adjacent Au Premier gourmet restaurant. A meal which might cost you Fr.50 in Au Premier may set you back a third of that in the Bahnhof Buffet – if you can stand the ambience, that is.
17 Galliker Schützenstrasse 1, at Kasernenplatz 041 240 10 02 www.swisswindow.ch/galliker Hearty, meat-heavy Swiss specialities in a tavern-like setting crammed with people, noise and smoke. The food is consistently excellent, with quality Chögelipastetli standing at the top of the pile, joined by Cordon Bleu (veal steak slathered with cheese and ham), and less palatable offerings such as Kutteln (tripe). Price: Fr.30–40 Opening time: Sept-July Tues-Sat
18 Korea-Town Hirschmattstrasse 23 Pleasant ambience and a good choice mark this Korean place out as something a little more worthwhile than average, with midday buffets from Fr.17 and a range of menus (veggie and not) from Fr.21.