If you're in the mood for a big pot of Swiss fondue, Restaurant Pfistern is for you! Located right along the river, you can't miss this establishment with an exterior painted with family crests. You'll find a large bar and shining wooden interior, with an ample amount of tables. There is also a patio area that overlooks the river, and the booths are lined with gorgeous furs. Back inside, take note of the wall decorations: more family crests. I found several surnames of my friends who have German heritage. Onto the meal: We ordered a Käsefondue, which came out all luscious and bubble, flavored with a poignant wine. There was an abundance of bread to dip. Although we were both starving for lunch, the fondue was hearty enough to fill us up before reaching the bottom of the pot. Of course, there is always room for dessert. We had a caramelized apple treat, which was amazing. Restaurant Pfistern is somewhat pricey, but for the amount of food, plus the history behind the establishment make it a place worth splurging. Price per person: CHF 45.00 read more

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The food was pretty good but not great. Definitely a great option when you're in Lucerne and you're starving like I was. :) Honestly, you come here for the view. I sat right along the river and it was beautiful. The staff speaks English incredibly well, they have a very diverse and extensive menu so it caters to everyone and they have some great local beers as well. I got the puff pastry with meat, and it was pretty good overall - I'd recommend it! read more

The house itself is delightfully historical, but the decoration was incongruent. Rainbow lamps like something from a shisha bar killed the historic vibe. The service was fast--too fast--like our food was preprepared and waiting under a hot light for someone to order it. The prices were way too much for what is now a tourist trap! Swiss chügelipastete are beloved meat pies that typically feature intricate designs such as crowns, leaves, shields or--in this case--a heart on top. The filling is often a mix of wild game like rabbit, deer, or boar in a savory gravy and served with veggies. read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

I sat upstairs on the patio and had a phenomenal view of the river. The food was delicious and the service was fantastic as well. The wifi works upstairs although it can be a little spotty. Fantastic experience and I hope to be back. Pictures of my food and the view are included. read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

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This was a fun Luzern experience where were were able to get a table right on the Reuss with a view of the Kapellbrucke (the wooden bridge) and . For a town known for being scenic, this restaurant is well positioned to take in the views of the buildings, people, and scenery. Beers weren't expensive at all and the food prices weren't absurd by any means. The bread booth inside was a nice feature and the meats were well prepared with healthy portions. read more

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Great place to go to get authentic Swiss food! I came here for dinner with my co workers around 7 pm and there wasn't a crowd yet so we were seated immediately. Shortly after, a big group sat down so we were lucky to get here earlier than they did. For dinner, I ordered an Eichhof beer with the veal pork pastry (forgive me, I forgot what it was called and how to even pronounce it) and all of it was amazing! The veal pork pastry, which I did get a picture of, kind of reminded me of a pot pie where the crust was very buttery and flaky. Inside of it was mushrooms, veal and pork all topped with gravy which overflowed onto the bread and veggies on the side. The meat was very tender and the mushrooms complimented the gravy perfectly. The bread bowl was really crispy on the outside and buttery when you bit into it. I enjoyed it with every bite! My co worker who is from Switzerland and took us out to dinner ordered the Racklette, which is basically a special type of cheese that you would melt on a warm platter and spread it over mini potatoes. This was also a delicious plate and next time I will order this. This place is on the pricier side, but if you can afford it, I would definitely come back again. Great food and great service as well as a great place to get a feel for the Swiss food culture! read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Veal pork pastry, with mushrooms and gravy and vegetables - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

Looking for fondue with a view? This is the place to go! We went in late December and enjoyed a hot fondue mixed in with alcohol. The fondue was okay- you can definitely taste the alcohol in there, which isn't supposed to be like that. They overdid it. This was my first time eating fondue with potatoes and I have to say, I enjoyed it more than eating it with the bread. Not sure if the alcohol overload had something to do with it, but also the bread was old, hard, and flavorless; definitely stale. It's a great place to sit outside and even in the winter because they have blankets there for use on the tables outside. They definitely came in handy. The food was okay and the service was definitely slow. We weren't sure if it was because we were sitting outside during winter, but it took forever to get our waiters attention, our waters, the wine we ordered, and the potatoes. Aside from the slow service, I would go back and sit outside again but not order something so expensive as this fondue. read more

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This was one of our favorite meals in Switzerland. We ordered the veal in mushroom sauce and the egg, bacon, and rösti. There was a little station where you cut your own slices of bread and bring back to your table. The breads were freshly baked and delicious. Both dishes we ordered were tasty, albeit a bit salty. It was winter so no one sat outside on the decks, but the views from the window was picturesque. The meal was expensive, but expected given how touristy the area is and given it is Switzerland. Service was prompt, and the wait staff was friendly. We will be back again one day! read more

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The food was not astonishing, but the service was great! Beautiful view of Lucerne. The prices were expensive, but that's something you have got to expect for Switzerland. I would go there again, but order the Cordon bleu. The table next to us had that and it looked great. read more

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DO NOT COME HERE. food is a total rip off we ordered one order of fondue and they charged us double without saying on the menu or letting us know that you can't order one order to split. the waiter, Iwan, was beyond rude about it and very clearly knew he was scamming customers. terrible experience. 0/10 read more

Delicious, traditional Swiss meal on the first night of our stay in Luzern. It was the perfect start to our visit. The food was delicious, the service was warm and friendly and I enjoyed seeing dogs in the restaurant. I had the traditional bratwurst and my fiancée had the veal in mushroom sauce and both were wonderful. Thank you for such a warm welcome. read more

Our party of 6 squeezed into a booth on the balcony over looking the water and had an amazing time! The ambience is special and service exceptional. I ordered the starter garlic bread (ended up getting a 2nd one!) and an herb soup that hit the spot. All of us enjoyed the flavor of our dishes off the late night menu including a veal dish and sausage plate. Be careful as most Kitchens close by 10pm so we're grateful that this place had a late night menu! read more

Great place to eat dinner! The service is superb! Swiss chalet feeling! Waitress very helpful and fast! read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Great place to eat dinner! The service is superb! Swiss chalet feeling! Waitress very helpful and fast! - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

Horrible Horrible "Raclette". Do NOT come, I don't know about all the other positive reviews, the restaurant either bought them or maybe all these Yelpers don't know how a star rating works. This place is the *King* of all Tourist Traps. This business has no shame and you need to not come here. Note: I made a Yelp account just for this review because this is the absolute worst meal I have ever had, and people do not deserve to suffer like I did. Details: The Raclette (Something it gets rave reviews for) is an absolute gimmick and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. To cook it, they bring you a cheap and filmsy metal rack with a fire on the bottom, and a plate of sliced cheese. The waiter gives simple instructions about how to use it and you are left to your own devices. Sure, seems easy (is what I thought). But turns out the cheese takes forever to cook thoroughly, and the bottom sticks to the metal. So, in order to actually get it off, you need to start scraping it with the *plastic spoon* provided. There were quite a few moments where I burnt my hand, and I finally just gave up since this "Raclette" wasn't worth giving myself a few blisters over. When asked the waiter about the entire process and whether she could help, she stated "sorry it is just the Swiss way" and laughed it off. Moreover, the manager refused to admit that this is inedible, and chalked it up to "user error"... The total bill came to $120 for 3 people, all for a metal rack, few slices of cheese, some bread, and a sack of baby potatoes. Nice location, Terrible Food, Unethical business. read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Raclette, the heating rack is maybe 100g in weight? It shifts around like it's made of plastic. Surprised this place hasn't burned down yet. - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

Love the fondue and sausages we ordered . View of the lake is awesome . Staff were friendly. If you want a table close to the water, need to reserve days ahead . The bees flying around were bothersome but you can't do anything about it . At least they only go after the food . read more

Cheese fondue can be ordered per person or per portion with unlimited bread (self-serve at the cutting board stand). I ordered the pan-fried chicken with roasted veggies and potato gnocchi in a dried tomato sauce. The white asparagus was very flavorful and rich. The chicken wasn't bland but not exciting either. The gnocchi was not something I would recommend, especially after having had this dish in Italy. Other dishes we ordered were veal with a mushroom cream sauce and golden rosti, bratwurst with onion balsamic sauce and golden rosti, and lastly, veal and pork vol-au-vent with mushrooms, apples, raisins and sausage in a cream sauce. Those dishes were far more impressive. The main thing we came to try was the cheese fondue but it wasn't worth it. The cheese had a bitter after-taste which made it unappetizing. The smooth and creamy consistency was perfect but the flavor is what needs to hit the spot and unfortunately it missed the mark. In total we paid 173.70 CHF for four entrees and one portion of fondue. Food in Switzerland is very expensive! read more

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We had been walking around trying to find something to eat. We decided we wanted a Swiss experience so we were looking for the best spot for fondue. We were told to try the Fondue House of Luzern but they were closed on Monday's so we had to find something else. That's when we stumbled upon this restaurant which had an option for both cheese fondue and chocolate fondue. The other restaurants either didn't have one or the other. In addition to having both options, the deals were better and outdoor seating by the water was a nice touch. I ended up ordering my main dish. While waiting for my dish, the waitress brought our neighbors their order and her dish smelled and looked delicious. I asked her what was it that she ordered and low and behold, it was exactly what I had ordered. So I knew I was definitely going to be happy with what I ordered. It's one thing reading it on the menu in hopes that what you ordered will be good but then its so much better when you actually see it. When my food came out, it did not disappoint. While eating my main dish, she brought out the cheese fondue. That was good. After finishing up the cheese fondue, she then brought out the chocolate fondue which was a little disappointing to me. I would've thought since we were in the land of great chocolate that the chocolate fondue would have been heavenly. That was not the case. Overall, my meal was good but I could have done without the chocolate fondue. read more

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It's terrible. Bad service and poor salad. The staff doesn't care. There is a dead fly in my salad bowl. The staff augured that it just flied to the bowl. No guilty at all. Won't recommend it. My colleague requested for fork and knife for three times. The only value is the view along the river. read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

We obviously chose this spot because of their view and it's right by the water facing the Chapelle Bridge. We ordered the spaghetti with veggies, surf and turf and the sliced veal with cream mushroom sauce. Everything was great, but the veggies were a bit too salty and the surf and turf is a salad and it was drenched in dressing. Other than those complaints, everything was great. It's very reasonably priced and the beer is definitely worth it. The beer was huge and definitely cheaper than the other drinks. I had the moscato wine which was delicious! read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Lunch with a view - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

We stopped in around 3pm for lunch. We were told they only served Fondue. Perfect, that is what we came for. Sat for about 10 minutes without being served. Finally a server came over and we order some mulled wine. That also took 10 minutes even thought the wine was right by our table. After we got our wine, everything ran smoothly. Order the herb cheese fondue. Best fondue I have ever had. Only order this one if you LOVE garlic, which I do. The service picked up at the end and they became nice and even smiled, which isn't easy in this part of Europe, we found. The fondue is on the expensive side (everything in Switzerland is) but two of us split one cheese fondue and could barley walk away from the table. Very filling! Bottom line: If you want good Swiss Fondue, come here. read more

We went here since it was highly recommended by our hotel. The ambience is nice since you get to sit along the river overlooking chapel bridge. I ordered the bratwurst + rosti (hash browns)and I don't know how they were able to screw this up, since this is such basic swiss cuisine. Unfortunately the rosti tasted like it had been cooked hours ago and reheated unevenly with the middle still cold. My wife ordered the puff pastry and that too felt like they cooked the inner mushroom sauce hours ago and just filled the pastry and heated it up. Even though everything Swiss is expensive , I can't believe we dropped $70 for this dinner read more

TAKE ME BACK TO SWITZERLAND! I had the charcuterie when I was abroad and loved every waking moment that I devoured the dish. Swiss cheese is truly delicious and the meat was phenomenal. I also tasted a bit of my friend's cheese soup and fell in love with the heavenly bowl--smooth, creamy, flavorful. Another plus was that there was a complimentary bread station! As a traveling American, it was definitely confusing though to truly know if it was free since there were so many loaves of bread at the station and you had to walk over to and cut the bread. However, after observing various customers, we realized this was complimentary! read more

Our hotel concierge recommended this restaurant. AMAZING Swiss food. We had salad, cheese fondue and chocolate fondue with a local beer. The waitress was absolutely perfect in her attention to us..she offered good suggestions and checked on us when indicated. Other foods on the menu also look delicious. read more

The restaurant is located close to the footbridge and has a great view of the river. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is open till quite late in the night (11pm), unlike a lot of other places in Lucerne. + They have outdoor seating near the river as well an upper floor terrace. + The menu has descriptions in English which is great. + They have a separate list for Vegetarian entrees. + pasta can be made Gluten free + service was great, the staff was really friendly. Our server helped explain the items and discuss them with us + creme brûlée and divine - it's a little bit on the pricier side. We had the Alpine cheese fondue which is about 33 CHF/ person. You need to do a minimum of at least a 2 person order of the dish. We ordered a 2 person dish and shared it amongst the 3 of us and the quantity worked fine. read more

Hotel concierge recommended this place for dinner. The food was great, the view was nice but the service was slow. You can try Switzerland food. Recommend to make reservation if you want the seat with great view. read more

DO NOT COME TO THIS PLACE! This was by far the worst fondue I've had, VERY BLAND and OVERPRICED. The bread was also old and not fresh. We wanted to try this place because we trusted our receptionist's recommendation at the hotel (In hindsight, maybe this restaurant pays hotels for publicity). They will make you pay twice 35 CHF if you are two people for sharing the same disgusting fondue pot. If you get TAP WATER, they'll charge you 4.20 CHF. Who does that?! Our neighboring table had the same issues, and paid 5 CHF for "Hot" tap water. Unacceptable! read more

We visited for an anniversary dinner and had a seat right by the river. Our service was attentive and pleasant. We ordered steak and sausage, and there were a few options as a diner with celiac disease. We even had chocolate fondue for dessert! I really enjoyed their House / Guild white wine, perhaps the best wine in Switzerland. Many of the guests were international so it was nice to meet fellow patrons from São Paulo and Munich. read more

Popular Swiss restaurant with terrace seating overlooking canal bridge and river. Charming traditional Swiss deco. Fondue, raclette goes well with Weiss beer or wine. Cordon bleu is generously thick portion of meat, so come hungry! read more

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern - Swiss Food Near Me - Luzern, LU

We had read about this place in the myswissalps website's trip report section and stopped in without a reservation when we visited Lucerne in 2018. They were able to seat us inside, which was fine as it was more than a bit windy out on the patio. My SO had the veal in cream sauce which was really more of a veal cordon bleu - but nothing like what you might see in America. This was a really big and thick piece of veal with a pocket stuffed with ham and cheese, and a side of rosti. I had the bratwurst and rosti. The veal was excellent - the brat was just ordinary. Very expensive. REALLY slow service and not very friendly service. Not rude, just not friendly. We chose not to go back when we returned to Lucerne in 2019. read more

Great place and atmosphere. The location is very romantic near the river. Our server was absolutely amazing! She was friendly and efficient and made us feel like we were valued guests. The Raclette was superb. We couldn't finish it all as there was a lot to eat! We definitely recommend this place! read more

They charge about $5 for tap water. Menu looks very expensive. I feel suspicious about this restaurant being a typical tourist trap. Read some negative comments on yelp and decided leave! read more

Service was poor and food was average. We had the Bratwurst for lunch and it was not very good. I would explore other options such as Hotel des Alpes which is very close. read more

Took the train station and arrived in Lucern. The restaurant outdoor seating is the location you want to be. At first, we were all concerned it was a tourist trap since it caters to mostly tourists. However, food, drinks and even deserts were pretty spot on read more

Just an incredible experience. The fondue was very good, as was the ravioli. My boyfriend loved the surf and turf salad. If you order one portion per person, the fondue is definetly a full meal! read more

Pretty location right on the water, and getting a table wasn't hard. Had the bratwurst dish with rosti which was tasty (the rosti was more soft than crispy), but it was definitely filling. As with most restaurants in the area, it wasn't cheap (about $30 usd for the bratwurst dish). Service was good and the place is tourist friendly. read more

Got bad food poisoning.. Food was real expensive and very average. I really think it was the farmers plate that got us sick unless everyone got sick that night from the Fun due. read more

Not impressed. From the US where I suppose we are spoiled with our food choices but this place was a huge disappointment. The food was pricey and while the serving size was generous it lacked flavor. We ordered the fondue for our daughter and it was only okay. I ordered the tomato and panzanella salad and it was swimming in dressing. My husband ordered the veal and it was probably the best thing we got. All the dishes were super pricey and did not deliver on flavor overall. The only upside was the server who was helpful and the location / view. Not sure how this place could have a 4 star ranking! It's definitely not worth it in our opinion. read more

Great view on the water, but make reservations to ensure you sit there. Friendly staff. I really enjoyed my fried chicken, but my husband wasn't too keen on the vegetarian leek and potatoes he had. Make sure you try the bread, and read the history of the place. read more

Location = 5 stars Quality and taste of food for price = 2 stars Service = 0 stars. Honestly, bad service at restaurants normally does not bother me one bit, but this place really grinds my gears. Two friends and I were looking for a genuine Swiss meal along the riverbank and upon suggestion we came to Pfistern. Gorgeous location, even on a rainy day. Menu's quite pricey but it is Switzerland, so we didn't mind. Took a seat and looked at the expansive menu. The waiter came by to take our order and we replied we needed some more time, and I asked "what would you recommend?" He abruptly tapped at a number of items on the menu and just walked away. Ok... Odd for an expensive restaurant but we were still looking forward to the meal. He came back and we ordered two of the brats, a meat and cheese plate and the veal/pork dish. He walked away and less than a minute later I asked if it was possible for me to change my order, so our group could try a larger variety of food and he answered "No. The order has already been given to the kitchen." It had been less than sixty seconds and his answer was extremely rude. The entire meal, the waiter Sascha A., kept trying to take away our plates even though we weren't finished and we even saw him point at us while talking to other waiters and shaking his head. After a day of befriending many Luzern locals, I would agree with the other reviews that this restaurant left a sour taste in my mouth. Take your money to any food stand along the river, have a great chat with people there, and for the same amount you'll be able to feed a family of ten. read more

It's ok food. By Swiss standards it's fantastic. If you've been in Italy for the last week, it's like dumping white wine and stinky cheese on a can of Alpo. If you are in Lucerne and you're considering eating here, then you certainly brought your wallet and hit the ATM already so you should be good. It's a pretty location and that's what your paying for. Don't expect the meal of your life. If you're Rick Steves'ing through Switzerland you'll be happy, if you're looking for a memorable meal... take a train to Italy. read more