Great traditional Swiss dishes with jovial service: Restaurant Old Swiss House (7. June 2020)

I walked past the Old Swiss House a number of times and somehow I never felt like going in but since it had been recently recommended to me by friends, I figured, it’s a good location to give a try for father’s day. We had booked a table in advance and since it was only the second day you were allowed to be more than four people at one table again, it was just a perfect match. The place is very traditionally inside but in a nice and appealing way making sure you feel comfortable right away. If you are five or more people though, you should ask for a big table (like the one shown below) as else it becomes a bit tight.

The waiter was super friendly and jovial which was definitely a plus – although with some remarks he really almost crossed a border there. So, as much as I personally appreciate such funny comments it is not always what you would want as a customer – maybe especially when you are from another generation.

In any case, I went for the “beef carpaccio ‘Cipriani’ with their special sauce” (CHF 26.00). The sauce is prepared at the table which is a mixture of egg yolk, schnaps, mustard, salt and pepper and maybe some other smaller ingredients I cannot recall. The beef carpaccio is cut very thinly which makes it absolutely enjoyable.

For the main course, I went for the “veal paillard, served with cucumber salad and salted potatoes” (CHF 46.00). I was shocked by the size of the dish at first as it looked incredibly tiny – but given the paillard was ‘rolled’, it turned out to be actually sufficiently big to serve as a whole portion. The veal was delicious, juicy, and very enjoyable – and so was the cucumber salad. The potatoes were rather normal but had a good consistency and didn’t fall apart the moment you’d eat one. To sum it up, it was a very good dish.

My sister went for the ‘Wiener Schnitzel’ which is apparently their specialty for more than 70 years and is prepared at your table – definitely a lovely experience and definitely worth enjoying. And you can see that they are used to prepare it that way – the waiter said they prepare it approximately 3’000 times a month.

The prices for the wines are often high and it makes you wonder if you really want to pay up to CHF 1’000+ for a bottle of red wine – and frankly, I wouldn’t. But the “Barbera d’Asti Montebruna, Giacomo Bologna” (CHF 78.00) was actually a great choice in terms of quality of the wine but also in terms of price.

It is easy to recognize the quality of 15 Gault Millau points and the fact that the Old Swiss House is part of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs – great dishes, excellent service, and just overall an enjoyable experience. Definitely a restaurant I can recommend you to visit when you’re in Lucerne.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Old Swiss House

Löwenplatz 4

6004 Lucerne (CH)

Tel.: +41 41 410 61 71

Fax: +41 41 410 17 38

E-Mail: info@oldswisshouse.ch

Homepage: http://www.oldswisshouse.ch

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.