We just happened see it while walking through Sternenplatz on our very first day in Lucerne. I knew that there would be entertainment, and the timing of that was perfect. We didn't have a reservation for lunch, but they warmly welcomed us to the upper dining area. There was a very large tour group seated in the lower front part near the stage. The lovely show announcer asked us where we were from (USA), and told us that we arrived just in time to see their show. Yay! There were people of all nationalities enjoying their hospitality. Our server (Linda) arrived shortly after that with our menus. She was great! We ordered a big bottle of still water for our drinks. I just had to try the traditional Fritschi Pastete from Kreyenbühl Bakery while my husband ordered the Pork Cordon Bleu. All the menus around town were heavy on veal. My husband was happy to see "schweins" on this menu. Everything was good! Honestly, I could have done without the ring of rice. I would have been happier with some veggies or boiled potatoes. The rice around the pastete wasn't that good, but I guess it's there to soak up the sauce that flows out of the pastry. The size of the whole dish was a bit overwhelming. In retrospect, I should have ordered something lighter. I was barely able to eat half of it. It was a very large portion. The meat (veal) & sauce was gamey. Most people love that. It's a Swiss tradition. The boozy raisins served with it was a treat. Let's just say it was a good food exploration. My husband really liked the creamy mountain cheese in his Cordon Bleu, as well as the crispy fries. The best part was the Folklore Show. This is what draws everyone here. It may seem touristy to some, but I found it to be very cultural. I honestly don't get the lower reviews for this place. Why did you even pick this restaurant if you don't like seeing traditional Swiss culture? It was a great performance! It was cool to hear the music and sounds of the Alps. This included the Alphorn music as well as yodeling. I loved it! It was also interactive. They brought up volunteers to the stage to blow into the alphorn, and to dance with them. We would have stayed longer but we had to get back to sightseeing. There's never enough time in the day to do everything. I totally recommend a visit if you're looking for traditional Swiss food & culture. There's raclette and fondue dishes including Fondue Chinoise (or Hot Pot). There are vegetarian offerings as well as a full bar of drinks. It's a cool & clean atmosphere. A very enjoyable experience! read more

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If it's wrong to want a delicious fondue experience in Switzerland, then I don't want to be right. We looked up spots nearby us and this place was highly recommended. We arrived on a Saturday night and it was busy. We shared a table with another group, but they were leaving. We ordered the cheese fondue and a steak. The fondue was great. As was the steak. It was a good portion but I totally could have had a second pot of fondue easily. It took a while for the food to come out. There was not much communication about the delay with the food so we were just left wondering until it finally came out. It also took a while to locate the server when we were ready to pay the bill. All in all it was great food and would recommend to anyone - just pack some patience. read more

Stadtkeller - Steak dish - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

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We went with a huge group 30+ people and they were able to accommodate us. The cheese fondue had 3 different type of cheese. It was creamy and bitter sharp at the same time. I loved how they had lots of sauces to try out. The mean was just so so. I don't like mixing chicken and beef together. They brought out some fruit and sweets to dip in chocolate to finish off our meal They had a great show and very cultural. It was totally packed and not much room to move. It was a fairly nice evening and the wait staff was fantastic read more

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A little hokey with the Swiss Folk experience but lots of fun and the food was good. Musical performers were good. We had a large group in for lunch. You may get a chance to go onstage as a volunteer! read more

We arrived shortly after opening for lunch on a rainy day and there were already a few tables sat. We were immediately given a table without waiting by the no nonsense wait staff. Welcoming but firm. The tables in the area they have available for lunch are all set thoughtfully with glassware, utensils and napkins. There were only two people working out front so they had only one area open. This definitely helped with their efficiency and it was a marvel from my vantage point. They did not stop moving the entire time we sat for a little over an hour. Very good at checking on customers and clearing tables. We started with beer & rose, with sparkling water. There is a hefty menu for both. My partner ordered the tomato cream soup and I opted out of an appetizer though there was bread and I tried his soup. It was a bit salty and you have to stir in the cream to counter that. Then it is only slightly so. The bread was very warm and fresh, complimenting the soup nicely. For our meals my partner got the farmers sausage that came with rosti potatoes. I did not get a taste review from him yet but the sausage and all of the sauce disappeared with almost all of the potatoes. I got the macaroni and cheese with onions and apple sauce. I also got the chicken wings because I thought I would need some protein and was only getting a small pasta. Ooops. My Mac and cheese could have fed an army or at least four people. The bowl was the size of a pot. There potatoes and roasted onions in the dish really charged it up to make it hearty and flavorful. The cheese was perfect. I do not like strong cheeses cooked into my food and this was smooth like butter. The wings were so hot we had to wait for them to cool a bit but once we tasted them, light crunch on the outside, juicy on the inside! They came with a sauce that more aioli than I was expecting. Didn't really need it in my opinion. You must arrive to this establishment hungry. They did not come to play! It says on the website there is no lunch show unless requested prior so I assume a large group would have to book the larger tables in the restaurant for that to happen. The food is very expensive. You are in a tourist area in a tourist restaurant. Worth every penny and they don't give you a chance to tip so it felt like the price includes the stellar service. I hope we are able to come back to Lucerne to see the evening show! read more

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Absolutely the worst restaurant I've ever gone to. To begin, we were told we could leave if we didn't like our seats. (We had to watch the very corny show on a wall video.) We waited 1 1/2 hours for our food and when it finally arrived, it was terrible. Did not eat it. The server tried to help with free beer and wine. It was that bad! Literally wasted $200 for two persons. Don't waste your time and money! read more

Had a great time here, but was disappointed to get the "tip is not included" treatment as a single woman dining. I was ready to leave one and did, but given how highly recommended this place is, I didn't expect the cheap attempt At taking advantage of a guest. read more

Stadtkeller really put on a wonderful show and provided excellent professional customer service to my tour group. Can you imagine serving about Fifteen American tourists and providing lively entertainment at the same time? We were very fortunate to be seated in front of the stage. During the show a costumed character of a cow came over to our table and naturally headed over to me to add to my experience. I'll definitely have to find the photo to post. It set my whole table laughing. The food was excellent and everyone was served in a timely fashion so we all finished our meals and left at the same time to be on our way to our next excursion. I'm highly recommending you go for a enjoyable meal, show, and cultural experience. I can still feel my joy and my emotions at the moment even after all these years. Sorry my photos are old. I couldn't find some of them. read more

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Cute show but food was not worth the price. Targets an older crowd, so my new husband and I on our honeymoon felt like we didn't really fit in well. We also got charged for tap water, on top of the cocktails we had purchased with our meal. read more

Typical Swiss food. The veal liver was good. Others in my party were raving about the farmers sausage. There was a six person polka band playing starting at 7:30pm and the place really started to get hopping. The service was very friendly and attentive. Prices are high but it seems to be the norm in Lucerne. read more

You gotta go here once and catch a show. This is a fun evening of musical entertainment and participation. The service for us was quick and friendly. I would say that the food is good to average but you're not here for the food alone. You're here for the show, atmosphere and fun. read more

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By far the best service iv had in Switzerland, the waitress was polite and well equipped to handle any type of customer. Very untypical to find a service this Good in Europe. The traditional swizz food was good as well! The Bratwurst was amazing here! There was a performance of traditional swizz music with multiple instruments as well. Was not too loud or distracting that you couldn't enjoy your meal and talk to your party, at the same time wasn't too lullabyish... Would highly recommend going here. read more

The rudeness of the service staff at this restaurant is astonishing. We made an advanced reservation and showed up on time. We were seated promptly and quickly asked what we wanted to eat. We asked for a few minutes to check out the menu. 40 mins later, we were still waiting for somebody to take the order. When we tried to make eye contact, we were told to wait 2 minutes. Next time we requested service verbally, and were told that it will take 2 more minutes and "we should see that a lot of guests all arrived at the same time". Meanwhile, 2 other parties that were seated after ours did seem to mysteriously get served. After waiting another 10 minutes, we walked out. Having waited a total of 40 minutes from the start time of an official reservation, this seemed quite reasonable. Unfortunately, they managed to somehow make things even worse. We were quickly reminded to pay our water bill. The service to make that payment was super quick. Upon departure, the head server neither had the courtesy to apologize for the slow service, or the common sense to invite us again at a future time. The rudeness and unnecessarily contemptuous attitude is probably the lowest level of service I have experienced after visiting several restaurants over the past 20 years of travel. read more

This restaurant is unlike anything else I've ever experienced. Not only do they perform, but they bring you up onto the stage to get involved with the singing, dancing, and even drinking. One issue was it was non stop. Some of my friends kept having to stop eating their meal to get pulled up on stage. They shouldn't be pulling people up once the main course is out. Before and after? Fine but not while people are obviously eating. It was also so incredibly loud that I left with a headache because we were one of the tables right next to the stage. As far as the food, it was expensive and nothing special. But switzerland in general is expensive, so that didn't really surprise me. Overall, it was an experience that I will never forget and I found myself laughing, but definitely be prepared that you're paying for the experience, not the best meal. read more

Stadtkeller - Veal Sausage - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

We visited this restaurant for dinner with my wife, our daughter, her fiancée and me. We were greeted at the door in German and our daughter's fiancée, who is fluent, responded. The hostess noticed that we spoke English and assigned an English speaking waitress to our table. We started with a round of local beers. By local, I mean made there for the restaurant. All of us thought the beer was very good i had the sliced pork plate, two of them had the sausage plate and one had a salad. My plate was cooked perfectly and had a great taste. They heated the plates to keep the food warm. All of us voted to give this meal five stars. We recommend this restaurant. read more

The food and service were great and the show allowed for a fun experience. Ambiance was traditional Swiss

Go here for a fun night. Martin is friendly and an excellent host. The food is good and you may think that the show is a touristy thing to do, but that is exactly why you need to see it. It is a delightful room with a stage and the performers are really good. My husband and I enjoyed learning more about Switzerland and the music was so nice. read more

We started with a very nice fondue served at the absolute perfect temperature, our group liked it enough that we ate our first basket and then part of another. This was followed by a very nice salad, the first crisp greens of the season and a very tasty dish of veal mushrooms and potatoes with a fantastic slice for sopping! So. Very good! While the food is served music is played and then after the main course the performers do an excellent job of engaging and including the audience in the rest of the show. Great fun for all ensued! The only downsides are that it can get a little loud and the space is very tight on our visit there was not an empty seat in the house and the spaces between tables require sliding sideways when people are seated. Overall, good comfort food and a very fun way to get a taste of Swiss food and culture! read more

Stadtkeller - Traditional musicians dance and very good food! - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

Not the kind of place that I usually go, but since we only had two days in Lucerne, I wanted to experience a bit of folk culture. We opted for the price fixed veal with cream sauce menu, but the friendly server told us we could certainly have ordered from the a la carte menu. I was surprised since many places with entertainment require that you order from a set menu. We started with the fondue, of which we ate entirely too much. The food is not haute cuisine, but it was hearty and tasty. The show was great. Music, dancing, and an introduction to Swiss culture that was unfamiliar to me. Audience participation is key. If you have kids or teens who want to do more than stare at their phones, they will enjoy this place immensely. read more

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I really wasn't all that crazy with this place. The place was part of our tour and the place is super touristy. I remember forcing myself to stay awake during the "entertainment." This place does handle large groups quite well though. The food: Swiss Cheese fondue- in Switzerland, you think of Swiss Cheese, of course. But the cheese had such a strong alcohol taste that it kinda killed it for me. The cheese itself was nice but I couldn't get over the alcohol taste. I also tried waiting for the flame to cook off some of the alcohol but that was to no avail. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=UnvvJrIc8-2xHIMDJUjPOQ&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Swiss Cake- it was essentially a vanilla and strawberry cake, it was just OK. Nothing great really, it was plain ice cream. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=xg_68Eme_AXMHQrkJh00RA&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA read more

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Great meal! We dined the first weekend restaurants were allowed to open during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no show with dinner, which may have worked in our favor--less crowded. The staff was very welcoming. Our food was great and the beer was excellent. The bar area seemed to be popular and had a cool vibe. read more

Stadtkeller - Porksteak - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

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This place is the reason we came back to Lucerne, it is truly a wonderful Experience. The evening show at 7:30 and the traditional la fondue package is the best! Highly recommend you enjoy an evening here and plan on making reservations months in advance. read more

Booked the Stadtkeller over three months ago. Got to the restaurant...we were seated in the very back on the side away from the entertainment by a long shot! (had to look at a tv screen to see what was going on) This place is clearly catering almost exclusively to the tour companies. If you come in and you aren't with a tour...relegated to "Outer Mongolia" and you pay full boat! VERY UPSET but the guy who Seated us did not care. Said the people who sat in the good or at least decent seats booked 5-6 months ahead. Really?? I guarantee you NO ONE in the good seats was not on a tour. The food was your moderate grade tour catering food...but fun...with the fondue and so forth. The entertainment, if we could have seen it first hand, was very good! Wouldn't have booked it if I had known. The picture attached is our seats...at 215 CFH for 2 ppl...that a pretty pricy disappointment! read more

Stadtkeller - Stadtkeller seats in the very back side room. - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

The experience was amazing specially with all the dancing and singing but the fondue was not that great. It might also be because I have gotten used to the Americanized version of the fondues. read more

With the New Year, I saved the centennial review milestone for a significant & memorable 2012 spot that I likely won't have the good fortune of visiting anytime soon. I was on whirlwind tour of Europe in July 2012 with Trafalgar tours. Our tour group was an eclectic mix of Canadians, Americans, Aussies, young & old. This extra excursion was where people took off their masks, and people revealed their true colours. AND IT WAS AMAZING! On our tour itinerary, it was known as the 'FOLKLORE EVENING AND DINNER'. As part of the package, it cost my wife & I 98 Swiss Francs (about $105 CDN each). We had a fantastic time. Yes, it was redonculously spendy, but it ended up being absolutely worth every Rappen/centime/centesimo. If given the choice again, I would choose the Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant over the Moulin Rouge in Paris. It's not surprising that people will complain about the damage, but seriously - get over yourselves. Do you realize where you are? Switzerland is an insanely high-priced locale. It was approximately $12 FOR A BIG MAC. Just for the sandwich! AND THEY CHARGE YOU EXTRA FOR KETCHUP. And you pay to use the washroom. Just sayin. Lucerne/Luzern is very big ticket, so why not enjoy some entertainment with savoury sustenance? It was first rate buffoonery, but you have to be agreeable absurdity and willing to laugh at yourself. The Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant is a beer hall and a primeval place of merriment in central Lucerne. The fun & facetious show is quintessential Swiss cultural experience. It was a full house, as our tour group was just one of many. My wife & I were seated near the entrance, but were still able to see and actively participate. My lovely celiac wife was ecstatic that they offered gluten free options. We started with legendary cheese fondue and cubed bread. It was too rich for my taste - I'm not very fondue of fondue. I wish I had tried the raclette. I took full advantage of the drinks being included. I also drank on behalf of a couple of lovely ladies who did not drink alcohol. I thoroughly enjoyed drinking the house brewed Stadtkeller beer out of ginormous steins. The beer is brewed with spring water from the Pilatus mountain. I indulged in a tasty Swiss meal - Zurich veal style veal in mushroom cream sauce with rösti potatoes. Somebody needs to do rösti in Ottawa. I also partook crisp white wine. The Swiss Folklore show fully embraces Green Day ideology with scores of audience participation. I credit Gwen Stefani with people embracing the opportunity to yodel in front of complete stangers. http://youtu.be/9sY-TsLXiDo The house band entertains all night on stage. The multitude of muscians enthrall you while playing a plethora of traditional and non-traditional instruments. They play traditional Swiss and German polkas. The audience was invited to try playing the ridiculously long Ricola commercial horns, as well as other instruments. Then the band started showboating, with their flagthrowing skills. ;) The Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant beyond any doubt caters to tourists, but the staff clearly enjoys their jobs and embrace customary Swiss entertainment. This was a very memorable dinner out . If you want a touristy fun and frolic experience in Lucerne, this is the place to do it. 1/30 - Yelp Ottawa's 30 Day Challenge! read more

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This is a very touristy location and you may be fine with that. They pack you in like sardines though so that isn't my idea of a nice time. I expected to watch a show of local traditions and eat local foods. But the mass produced food was mediocre. The show had some yodeling and folk music. So there was a little bit of the Swiss tradition. But there was also someone dressed up as a cow, a conga line, audience members beer chugging on stage. This was not my idea of entertainment. I'd suggest going to a nice restaurant for dinner as you will enjoy yourself better and have edible food. read more

The entertainment was awesome! I totally loved it! I got the vegetarian option for my meal and I liked it too. (Others who had their veal weren't too happy though.) read more

Such a fun night! The food is what you expect from a big dinner and show restaurant, it's not amazing but it's not bad either I really enjoyed all the courses and it felt like a wife variety of different dishes but really what makes this place special is the entertainment for sure! It is entertaining and brings the entire place together where by the end of the night we were all dancing and in a conga line! Lol it was a great entertaining night out in Lucern. A must stop place for tourist for sure. read more

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Probably the best beer I've ever had. Touristy as hell, expensive, and GODDAMN did I have a good time here. A lot of tours (like Trafalgar) use this place as it has a LOT of room and is made for entertaining a lot of people. It's got your requisite Swiss cuisine (including fondue), along with a stage where folks play music (hammered dulcimers and even brooms), and blow those big horns that you used to see on the Ricola commercials. Lots of fun, and even more fun when you're drunk. Maybe not for everyone, but me and my whole family are fans of this place. I just wish they exported that beer to the U.S. . . read more

My family and I had an wonderful evening of Swiss folklore with our Cosmos tour group here at Stadtkeller back in July of 2010. My brother and I were teenagers at the time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience; coming here was one of the highlights of our trip. The entertainers were wonderful: they sung melodies, yodeled, blew the alp horn, played the accordion, and performed traditional dances. There was also a dancing cow that came around to all of the kids. The performers and servers made you feel right at home and were exceptionally friendly. The most memorable components of the three course dinner (55 EUR per person back then) were the cheese fondue and the Swiss flag-shaped ice cream cake. While expensive, the experience was like no other and well worth the cost. If I am ever lucky enough to come back to Lucerne I will definitely be dining at Stadtkeller again. read more

Touristy but fun. The fondue was excellent especially the steak fondue. The tomato soup and beef broth with egg was also quite taste and delicious. The traditional Swiss group was very entertaining! Amazing what bored villagers can come up with to keep their winters exciting! A bit pricey but you get to check off quite a bit off your Switzerland to do list. Heads up be ready to yodel and you will get a free beer. What happens in Lucerne stays in Lucerne!! read more

Stadtkeller - Entrance - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

I'm going to start off by saying that I didn't come here for the food. However, the tea is quite nice, whether or not you combine the meringue with it. I came here solely for the entertainment; a dancing cow (which happily poses for pictures, if you ask politely), and the yodeling (which is pretty awesome, and not at all inappropriate, like some random online review mentioned). If you happen to be experiencing a panic attack, or an unusually rough patch of homesickness, the red phone booth *does* comfortably fit two. read more

Food and services are ok....the portion is large good enough to share...not much interesting choice....if u r hungry this is the place read more

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I saw the music show here and the musicians are amazing and multi-talented. They performed to a diverse crowd of people which included Alp horn playing, yodelling, traditional dances, flag throwing, coin rolling. Thanks for a great show! read more

Stadtkeller - Alp horn playing - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

This place is amazing. We are here for the first time on vacation and the food, service and entertainment is just amazing! read more

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We went here after reading a glowing Yelp review and it was probably the worst decision of our trip. First of all, it was EXCEEDINGLY expensive, especially for the quality of the food. The portions, however, were huge (my wife and I split a meal package, and it was more than enough food for the two of us). The fondu was good, the veal was mediocre, and the dessert was awful. In terms of the "folklore show", we had high hopes as our friends had a positive experience with folklore and storytelling in Ireland. This, however, was something that should be performed by puppets at a theme park - about as far from legitimate swiss culture as you could get. Worst of all we met some other friends from Zurich here - highly embarrassing to be here with actual Swiss people. This is your place if you want to spend a lot of money for an incredibly touristy, kitschy experience. If you want actual history or culture, look elsewhere. read more

Not recommended. It took at least 10 minutes for us to even get a menu, the place had 4 other tables seated. We ordered the fondu which came with a very small bowl of bread for $27, not realizing if you ordered a 2nd bowl of bread (not even enough to finish the bowl of cheese) they charge you double. The staff was not at all friendly so nothing about this place would make me want to come back here. read more

Over priced and very crowded and was so loud it was hard to hear at our table. Some entertainment but a lot it entailed crowd participation ( trying to blow horns, conga dance line, beer chugging). Food was adequate but not what you would expect for $57 to $85 plus whatever drinks you order. Save your money for a more scenic dining place down near the lake but better food at less the cost and better dining atmosphere. This is tourist recommended place but would not be a location we would go again or recommend. read more

This restaurant was horrible. The waitress seated us in the sun when it was 107 degrees out when there were 5 tables in the shade and we asked to move to the shade and once we asked that she rolled her eyes, groaned, and then moved us to the shade. She then proceeded to talk bad about us to her coworkers that were 3 feet away. read more

Hallo from california! We wanted to try out authentic swiss food with the trad swiss music on our last day of our trip to switzerland and we found this place. Generally looking at the 3 1/2 stars doesnt excite me and my hubby but in case of this place, we were looking forward for it. We arrived at 8:06 pm on a tuesday night as we assumed it wont be full and came without a reservation. To our surprise the place was full but we got lucky to have one last available table at the corner of the restaurant. We were so delighted as the ambiance was amazing. There was live music with the couple of performers on stage playing alphorn. They were engaging the audience imensely by calling them for dancing, singing, playing alphorn etc. Me and my hubby went for most of the activities they asked for volunteers from the audience and we enjoyed every bit of it. We ordered their Kasefondue als Vorspeise and their Mumbai chicken curry was our backup if in case we didnt like the cheese fondue :) We also ordered their house beer. But, both me and hubby absolutely loved the cheese fondue and their beer. In fact, we didnt like the mumbai chicken curry as much. The server was too kind with us. She always came on time and served us our order pretty quickly. We went crazy for the performers and came out happy on our last day of our trip :) I would definitely come back :) read more

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