First of all, Lucerne is absolutely beautiful! I was only here for 2 days visiting from Seattle and would definitely love to come back. Wilhelm Tell is in a great location--a docked boat right in town--the food is delicious and the service is good too. It was a pleasant, sunny, warm day, so my sister and I were excited to dine outside in the sun on the water. The menu was in German, but our waitress patiently described everything to us in English, which was really nice. Being vegetarian, my sister and I appreciated the fact that they had a tofu main dish on the menu. And it was even better than I was expecting! The portion was generous and the plating was beautiful. The dish included perfectly cooked tofu cubes and an assortment of veggies in a very flavorful sauce over wild rice. Yum! It was just a bit too salty for my taste, but I'm a little sensitive to sodium. For Lucerne, the price wasn't too expensive. I would definitely come back to dine here again in the future. read more

Wilhelm Tell - Tofu with veggies and flavorful sauce over wild rice - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

Cool place for food in the heart of a beautiful city. Fondue. Do not miss the fondue - made table side. Gorgeous views over the water. Oh, and fondue. read more

July 27, 2024. My husband and I were staying at Hotel Sweizerhof (across from Wiliiam Tell Restaurant) and decided last minute to grab dinner on the lake. We didn't have a reservation but were quickly and warmly shown to our covered decktop outdoor table. The evening view of Lucerne and Mt. Pilatas was breathtaking. The ambience was warm. I wished the old steamer could tell us its tales. The service was exceptional (yes, they gave us, without our having to ask, menus in English when we were seated) and the food (I'm not a foody by any means) was outstanding. I had the stuffed chicken breast (stuffed with pistachios and apricots, I think). It was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The accompanying vegetable based sides were out of this world. I would definitlely recommend William Tell. If I'm ever lucky enough to visit Lucerne again, I would DEFINITELY eat here again. However, I'd make a reservation first. I think we got lucky getting a table the first time. read more

Wilhelm Tell - View of Mt. Pilatas and Old Lucerne from our table at William Tell Restaurant.  July, 2024 - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

We found this floating restaurant as we were walking away from the main part of the city and I'm glad that we did. It was a perfect day to have a seat on the deck and enjoy a beer on the water. I remember the price being reasonable and the waitress being polite. If you're looking for a break away from the crowd as you tour through Lucerne definitely make some time for this little place with outdoor seating. read more

Wilhelm Tell - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

The staff at Wilhelm Tell was nice and the old boat turned into a restaurant and bar is cool. The location on Lake Zurich and to dine al fresco on a beautiful day soaking up Mountain Views of the Swiss Alps and watching boats and swans pass by is mesmerizing. The waitress recommended the fried fish pieces with tarter sauce and boiled potatoes for 34.00 CHF which was highway-robbery. The menu was very limited and was mostly tartare, salads, chicken, and meat and cheese plates. Many locals where there for local beer, cocktails, and the beautiful ice cream sundaes made with Swiss dairy. Which I would recommend. I don't think I will ever eat here again but I did enjoy the view. read more

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My wife and I just came from the Annual Congress for ophthalmologist in Vienna called The ESCRS and it was our first time here in Lucerne. We were on our second day today. We only had good experiences from our hotel accommodation at Hotel Schweizerhof as well as our full day tour this morning to Mount Pilatus not until we entered this restaurant called Wilhelm Tell at 6:55pm. We were "arrogantly" greeted by this lady whose name is Jiette Niehman. Initially she wanted to show us to a table on the lower deck but we respectfully inquired if we could have a table on the upper deck as we wanted to have the experience. The lady seemed upset that we asked , but told us to go up only to be rudely rejected / shewed away by the hostess upstairs as there was instruction from Jiette that the upper deck was already closed hence we went down puzzled and thinking why Jiette even allowed us to go up. We wanted to claim the initially offered table but Jiette said it's no longer possible because that area is for reservations only. This restaurant made us feel discriminated and violated. Maybe because we were Asians. We went to this restaurant because of the good reviews we have read as we frequent restaurants with good ratings even Michelin ratings in many countries around the world. This was the only restaurant that ever gave us this kind of treatment in my whole life. I would definitely NOT recommend this restaurant unless you are caucasian or an albino. The owner of this restaurant need to teach their servers the meaning of hospitality unless this directive came from them.And for Jiette Niehman and the other lady upstairs, You guys need an attitude adjustment. read more

OK, I am not a local, but I know Swiss food. Been to Luzern many times. This restaurant is not 5 star quality in a culinary sense by Swiss standards, but you just have to love this place out on the deck of this beautiful boat on a sunny warm spring, summer or fall day. Wonderful views of one of the most beautiful little cities in the world and the lake and the beautiful Alps. It's fun!!! What a treasure of a place. Go for the view. I'd give the food 4 stars too. If you want "fine food," you can surely find that elsewhere in Luzern at double the price. Yeah, it is a bit of a tourist trap, but locals eat here too. Loved it. Downstairs is fun too. Place is like a museum. Fit it into your schedule, tourists..... read more

I have to confess that the first time I saw this old steam boat/paddle steamer permanently moored lakeside in the centre of Luzern, I thought it had to be a tourist trap. However, when we asked locals where they go for the best authentic Fondue experience, we were consistently told to go to the "Wilhem Tell as they do, and this has been the where we have gone now for three Winters. I have no idea what it is like in the Summer time or what that menu is, but I believe that it is traditional Swiss and features local meats and local sea food and Vegetarian choices. However, I definitely can say that they do wonderful fondue! Our Fondue of choice is 'Chinoise' with meats cooked in a broth..much healthier than in hot oil and you don t smell of cooking at the end of the meal . The Wilhelm Tell offers Cheese Fondue in a separate section with the chinois offered in the 'CapitainSalon'. This Salon still retains its original decor and is quite grand. The Staff are very welcoming and consummately professional making for a wonderful experience. We started with a simple mixed salad but with a delicious orange balsamic salad sauce dressing and the roasted hazelnuts added a tasty crunch. Then came the Fondue. We has a selection of chicken, beef, veal, pork and two 'pre cooked' meatballs per person. It came with a selection of sauces...Cocktail, Barbeque, Remoulard (raddish) and Garlic. Accompaniments were healthy steamed vegetables, rice, pickles, a small bowl of tropical fruit (eg pineapple, kiwi fruit ) and the most amazing delicious and utterly more/ish dry fried potato fries! and accompanied by a delicious Swiss Deselaix white wine. What alot of fun it was...cooking, eating and talking with good friends...we ate til we could nt move and then still somehow found room for a icecream sundae!!! Great night, so relaxing!..can absolutely recommend this experience! read more

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Picture this - a rainy night in Luzern, Switzerland. No umbrella. No coat. 50 degrees. It's my birthday and I have no dinner reservation. I need to pee. Trust me, in this town, if you don't make a reservation on a weekend night, be prepared to eat Falafel at a food truck. My travel buddy Jess A and I just got done with a sightseeing tour and we are ravenous. Tired of fondue, we go in search of tableside schnitzel. We are turned away from an utterly empty local hot spot, so at this point, we are wandering aimlessly in search of anywhere that will take us regardless of their reviews. We get turned away place after place. I start to take it personal. Am I ugly? Is it because I'm American? We passed the docked Wilhelm Tell boat earlier on the tour, and decided to take a chance. The rain started soaking through my clothes and I just wanted a hot toddy at the very least. Thankfully the waitress took pity on us and offered us a table (albeit reluctantly). The wine was pricey, even by Swiss standards, but we just didn't care at this point. We sipped a lovely local weiss wine and warmed up. My friend and I are lovers of Pumpkin soup and luckily they had this on the menu. We ate about two loaves of bread and dipped it into the soup drizzled with pumpkin oil (YES!). For the main course, I ordered something I never thought I'd order EVER. Venison, homemade spatzle with lovely cranberry sauce. The venison was tender and delicious - I savored every bite. We opted for a warm apple strudel for dessert which we could barely finish but definitely did some damage on. I loved the ambiance of the boat - very spacious with great views of both the street and the Fall carnival across the water. The clientele was a mix of locals, tourists, families and even a bachelor party of 10 guys who were ordering up some serious food and wine, no doubt fueling up for the long night of schenanigans ahead of them. Sadly after dinner we had to run to the train station in the rain. Luckily it wasn't too far away. The Wilhelm Tell totally saved my birthday dinner and for that I am grateful! read more

order the veal brat, it is fantastic. The beer is good as well. Great for people watching

We really enjoyed this restaurant and got the Captains menu - tuna tartare, spinach soup, steak, and a lemon desert. We got seated right away at 20:00 on a Thursday. Everything was delicious. The waitstaff was prompt and the service friendly. We would definitely recommend this spot ... in fact, we're going back again tonight. After spending 10 days in Italy before Switzerland, it's so nice to eat real food with vegetables! read more

Service sucks, food was subpar especially for the price, the boat was cool with an early 1900's boiler engine. Listen to the other low ratings and do not go read more

3 star food & 5 star view. We had excellent service & were seated at a lovely table. The most elegant "boat restaurant" that we have encountered. Nice evening. read more

Food was solid - not the best we had, but decent. Ambiance is nice (you're on a beautiful, old boat!) But the service by our waitress was frosty and lacking. read more

Not bad, not excellent, just average. Overpriced but it is on the water and location next to train station. They put down the umbrellas on a hot day due to threat of storms so didn't get to finish food. read more

Ordered the cheese fondue as an appetizer, thought it tasted too much like alcohol. The entrees were decent but nothing special. The view was nice but the service was slow (expected in Europe) and not too attentive. Not worth coming here unless everything else is packed. read more