In a severe winter snowstorm, we got snowed-in for an overnight stay in delightful little St…read more Niklaus (population 2,400)-- the train service up to Zermatt was halted at Herbriggen for approximately 24 hours. The good news was we got to eat at the adorable restaurant in this quaint little hotel in town. The waitresses and staff were a pure delight, and even when the electricity shut off for good at around 7:00pm, meal service continued on by candlelight! The kitchen was still fully operational despite the tropical storm-force winds and snow outside. We learned about this hotel and its restaurant by a sweet local woman (who now lives in Bern) we befriended on the train from Visp. She said this was the best restaurant in town and we loved it.
We had a mixed salad of vegetables, the pork cordon bleu (which was incredible!) and a mini-pizza. There are all kinds of home-made pizzas on on the menu... I think that is what happens at restaurants in villages this small. The beer was awesome, the wines by the glass were not so good, but we enjoyed them anyway; were else were we going to go?!
The only downside for us is that we could not stay at the hotel. By the time we disembarked the train, every property in town was booked because of stranded folks like us, so we had to rent a small room above the train station restaurant. But at La Reserve, the manager on duty personally gave us a ride home up the hill so we did not have to trudge back through the wind and snow. Dinner with a few drinks ran us just under 75 CHF. If you find yourself in St. Niklaus and in need of dinner, call ahead for a reservation and come to La Reserve!
