With no fewer than five restaurants and bars, the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken, Switzerland, offers a range of culinary experiences.

The story of the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel began in 1865. Opened by Eduard Ruchti, it started as the Hotel Victoria, which is today the west wing of the property. He then bought the Hotel Jungfrau next door, and the Grand Hotel was born. After multiple renovations over the years, the hotel now offers 216 rooms and a spa boasting 5,500 square meters.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the hotel from the Interlaken West train station. When you enter the hotel, you stand in the space that joins the two historic properties. The hotel’s restaurants and bars span both sides of the hotel, as well as the Nescens Spa.

If you’re planning a visit to Interlaken, here’s a quick summary of where you can dine at this five-star palace hotel:

La Terrasse Brasserie

La Terrasse Brasserie is where you can enjoy a sumptuous breakfast buffet in the morning. During the day, it has comforting French-inspired dishes for lunch and dinner.

My recent dinner there started with a fresh yellow fin tuna “Niçoise”-style salad with black olives, boiled quail eggs, capers, potatoes and green beans. For the second course, I had Spaghetti alla Nerano with zucchini, black pepper, basil and parmesan cheese. I then feasted on Steak au poivre, delicious Swiss beef tenderloin with a green pepper cream sauce and mixed string beans. Honestly, it was one of the best steaks I’ve eaten.

For dessert, I was surprised by how much I liked the rice pudding (it’s usually not my first choice) with coconut, mango and kalamansi sorbet. The mango puree was especially bright and flavorful. I ate it all, despite having had such a large meal.

Ristorante e Pizzeria Sapori

For a casual Italian dining experience in Interlaken, with an elegant ambience, I highly recommend the hotel’s Sapori restaurant. Housed in a former ballroom and with an entrance to the street, this restaurant welcomes guests from the hotel as well as the local community.

Along with the various starters and salads, you can order delicious pizzas or dishes for sharing, such as risotto, vitello tonnato and veal ragu with tagliatelle. For dessert, don’t miss the Tiramisu!

Radius by Stefan Beer

Originally from the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, Executive Chef Stefan Beer leads the kitchen at Radius, which opened in 2022. Today, this restaurant has earned one Michelin star, as well as a green Michelin star for sustainability, and 17 Gault Millau points.

The name of this fine dining restaurant is linked to its approach. Chef Stefan Beer told us that generally all the products you can see on your plate are sourced within a 50-kilometer radius of the restaurant. For example, head sommelier Torsten Noack, selects local wines from the picturesque town of Spiez. In the mountains nearby, Radius receives its Berner Alpkäse AOP from Roland & Claudia Feuz. They make this Alpine cheese during the summer at an elevation of 1,650 meters.

Open only in the evenings for dinner, Radius offers a 9-course “Local Menu.” You can select from a menu with meat or an entirely plant-based menu (prices range from CHF 165 to 260). Radius offers a 100% canton of Bern wine pairing for each course (CHF 120), as well as non-alcoholic wine options.

I enjoyed every course (details below), particularly the Swiss-grown shrimp, Wagyu raviolo and chicken with a saffron sauce and spring onions. My only critique was that the kimchi lacked heat, and tasted more like sauerkraut. Another highlight was the cherry dessert, which was both stunning to look at and fun to eat.

Heimiswil Pike-Perch Ceviche
Trimstein Edamame, Radish

Oona Osietra Caviar
Salmon Trout from Sigriswil, Potatoes, Cipolloti

Aemme Shrimp
Bisque, Red Currants, Buttermilk

Schwarzenegger Wagyu Raviolo
Young-Gi’s Cicorino Rosso Kimchi, Raspberry Vinegar

Local Chicken
Konolfingen Saffron, Spring Onions

Mozzarella from Marbach
Mixed Berries, Basil

Pre-Dessert
Watermelon & Nectarine

Cherries²
Laurel from our Garden, Meiringen Buttermilk

Victoria Bar & Terrasse

Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (kitchen from noon to 11:00 p.m.), the Victoria Bar & Terrasse, given its name, is found in the former Hotel Victoria, the older wing of the hotel. It’s in this cozy space with “espressos in the morning and cocktails in the evening,” as indicated by the hotel’s website.

From the menu, you can order a Swiss classic, like the Militär-Chässchnitten (cheese toasts) or hummus, hamburgers, flammkuchen (tarte flambée) and more.

The bar, with both indoor and outdoor seating, is a great place to meet up with family and friends. In the evenings, enjoy live music from the grand piano.

Spa Bistro

While taking advantage of the incredible spa at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel, with interior and exterior pools, you might want a bite to eat. Dine in your bathrobe at the Spa Bistro, which has a menu featuring options for the health-conscious, such as smoothies, salads and mocktails.

For more information:

Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel, Höheweg 41, 3800 Interlaken, +41 (0)33 828 28 28,
info@victoria-jungfrau.ch.

Please note: I stayed at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa for two nights as a guest of the hotel. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article, as always, are purely my own.