Vegetarian food options in Switzerland

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 September 2016 at 8:18:46 #810090

    Hi

    We are travelling to zurich, st. moritz, Zermatt and then to montreux and then to Geneva. We are travelling with 2 kids (aged 5 and 1.5 yrs old) and we don’t take beef. Could I know what options are there during our trip which the kids can eat as well. Is it possible to find vegetarian food? Any recommended restaurants that we could visit?

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 September 2016 at 12:23:16 #855944

    Hi msrajey

    It is difficult to have nice veg food in a hotel. Beef/Pork is widely used.Even chicken dishes are not always available. But relaxed,it is Switzerland,you have a nice and full breakfast with quality bread,cheese,milk,butter and chocolate ,then fresh fruit,sandwitches and cup noodles and icecream in picnic lunch and have dinner with salads/ indian dal soup/spagetti or veg pasta/pizza (if lucky)

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    13 September 2016 at 12:30:09 #855945

    Hi msrajey,

    I don’t eat meat myself and have never had a problem finding vegetarian food in restaurants and supermarkets. Dishes with meat are common but restaurants without a vegetarian dish are rare, in my experience. Here’s some additional information: myswissalps.com/ aboutswitzerland/ culturehistory/food.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    13 September 2016 at 18:31:54 #855946

    Thanks!

    my kids survive well on pasta but wondering if that is available widely in Switzerland since that’s Italian. But if western dishes are available that would be great too!

    i was more of wondering food options at st. moritz and Zermatt and for lunch and dinner specifically.. What cuisine is common at these places? Other than bread and cheese .. If Rosti is available that would be great too..

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    14 September 2016 at 0:29:43 #855947

    <<“if that is available widely in Switzerland since that’s Italian. “>>

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Languages_of_Switzerla nd

    It is rare to find a place that does not have pasta, at most places in Switzerland.

    <<“If Rosti is available that would be great too..”>>

    It is hard to avoid Rösti anywhere in the German speaking regions of Switzerland.

    Please note that the dish is called “Rösti” not “Rosti” Different spelling and different pronunciation.

    However, the Swiss appreciate tourists, and they will sell you Rösti, even if you ask for Rosti. 😉

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 September 2016 at 10:14:37 #855948

    Haha. Understand. Will take note!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 September 2016 at 16:09:24 #855949

    Hi i was mad to taste rösti but not find any without meat . And veg rösti and even if it was in menu-they smilingly say you it will take an hour to serve haha…

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 September 2016 at 23:31:29 #855950

    Msrajey, absolutely there is no issue with vegetarian food. We just returned from our 9 day trip (please check my trip report where you find more details about food as well), there are plenty of veg food options. Lots of Veg Sandwitches (we found a great fast food chain Bachman, they have great Pannini, Pasta and Pizza choices. Everything Farm fresh, their Cheese is very popular and we liked their Yogurt too (not to speak of chocolates ofcourse). Most of the fast food chains in the train stations (they have shops and restaurants in some of the stations). Lastly Migros and Scoop grocery stores every where. Hope this helps.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 September 2016 at 0:51:47 #855951

    Thanks a lot everyone.

    will definitely look out for the Bachmann fast food chain and the COOP supermarkets ..

    funny how vegetarian rösti would need 1 Hr. My idea was they would just serve the rösti alone without the meat sausage.. Hmm

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 September 2016 at 1:38:45 #855952

    That’s true, for veg “Rösti”, it takes 1 hour. When we ordered, it took for ever to get it, but worth trying

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 September 2016 at 2:57:06 #855953

    Oh ok sure, thanks for pre-empting!

    Chandraks, I will also read your trip report for more insights!

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    15 September 2016 at 6:37:35 #855954

    Hi msrajey-

    I’d like to offer a few comments on my own experiences with Rösti.

    It is certainly true that Rösti are not instant food or “fast” food. And, if you start from the very beginning, it does add some time to shred the potatoes to the correct size/shape/dryness. If you start with a frozen pre-made shaped patty or disc, they are not nearly as good.

    However, my own experience has been that it can take anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes. One hour is because the restaurant does not want to go to the trouble of making them.

    If you order them at the Zeughauskeller in Zürich, they can come out much more quickly, because they have such a steady demand at this large restaurant that they are always cooking some, for orders yet to come. Their version is not bad, but not the best. Unfortunately, they also tend to undercook so that the flavor does not develop in them and they seem (in my personal opinion) to use a “trick” to make them crisp before they are cooked to the perfect degree. That trick is used in the USA at fast-food restaurants to make extra crisp french fried potatoes…..the potatoes are lightly coated with potato starch before cooking, and an especially crisp “skin” is created during the high temperature cooking process. They become crisp with less cooking time. At least, the Rösti at the Zeughauskeller have tasted that way to me for the past few years, so I don’t order them there anymore.

    Properly cooked plain Rösti are a golden color ranging to light brown and taste of well-cooked potatoes and butter. They are crisp on the outside and well cooked but tender on the inside. They are not dry to the palate. They form a coherent patty. They are not mushy, the individual pieces of potatoes adhere lightly to one another but are discrete. The patty can be broken apart easily with a fork. If overcooked they may have a dark brown hard crust, which is also acceptable if it is not too thick.

    The can be served alone, as a vegetarian dish. In years past, in the winter i the deep valleys, potatoes were one of the vegetables that could be kept in the cellar, and a simple dish of Rösti would be a mainstay of winter existence. In the Emmental, they always accompany certain meat dishes, as a tradition. In the French speaking region, you would get “frites” as a mattter of course….Rösti are rarely served.

    They also may incorporate some onions, shredded meat, bacon, or other ingredients, and have cheese in them or on them, as well as a fried egg on top. Years ago, there was “Rösti-bar” in Zürich main station where you could get 25 or so variations. Most did not appeal to me. I like plain Rösti, sometimes called “Butterrösti.”

    Sometimes, in the Valais, at the newly managed beer garden above Raron, I have had them undercooked with lots of onions in them. I did not like those. After two tries I don’t order them any more.

    And, cooking them cannot be rushed. They’ll burn on the outside before the inside is correctly cooked.

    The actual cooking process takes about 15 -20 minutes if you do it at home; restaurants have some tricks to make it a little faster.

    Why could they take an hour? Because, if the restaurant usually makes french fries – called “frites” by the French or “chips” by the English – they can cook them in about 5 minutes. Open a bag and pour them into the hot oil fryer. They don’t want to make Rösti because they take too long and it is a labor intensive process requiring some care… . So, you get told…”it will take an hour”.

    The taste and quality seem to vary from restaurant to restaurant, which surprises me since in concept Rösti are a simple dish, consisting of potatoes and butter. But, certain restaurants in the Emmental always make much better Rösti than others here and there. The restaurant at the scenic viewpoint at Uto-Staffel above Zürich on Uetliberg does a good job, too.

    So does this restaurant-

    dreistuben.ch/

    but it is expensive and hard to get into. Theirs are worth a detour.

    That is what I have learned after 30+ years traveling in Switzerland and eating a lot of Rösti.

    If you are there for a while, you may hear or read the word der Graben. Der Graben means the ditch or trench. It is relates to the English word “grave.”

    der Röstigraben-

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ R%C3%B6stigraben

    There is kind of a joke, created by the press, to call the dividing line between the French-speaking area and the German-speaking area “der Röstigraben.” On the French side, they eat “frites,” on the German side, they eat “Rösti.” Certain political trends tend to be identified with one side or the other of the language divide, and, the short-hand saying comment in the newspaper might say ….”…on the other side of the Röstigraben, they voted against that referendum….”

    Enjoy the Rösti… you’ll find good ones that don’t take an hour.

    By the way, one of the best known and longest exisiting vegetarian restaurants in Switzerland is “Hiltl” in Zürich:

    http://www.hiltl.ch/en/

    Slowpoke

  • The thread ‘Vegetarian food options in Switzerland’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.