Geneva is a city of traditions—a place of precision with a history in watchmaking and a reputation for high-flying bankers. Luxury hotels dominate the skyline, and designer shops fill the streets.
While the city is known for its arts and culture, it is not exactly renowned for its food scene. Much like all of Switzerland, Geneva, which sits on the French-speaking side of the country, holds onto its age-old customs, and that includes celebrating its dairy farmers. Fondue, the quintessential Swiss dish, has been a staple for centuries, beloved by people across the country, irrespective of class or social status. And nothing against fondue, but what is essentially a cauldron of melted cheese is not the most groundbreaking of meals.
Perhaps Geneva’s location is partly to blame for its lack of culinary prowess. It’s just a short flight to Paris and only a few hours’ drive to Lyon; the two destinations are known for exceptional restaurants with a scope far beyond the aforementioned fondue dining experience. But Switzerland has never aimed to beat the French when it comes to gastronomy—the country knows its strengths and appeal; namely, the picturesque Alps and dramatic lakeside resorts, all of which contribute to Switzerland’s $20 billion tourism sector.
Over the last few years, however, Geneva has expanded its culinary offerings, providing international travelers more reasons to spend time in the city, aside from transactions and timepieces.
While Geneva is seen as a cosmopolitan city to outsiders, established institutions have long dominated the culinary space—that is, until now. “Young creatives did not have the capacity to be innovative in an industry that respects a hierarchy in the kitchen, and these young chefs were forced to move forward with caution,” Isabelle von Burg, former hotel manager of Four Seasons du Bergue and founder of Next-Gen Hospitality Leaders, tells Observer, citing a long-standing reluctance to break from tradition.
Some local chefs and restaurateurs, however, point to the Covid-19 pandemic as a catalyst for the city’s culinary growth. The pandemic encouraged chefs like La Micheline’s Andres Arocena and Tosca’s Ivan Baretti to rethink their roles in the hospitality industry and open their own restaurants.
Indeed, young, innovative chefs are proving to be the secret sauce in Geneva’s small but mighty culinary revolution. Spanish chef Andres Arocena left the Lausanne Palace’s La Table d’Edgard to open La Micheline in Geneva in 2020. Located in Eaux-Vives, La Micheline serves food inspired by Arocena’s upbringing by the Spanish coast, using ingredients rarely found in Geneva, including kokotxas (cod cheeks) and quisquillas in X.O sauce. The food is accompanied by a strong, Spanish-focused wine list, which is surprisingly hard to find in the city, despite its South American expat community. While Arocena still doesn’t think Geneva rivals his home city of San Sebastian in terms of memorable food experiences, he sees major improvement since he first arrived in Switzerland.
Two years ago, when husband-and-wife team Marion and Louis Schneider opened Matiere, a bistro in the Plainpalais neighborhood, they brought in French chef Freddy Garanjoud to take charge of the menu. Garanjoud already had more than a decade of experience working in Geneva, along with strong connections to local farmers. He’s maintained those relationships, shopping for ingredients at the weekly farmers market in Carouge and purchasing from locals like Pierre Gallay, who supply seasonal fresh vegetables in a very farm-to-table manner. Garanjoud is proud to join a new generation of chefs bringing “fresh perspectives, vibrant energy and modern techniques” to a city that was previously rather conservative in its food experiences.
Matiere’s produce-driven ethos is echoed by other restaurants in the city, including Gallo Restaurant, which opened in 2025 and emphasizes using local meat and seasonal vegetables—it hits the spot if you want a 60-day aged Swiss entrecote with the crispiest shoestring fries. Another recent addition to the Geneva culinary scene, Satu offers contemporary Thai food made using local Swiss vegetables. Tosca has been around for years, but chef Ivan Baretti took over the kitchen in 2020 and prioritized sourcing high-quality produce for award-winning dishes like guinea fowl agnolotti del plin, which changes to pheasant depending on the seasons.
At the same time, established players in the industry—namely, luxury hotels—are making an effort to stay relevant in Geneva’s developing food scene. Rather than the traditional Swiss brasserie menus, these properties are showing their range by keeping restaurant concepts contemporary and on trend. The Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, for example, which has been open since the mid-19th century and is considered Geneva’s first hotel, continues to innovate its culinary offerings. The hotel opened a Japanese restaurant, Izumi Cocktail and Bar, in 2013, and most recently debuted a rooftop bar serving food inspired by the streets of Tokyo, as well as Peruvian-inspired Nikkei cuisine, which draws crowds on weekends with local DJ sets.
At the nearby Woodward Geneva, executive chef Oliver Jean and pastry chef Titouan Claudet lead the team at L’Atelier Robuchon, the city’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant. Despite its accolades and classic French foundation, the restaurant is far from stuffy. The Chef’s Table dining experience features open views of the kitchen, with a buzzy ambiance accented by lively music and bright red leather furnishings, inviting discerning gastronomes to linger. The menu is composed of signature dishes from the late Joël Robuchon, but with a Swiss twist—a Bernese black angus beef with black garlic and tarragon salad and a cheese soufflé made with gruyere AOP, simmered with local asparagus when in season. In 2024, the 32-year-old Claudet was voted the best pastry chef of the year by Gault Millau, earning accolades for his intricate desserts.
Similarly, at Hotel President Wilson’s Bayview by Michel Roth, 29-year-old Top Chef France finalist Danny Khezzar takes French classics like croustillant d’escargot en persillade and poulet de roti to new heights—expect ice, smoke and burning hay during the dinner service.
With access to the lake, Jura Mountains and the support of local farmers, the Swiss-made stamp of approval—and the terroir in which ingredients are grown—has enhanced the Geneva dining experience. Driven by a new vanguard of young chefs who are determined to elevate Geneva’s restaurant scene, the Swiss city is not only earning awards and gaining international attention, but also proving that its culinary landscape is as diverse as its community of expats.