I first visited the Vaud region of Switzerland – stretching over the top of Lake Geneva and reaching further to the north and east – last autumn. Then, I was focusing on the steeply terraced wine region of Lavaux, centred around Lausanne and Lutry. This time, I was based in Founex: a tiny village north of Geneva that’s part of La Côte wine region, with vineyards sloping gently down towards the lake. I had almost four weeks to explore, and I dived into the indigenous grape varieties – from Chasselas to Cornalin – with my usual enthusiasm (you can read my Substack article about Swiss grapes here if you want to get nerdy). This article, on the other hand, aims to provide a travel guide for food and wine lovers exploring the Vaud region: where to eat, which wine bars are worth a visit, and what to order when you get there. Bon appetit!
Best wine bars in Nyon, La Côte
Nyon is under 20 minutes by train from Geneva, but offers a slower paced alternative to the Swiss capital. It’s also home to some fantastic wine bars!
Caveau de Nyon
Château de Nyon stands imposingly in the south of the city, peering out over the lake from its high vantage point. The castle is beautiful to visit during the day, but even more impressive when lit up at night. What visitors might not immediately realise, however, is that there’s a cavernous wine bar hidden underneath it: the aptly named Caveau de Nyon. Inside the ancient brick-lined cellar, you can order from a dozen or so wines by the glass (many more by the bottle) – mostly from the local Vaud region. Food is hearty: rillettes, fondue and generous platters of charcuterie and cheese. Prices are some of the best we saw in Switzerland: two people could pop in for a couple of glasses of Chasselas and a plate of rillettes and spend around €25, which is good value by Swiss standards. I loved the sparkling Prochatto from Château de Duillier (which tasted like a cross between Cava and cider) and the plummy Merlot from Cédric Kilcherr, but everything was good quality, ultra-local and great value.
Grand Appetit
We stumbled across wine bar Grand Appetit on our first visit to Nyon, and couldn’t believe our luck. There are of course lots of wines – Swiss and otherwise – available by the bottle, but it’s the by-the-glass selection that always interests me most. At Grand Appetit, that selection is small but carefully curated. Whites included a Swiss Chardonnay, which met its match in Scottish smoked salmon, dill cream and toasted brioche. An orange blend from Sicily was the perfect partner to a particularly stinky cheese board. And a local red blend of Pinot Noir, Gamaret and Garanoir was crisp and complex and went well with the fanciest sausage roll I’ve ever eaten. Service was warm and personal, as was the venue itself.
Wine Moon
Just around the corner from Grand Appetit, Wine Moon is another good contender when it comes to Swiss wines by the glass. I particularly enjoyed getting to know their Petite Arvine (a little-known white grape) from the Valais region, which channelled raw almonds, tropical fruit and a saline finish. But I also had plenty of time for their Vaud reds: various blends involving Swiss crossings Gamaret and Garanoir. The food is simpler and less accomplished than that at Grand Appetit, but you’ll also spend less: Wine Moon’s “tapas gourmand” is a perfectly serviceable array of snacks that’ll see two people through an evening of wine tasting.
Best restaurants in Coppet and Founex, La Côte
Between Geneva and Nyon are a series of tiny, wine-centric villages dotted along the northern shore of the lake, including picturesque Coppet and Founex. There are only a handful of restaurants and bars, but the quality is high – and most of them serve a good selection of the region’s wines.
L’Intemporel
Founex’s best restaurant and wine bar (out of approximately three!), L’Intemporel’s menu ranges from fancy burgers to local lake perch, plus several seasonal specials. Their wine selection mirrors all the local wineries, and they even have their own house bubbles. I enjoyed my seabass with sauce vierge, and the Grand Marnier-laced chocolate mousse for dessert was both generous and boozy. Good service, too.
Simunye
Outside of the big cities, it can be hard to come across restaurants in Switzerland that aren’t focused on cheese or steak. So it was a pleasant surprise to find Spanish tapas and wine bar Simunye in the charming lakeside village of Coppet. We tried their jamón and cheese croquettes, balanced by a delightfully apples-and-pears Cava. Next came caramelised miso aubergine with goat’s cheese and honey, followed by a single giant cannelloni (cannellono?) stuffed with pulled beef and slathered in a creamy truffle sauce. The latter was a good match for the Spanish red we ordered: a Garnacha Nativa from the sun-drenched soils of Aragon. Dinner at Simunye isn’t cheap (then again, almost nowhere in Switzerland is) but we thoroughly enjoyed our meal there. Pro tip: they also have live music on Wednesday evenings!
Les Frères Dutruy
An artisan winery offering top-quality bottles of Chasselas, Gamay, Pinot Noir and more, Les Frères Dutruy is open for public wine tastings on Saturday mornings (except Jan/Feb) and for wine sales from their office during the week. An excellent example of La Côte region’s wines, paired with genuine customer service. But do not be fooled by Dutruy’s Founex premises that look exactly like a wine bar – apparently the inviting tables and chairs are only for “meetings”! It must be nice to be a Swiss vigneron…
Mountain restaurants in Saint-Cergue, Bonvillars
In the Jura mountains north of Nyon (right on the French border), Saint-Cergue is too high for vineyards – but just high enough for winter sports and fondue. While there are of course restaurants in the centre of Saint-Cergue, the best we found were off the beaten path, up in the mountains themselves. To reach both of these, drive or take the train to La Givrine and make your way on foot from there. Given their remote nature, it’s best to call in advance to check opening/reservations, rather than risk walking miles with no reward at the end!
Le Vermeilley
Legit cow bells hanging from the ceiling, a huge bull’s head protruding from the wall, toilets that “flush” only with sawdust. These are a few of the eccentricities you can expect at Le Vermeilley: a proper Alpine chalet up in the Jura mountains that’s accessible only on foot, snow shoe or cross-country ski. The walk from La Givrine carpark takes about an hour and a half, so you’ll be more than ready for a bubbling cauldron of fondue by the time you make it. Not limiting themselves to classic cheese alone, Vermeilley’s fondue options include any number of mushrooms, onions, lardons, wild garlic, tomato or even goat’s cheese. Plus, there’s various charcuterie, potatoes and hearty soups for anyone looking to dilute their cheese intake. It’s cash only, and reservations are highly recommended – so come prepared!
Buvette de La Genolière
About halfway along the route to Le Vermeilley (i.e. 45 minutes’ walk from La Givrine carpark), you’ll find Buvette de La Genolière: another cash-only mountain chalet that’s only accessible to hikers or skiers, but handy for those who prefer a slightly shorter walk. There might be a menu but we didn’t see it. “Fondue?” was the only question – and yes the only answer. (Although someone mentioned to me afterwards that rösti was also an option.) The cauldron of melted cheese at La Genolière was just as rich, boozy and delicious as that at Le Vermeilley, but the sourdough bread at the latter just edged it for me. That said, La Genolière has its own restaurant dog, which is always a bonus…
Whichever Jura mountain chalet you choose, be sure to order a glass or two of Chasselas. A mineral and refreshing white wine that you’ll find all over the Vaud region, it has just the right amount of acidity (i.e. a lot) that you need to cut through all that cheese. Though don’t forget you’ve still got to walk down the hill afterwards!