May 17, 2013 - 2:15 PM
In Lucerne, there is a quite good restaurant on the uppermost floor of the Manor department store (you'd have to look up the location, it's in the old town), with a myriad of high and low cost options, and many good desserts, to boot. They have nice rooftop deck as well where you can look out over the view on a clear day. Plus their restrooms on a lower floor are free and very clean!
In Interlaken there is a nice Coop store across from Interlaken Ost train station, with a good restaurant on the upper floor, again you can spend as little or as much as you wish. That store also has an array of pre-packaged take out meals in the fresh produce grovery area that are good for a picnic at the park just west of the station.
What I like about both options is that I don't speak a word of German, and since they are both "cafeteria style", I can pick up my meal from different areas of the cafeteria, toddle up to the cashier and not have to freak out as is my wont over my inability to pronounce menu items or my absolute lack of a clue what some menu items actually mean.
In both locations, you can go to an upscale restaurant and spend up to 75 Swiss francs for an exclusive meal, but that's not my style. The Rick Steve's travel book on Switzerland with it's recommendations on how to eat on the cheap fits the bill for me. Enjoy!