Wengen is a charming village set on a shelf overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley. For a resort that is so famous for the annual Lauberhorn World Cup downhill race, which takes place every January, it is remarkably small. The focus is a short main street lined by shops and several large Victorian-style hotels.
There are surprisingly few good mountain restaurants on the Wengen slopes – maybe the result of many visitors being British and not wanting to linger over lunch. In the resort most decent restaurants are in hotels, but they are open to the public.
For further Wengen inspiration, see our guides to the resort’s best accommodation and après ski.
On the mountain
Skibar Schreinerei
Just below the top of the Eigernordwand chairlift at Eigergletscher, Skibar Schreinerei is a lively self-service snack bar with inside and outside seating. It sells good-value sandwiches, soups and salads, plus delicious home-made chocolate desserts including its signature cream slice.
Price: £
Contact: 00 41 33 828 78 88
Hotel Bellevue des Alpes
Near the train station at Kleine Scheidegg, Hotel Bellevue des Alpes has a lovely wood-panelled dining room and a separate basement stube, both serving the same limited but decent-value menu. This includes home-made pearl barley soup with sliced sausage, local meat and cheese platters, and rösti.
Price: ££
Contact: 00 41 33 855 12 12; scheidegg-hotels.ch
Enjoy home-made barley soup and rösti at Hotel Bellevue des Alpes
Hotel Jungfrau
For stunning views from the terrace, Hotel Jungfrau at Wengernalp has a variety of dining rooms inside. The train from the village stops there and it’s also accessible via a blue run that runs beside the railway. The rösti with gorgonzola and fried egg is one of the best in the Alps, and for afters there’s a delicious plum and apricot tart. Plenty of Swiss cash is required since the bill will be hefty and they don’t take credit cards.
Price: £££
Contact: 00 41 33 855 16 22; wengernalp.ch
In resort
Da Sina
The rustic but bright Da Sina restaurant is next to the lively pub of the same name on the main street. It specialises in pizza (over 20 types on offer, each in two sizes) and meals in a basket, such as fish fingers, chicken nuggets and burgers, all with fries. It also serves fondues and steaks.
Price: £
Contact: dasina.ch
Find rustic but bright Da Sina restaurant next to the lively pub of the same name on the main street
Hotel Restaurant Bären
The restaurant of Hotel Bären has a wide-ranging and reasonably priced (for Switzerland) menu, with some main courses available in two portion sizes. Delicious dishes include wild boar stew, lamb shank in a red wine sauce and chocolate cake with a Toblerone mousse.
Price: ££
Contact: baeren-wengen.ch
Hotel Restaurant Bären has some reasonable options, for Switzerland anyway
Credit: Hotel Restaurant Bären Wengen
Restaurant 1903
Serving mainly locally produced food, Restaurant 1903 in Hotel Schoenegg, rates highly in the Gault & Millau restaurant guide and its specialities include succulent lamb carpaccio with figs and feta cheese, potato cream soup with caviar and smoked sturgeon, and confit veal shank.
Price: £££
Contact: hotel-schoenegg.ch
Restaurant 1903’s succulent lamb carpaccio with figs and feta cheese have us dreaming