[Anonymous]

14 May 2013 at 2:26:58 #806000

Hello friends – any idea what would be the approximate cost of lunch or dinner at Lucerne/ Interlaken? I am trying to figure out the foreign exchange needs. Thank you.

[Arno]

Reply 1 of 3 • 17 May 2013 at 3:48:12 #838693

Hello Satish. Costs can vary greatly, depending on the restaurant and the type of dish you pick; there’s quite a difference between a simple bread roll and a warm plate of course. Anywhere from CHF 15 per person for a warm lunch would be reasonable I guess. You could look into Coop restaurants, as they offer fairly cheap lunch dishes.

[User]

Reply 2 of 3 • 17 May 2013 at 14:15:07 #838694

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!

[User]

Reply 3 of 3 • 17 May 2013 at 14:16:01 #838695

I could have also mentioned that I eat a hearty lunch at both COOP and Manor for under CHF 15, easily, unless the desserts call to me…. Manora Restaurant often has these individual mixed-nut tartletts, with a rich buttery crust in a gooey filling, that I could eat to the exclusion of all other foods. Cashews, pecans, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts… ohhh, I need to buy a ticket to Switzerland soon!

This link shows you a panorama of the Manora Restaurant in Lucerne, and some of the more expensive meal options:
http://www.manor.ch/fr/manora+luzern+men%C3%BC/manora-luzern-menu.html