Food in Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland is Swiss mountain cooking built to warm you up and keep you moving in alpine conditions. A pot of hot cheese fondue is one of those meals you need to have at least once up in the mountains. Swiss cooking leans on simplicity, high-quality ingredients, and the kind of honest satisfaction that makes sense when the temperature drops. Don't miss a meal at a mountain restaurant or a hotel dining room while you're here.
#1 Cheese Fondue
The dish that represents Switzerland more than any other. The classic Bernese fondue uses Gruyère and Emmental melted into white wine and lemon juice — you eat by dipping small cubes of bread and vegetables into the hot cheese. Sharing a pot around the table is a Swiss social tradition that has held firm for hundreds of years. The cheese itself has a deep, rich flavour from alpine cattle grazed on fresh grass, which sets it apart from any cheese you'll find elsewhere. Expect to pay around CHF 28–40 per person.
- There are 3 traditional rules of Swiss fondue — don't drink cold water while eating, don't let your bread fall off the skewer into the pot, and eat from the same pot as everyone at your table
- A restaurant on Harder Kulm or in Grindelwald gives you fondue with an alpine view — worth far more than eating it in town
- If your bread does fall in, tradition says you buy a round of wine or drinks for the table — a custom still upheld in local restaurants
#2 Raclette
One of the simplest Swiss dishes and one of the most satisfying. A large piece of Raclette cheese is grilled or heated until the surface melts, then scraped directly onto whole boiled potatoes and served with pickled onions and gherkins. The name comes from the French word for 'to scrape'. Rich cheese over hot potatoes in the cold Interlaken air feels genuinely comforting. Expect CHF 25–35 per person.
- Raclette cheese from the Valais and Bernese Oberland regions has the best flavour — ask the restaurant where theirs comes from
- Winter market stalls (December) tend to be cheaper than sit-down restaurants and give you the bonus of eating outdoors in the snow
- Pair it with a Swiss white wine — Fendant or Pinot Gris cuts through the richness of the cheese well
#3 Rösti
The simplest Swiss home dish, and one of the best when done right. Coarsely grated potato is fried in butter until the outside is golden and crisp and the inside stays soft. The traditional Bernese version is eaten plain or with melted Appenzeller cheese on top. Today it's often served as a side with a fried egg, bacon, or as a base for fondue. Good rösti requires potatoes that were boiled the night before — the starch binds better that way. Prices run CHF 12–20.
- Order rösti with a fried egg and bacon as a traditional Swiss breakfast — filling and high-energy before a day on the mountain
- The restaurants on Schynige Platte and Harder Kulm serve cheese rösti that ranks among the best in an alpine setting
- Compare real Swiss rösti against versions made elsewhere — the difference comes down to the quality of Swiss potatoes and the alpine butter used
#4 Älplermagronen
The original one-pot meal of Swiss alpine herdsmen, built from ingredients easy to carry up a mountain — macaroni, potatoes, cheese, cream, and onions. Rich and deeply savoury, the cheese and cream work through the pasta and potato until everything is soft and cohesive. It's served with crispy fried onions on top and apple sauce on the side to cut through the richness. This dish exists almost exclusively in central Switzerland and the German-speaking alpine regions — it's something locals grew up eating. Prices run CHF 22–32.
- Order it with Apfelmus (apple sauce) in the traditional style — the sweet-tart apple cuts the richness of the cheese perfectly
- Mountain restaurants or Bergrestaurants in the Lauterbrunnen valley tend to make a more authentic version than restaurants in town
- This is a high-energy dish — eat it before a hike or after a full day outdoors
#5 Meringue with Double Cream
Switzerland claims the invention of meringue, and the Bernese Oberland has a centuries-old connection to the dessert. Swiss meringue is made from egg whites and sugar baked at low temperature for many hours until the entire piece is dry and crisp all the way through — not just on the outside. It's eaten with Gruyères Double Cream (<em>Greyerzer Doppelrahm</em>), which is twice as thick as standard whipped cream. The contrast of crisp sweetness and rich dense cream made from Swiss milk is a pairing that's hard to improve on.
- Gruyères Double Cream is very thick — it should never be whipped, just poured straight over the meringue as a dense liquid
- Swiss meringue is baked dry all the way through, unlike the French style with a soft centre — you'll find it in local bakeries for far less than tourist-facing restaurants charge
- Buy meringue to go from a bakery and take it up to a mountain viewpoint — eating it with the alps in front of you is a memory worth making
#6 Swiss Chocolate
Switzerland has been producing some of the world's finest chocolate for more than 150 years, built on a mastery of combining high-quality alpine milk with carefully selected cacao. Classic brands — Lindt, Toblerone, Frey, and Läderach — all have Swiss roots. What sets Swiss chocolate apart is its smooth texture, pronounced milk flavour, and restrained sweetness. Shops in Interlaken stock both the well-known brands and artisan chocolate from small local producers.
- Läderach is a Swiss artisan brand specialising in fresh bark chocolate — among the best available, though prices reflect that (CHF 8–15 per 100 g)
- Avoid buying chocolate at the airport or train station — prices run 20–40% higher than in town; Migros and Coop supermarkets offer good quality at honest prices
- A large Toblerone bar is the most popular souvenir, but small-batch chocolate from independent shops in town is the real thing — you won't find it outside Switzerland
Where to stay in Interlaken for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Interlaken — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa
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Swiss Inn & Apartments Interlaken
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Hotel Merkur West Station Interlaken
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Youth Hostel Interlaken
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Tours, tickets & activities in Interlaken
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Before You Pack
Several restaurants in Interlaken cater heavily to tourists and prices run higher than in most Swiss towns. If you walk a side street or head to a village nearby — Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen — you'll typically find better food at similar prices. Budget CHF 20–40 for lunch and CHF 45–70 per person for dinner with fondue.