10 great wine bars and wine restaurants in Geneva
A lot of classic bistry-style wine restaurants, but also a growing natural and organic wine movement. Geneva is a city of curious wine drinkers, with lots of options for the wine thirsty. Here's the guide to the best wine places in the city, selected by our ambassador Bertrand Lutaud.
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Phone: +41 22 301 90 91
Address: Quai du Cheval-Blanc 9, Carouge
Another very special place in Geneva, run by Yann Doutrewé, who is originally from Belgium. The food here is sort of classic French cuisine, and you can either get a set menu with 6-8 dishes or order à la carte. The restaurant is on the smaller side, with only around 20 seats.
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Phone: +41 22 732 75 37
Address: Rue Docteur-Alfred-Vincent 17, Genève
Right in between the train station and the lake, in the area where all the hotels are, you will find Bistrot de Boeuf Rouge. This is an old-style Parisian brasserie with a classic interior, serving dishes like côte du boeuf and steak tartar. A popular place with a loyal audience.
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Phone: +41 22 732 86 80
Address: Rue Necker 11, Genève
Right in the centre of Geneva, close to the train station, you will find this classic bistro-style venue. The restaurant hasn’t been around for that long but is already sort of a classic. The interior is old Parisian brasserie-style, with room for around 40 guests.
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Phone: +41 22 329 91 11
Address: Place des Augustins 3, Genève
A fairly new venue in Geneva with a flexible menu that changes often. Plates to share, with fresh products and an Mediterranean-influenced cuisine; pasta, meat, charcuteries and cheese. This venue is a minimal yet lively neo-bistro, where diners mingle around a spacious 8-meter long stainless steel counter, with crisp wine, carefully prepared plates and staff circling from all sides.
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Phone: +41 22 743 12 00
Address: Route du Grand-Lancy 45, Lancy
This venue is situated in Lancy, a 10-15 minute train ride outside of central Geneva. Zinette has been around for quite a while and has a great reputation in the city. This is actually a small house that has been transformed into a restaurant, where you eat in rooms with just 4-5 tables in each room. The food is classic bistro-style, like in many places in Geneva.
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Phone: +41 22 771 10 32
Address: Route de Certoux 133, Perly-Certoux
This place is in the outskirts of Geneva, almost in the countryside not far from the vineyards and close to the French border. It’s a very old restaurant, renowned for its star clientele and classic gastronomy. The restaurant is run by an old couple who have been buying wine and building the cellar for a long time. In the summertime, you can sit on the big terrace outside, and this is a place where many people go for the weekend.
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Phone: +41 22 320 62 39
Address: Place des Augustins 9, Genève
Basically a neighbour to Bombar; they are both in the same area. This place used to be an old butchery but transformed into a wine bar in the late 80s’. The owner, Renald, is quite a character and was the first one to start working with natural wine in Geneva. The venue itself is very small, just two rooms, and food-wise there’s no set menu, they just prepare what they want for the day.
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Phone: +41 22 320 15 05
Address: Rue de la Coulouvrenière 38, Genève
One of the most recent additions to the wine bar scene in Geneva; it opened in August 2020. The food is Nordic-style cuisine, very bright in flavour. Here you get plates to share, usually around four entrées, four mains and three desserts to choose from. The interior is quite modern, with an art deco-warehouse feeling.
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Phone: +41 22 810 84 51
Address: Grand-Rue 3, Genève
Special Jury Prize Switzerland 2021
This is my favourite Italian place in Geneva, run by an Italian guy named Francesco. The interior is contemporary art deco, and the food is classic Italian, with crazy good fresh pasta and also some charcuteries and other smaller dishes. If you want to eat Italian in Geneva, this is the place to go.
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Phone: +41 22 342 37 61
Address: Rue Ancienne 64, Carouge
Short Wine List of the Year Switzerland 2021
A venue that was the first one in Geneva to do the plate-sharing concept. The dishes are listed on a big blackboard, and the cuisine is contemporary with a blend of classic French, Asian and Nordic influences. Usually around 8-10 dishes to choose from and the menu changes often, and you can also get some charcuterie and cheese from their shop.