After seeing glowing reviews on numerous sites, I decided to stop by to try some fondue while I was in town. Although the service was fine, the dining experience turned out to be all around pretty lackluster. The restaurant is on the smaller side and felt a bit claustrophobic with the low-rounded ceiling and few windows. The lighting was also really bright, in contrast to other restaurants which use dim/warm lighting for dinner service. I was seated at the corner of a long table and felt a bit pressed against the wall, as the bench on which I sat was fairly thin and there was only about a foot of space between the table and the wall (to my back). I don't know about the other menu items, but the price point was a bit high for fondue. Standard fondue is 24 CHF and fondue with morel mushrooms (morrilles) is a few CHF more. Curious, I decided to try the fondue with morels and paired it with a glass of white wine. The wine was good and the fondue tasted fine, but turns out there were barely any discernible morel crumbs in the fondue, far from being worth the upcharge. On top of that, the portion was very small and the bread was not fresh. I felt like I was caught in a tourist trap. I've dined at some other places in Lausanne that felt more comfortable and had better fondue. I'd probably stick with those next time I'm in town. read more

La Pinte Besson - I paid over 30 CHF for this - a bit over-priced - Swiss Food Near Me - Lausanne, VD

This is the kind of restaurant my dad would go to in Switzerland. Old school traditional food. The restaurant itself was very cool. Kind of like you are stepping back in time. Great ambiance. Menu limited. We didn't try the fondue because you had to order it for two people, it looked like a lot of cheese and smelled really strong and was expensive (50 bucks for a pot of cheese and some bread), but I guess that is just Switzerland in general, expensive. Service was pretty good, waitress spoke no English. Salad was decent and the cabbage that came with the very chewy meat was good. The meat itself, well, it wasn't so great. Bad cut I'm guessing, I mean the flavor was good but it was so chewy I wound up spitting most of it out. And I really chewed a long time! Glad I went to at least get the experience of old school Switzerland, but would not go back. Ok maybe for a beer and a side of the cabbage! Beer was good! read more

La Pinte Besson - Steak - Swiss Food Near Me - Lausanne, VD

See all

I found this place based on Yelp review. It's a bit tiny and you will miss the restaurant if you are not trying to look for it. We came here at 6:30pm, and it's a bit empty. The restaurant gradually fill up. Service is quick. Price is in line with the more expensive pricing in Switzerland. More importantly, the food is excellent. We (2 people) has steak with blue butter (what is blue butter) plate. Tasted awesome. read more

See all

Just ate at this lovely place. You can easily miss it as it looks rather small from the outside. It's located on the corner at a crossroads in a rather old looking and slim building. Inside it's busy, always a good sign, and very cozy. The place is one long room with small and larger table with chairs, stools and benches. The ceiling is made of large blocks of stone set in a barrel vault. The menu is simple and local. Meats, fish, salads and of course cheese fondue! The service is fast and very friendly. The food we had (entrecote and lamb chops) was great. At bit salty, but otherwise excellent pieces of meat, nice sauces. The crowd is friendly and international. The whole place feels laid back, warm and friendly. Don't miss it! read more

See all

Fondue, out of this world good. Had the Steak Tartare as well, and is was very, uniquely, amazing. Recommend to anyone in the area. Place is not touristy at all, and the food is really good. It's a great little restaurant buried in the heart of Lausanne. read more

Characteristic environment with old wood furniture and stone vaults and candle lit tables. Located in pedestrian area in a relatively cenral area. Swiss specialties and among other fondue. Average prices ie 30-40 sfr without wine. Service and food good enough. Attendance made mostly of locals and expats. read more

La Pinte Besson - Main dining room - Swiss Food Near Me - Lausanne, VD

This place was perfect on a chilly night. I'm told this is the oldest tavern in Lausanne, so it's architecture with exposed brick and low ceilings added to the ambiance of the place. It's small, some may say cozy, but in either case, I would recommend reservations. Due to the size, I wouldn't bring a large group, but 4-6 could work, although 2-4 is probably a better fit. Oh yeah, the food. Well, what do you expect, of course we enjoyed the fondue with both bread and some steamed vegetables. The staff were attentive and made for a very enjoyable evening. We had a couple of bottle of wine with our meal and overall just took in the atmosphere and people watching. read more

Best fondue in town! Oldest restaurant in Lausanne, officialy classified so it will stay identical. The menu changes each season, the personnal is very effective. Reservation needed, if you want the historical place it's downstairs, but it's more quiet and classy upstairs. read more

I went there based on the Yelp recommendation, I was not disappointed. Great atmosphere and great old building, good beer and good fondue for around CHF 50, a reasonable deal read more

Went there on a Monday night. As a lot of reviews on the trip advisor notes, the picture on their website is very misleading; for the half-half fondue, we literally got a pot of cheese and a basket of a few pieces of bread. Nothing else. The fondue itself (the cheese) was pretty authentic but it was too strong for my taste. I would say it's not really for people who's not used to the taste. About half of the guests were tourists (from China and the states) and the rest locals. Do not expect any kind of service here. They didn't even bother to ask us if we wanted water/bring us any during our entire meal. I know that this is a pretty historical place(like the oldest tavern in the area or st?) but not sure if it's worth it read more

The place the go for fondue in the center of Lausanne! Very nice owners, decently priced. This is the oldest bar (tavern) in Switzerland!

Worth going to just for the historical aspect. Very cool old tavern with lots of old pictures and drawings of Luassane. Decent prices and good service. Highly recommend one of their steak dishes and the traditional Swiss fondue (they give you tons of good bread to go with it!). read more