A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Bern
- Bern Information
- Eating & drinking in Bern
- Night life in Bern
- Things to do in Bern
- Where to stay in Bern
- Bern street map
Eating and drinking in Switzerland can be an expensive proposition for travelers, but the tiny city of Bern is so packed with restaurants, cafés and bars that it's possible to find something to suit most budgets and tastes.
Local cuisine tends to be hearty and filling – specialties include 'sauerkraut' and 'rippli' (pork served with bacon, beans and tomatoes). Cheese and dairy also feature heavily on Swiss menus, thanks to the surrounding mountains and their produce.
The compact Old Town has a host of mid-range traditional eateries. Busy Barenplatz and Theaterplatz (in the city center) are packed shoulder-to-shoulder with cafés, while the surrounding cobbled lanes are filled with attractive pavement tables that are perfect for al fresco dining.
West of the center, the university district is home to a number of budget eateries which are popular with local workers and the city’s student population. Erlachstrasse is the best place to head for a fun, youthful atmosphere.
Like the Italians and French, the Swiss regard eating as an expression of local culture and as such only modest international eateries exist in Bern. There are some Turkish, Arabic and, to a lesser extent, Asian establishments which, although affordable, are mostly just fast-food joints.
At Bubenbergplatz, the large Markthalle has two levels of affordable restaurants, several good bakeries and a variety of food stalls where budget travelers can pick up cheap fresh sandwiches or the ingredients for a picnic.
There’s also an excellent range of fresh produce available at the large market in Barenplatz which is held each Tuesday and Saturday. Most of the goods are bought into Bern from surrounding villages and are reasonably priced - especially given their superb quality.
Nestled in the fantastic Swiss countryside, the capital city was never going to rival metropolises like London and Paris for its restaurant or nightlife scene. But with beautiful views and wonderfully fresh ingredients, few travelers can complain that eating in Bern is anything less than suited to the city's atmosphere as a whole.