Location: Aarau
Top Restaurants in Aarau
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Where to Eat in Aarau: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Aarau (German pronunciation: [ˈaːraʊ], locally [ˈɑːræʊ]) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The town is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aare, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, and is west of Zürich, and 65 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Bern. The municipality borders directly on the canton of Solothurn to the west. It is the second-largest town in Aargau after Wettingen. At the beginning of 2010 Rohr became a suburb of Aarau.
Things to do in Aarau
1. Restaurant EINSTEIN
Overall Ratings
4 based on 151 reviews
Reviewed By hirnograph - Aarau, Switzerland
under new management the restaurant is finally recommendable especially for lunch. prices are adequat for two courses with water included. classic menus in good ambiance.Dear guest Thank you very much for your comment. We are very happy that you like the variety and the choice of our menus as well as the ambiance. We are looking forward to welcoming you back soon at restaurant EINSTEIN. With our best regards.
2. Murset Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 131 reviews
Located in a priviliged position on Schachen in Aarau are the three Murset restaurants, all under one roof - the stylish, classic Murset Restaurant, the Murset Brasserie with French flair and the wine bar for enjoying your meal in a special ambience. All three restaurants are open 365 days a year and during the warmer months are supplemented by a wonderful Terrace.
Reviewed By swisstraveler63 - Olten, Switzerland
This restaurant with classic Swiss cuisine is one of our family’s favorites in Aarau, and this for years! The small town in the Swiss Mittelland is unfortunately not known as a foodies’ paradise, especially when it comes to places “playing in the top league” over a lengthy period of time. In contrast to this, Muerset stands out as a safe choice for lovers of fine food, and this for many years already.
Do not be confused when you take a first look at the restaurant. It is divided into three parts. First, there is the signature eatery, the Restaurant, which is the most upscale choice. It serves refined cuisine in a somewhat traditional-cozy atmosphere. Then you can choose the Brasserie, the French-styled restaurant where you get bistro cuisine. Finally, there is the Weinstube, the most casual place of all. In summer, there is a large Terrace, part of the so-called “Riviera” (several restaurants that have adjoining terraces). In my view, it does not really matter which restaurant you choose because quite a few dishes are available in all of them. Unless you put emphasis on an elegant atmosphere (choose the Restaurant), you can either go to the Brasserie or the Weinstube. When we do not have a special event, we usually choose the Brasserie. My review is also on this restaurant. I do also appreciate this restaurant’ opening times. When other restaurants are closed, this one is (mostly) open.
When it comes to style, Muerset certainly is not my first choice. The interior’s design is not of recent date and cannot be called modern. It best can be described as rustic with some classic elements. Having said this, you feel at ease there. I tend to ignore the interior’s style and concentrate instead on the food, which is more a highlight than the design.
As my last visit to this restaurant was one in the Brasserie, I confine myself to this place. As mentioned, you get bistro cuisine there, but also classic dishes. Food is always good, expertly prepared and reasonably priced. Do not expect fancy creations, but the chef knows his business. There are great options on the menu and in some cases dishes with a twist. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We had a nice experience once at the Restaurant. The chef passed by after the meal and introduced two young apprentices, a nice touch!
As we were a group, we ordered quite various dishes, from a fish dish (Swiss char with lemon, coriander, papaya, mushrooms and rice) to several meat dishes (cornfed chicken breast with red wine sauce, olives, dried tomatoes, carrots and fried potatoes; calf’s liver strips with mushrooms, carrots and noodles, Swiss saddle of lamb with herb crust, Kenya beans, carrots and potato-rosemary gratin). All main dishes were well prepared & scrumptious, there was absolutely nothing to complain about. Also the ordered desserts (Tarte Tatin, chocolate mousse with mango compote and poppy seed cake, strawberry sorbet and elderflower custard on strawberry salad with Prosecco) were well received.
All in all, overall experience at Muerset was good as it is almost always the case when eating there. I am not a huge fan of the restaurant’s design, but I can live with it. As long as the food is good, this is not that important to me.
3. Tuchlaube Cafe & Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By FrankGeisler - Zurich, Switzerland
We wanted to have lunch and the place was pretty packed. Obviously not enough staff around because tables were not cleaned up. We did wait for a good 15 minutes and nobody was interested to serve us so we decided to leave. Several tables were still uncleaned and full with dirty dishes.
4. Gasthof zum Schutzen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 166 reviews
Reviewed By weberwest - Bellingham, Washington
What can be more pleasant than on a warm spring or summer evening to sit on an outside Terrace of a good restaurant and enjoy a fine meal? So we thought and decided to have a quiet birthday dinner celebration at this restaurant that was highly recommended to us. Unfortunately, the entire ample space on the Terrace is open for smokers, so if you don't want to be exposed to these toxic fumes which also hinder you from enjoying the chef's creations, you have no choice than to sit inside the restaurant instead of enjoying the fresh open air. The waiter stated that they cannot forbid smoking outside, we consider this a very poor excuse, especially since the Terrace is quite large and sectionalized, so they should be able to offer one smoke-free sitting choice outside.
Other than that, we had a pleasant evening, The appetizers Grossmutter's Nüsslisalat and the Vitello Tonnato were excellent. The Rehschnitzel and Veal Rahmschnitzel were also very good, but the real winner were the Kalbsleberli/veal liver with Salbei and Butter Rösti. And the accolades continued with the desserts: Cassata ice cream with berries and the Coupe Denmark. We also enjoyed the bottle of white Bözer Sauvignon Blanc as well as the bottle of Stella Maris Pinot Noir, both from the region. So - overall, a nice evening and a very pleasant and professional service by Florim. If only we could have enjoyed it outside on a smoke-free Terrace - management please rethink your policies! I am quite happy to give high ratings to this restaurant - but if there would be a rating for ambience, I would have to give it a 2 for the reasons stated above.
5. Riviera
Overall Ratings
4 based on 88 reviews
Reviewed By defko
I recommend this restaurant for a lunch break. It is a simple Italian, with good food - not special - but enjoyable and with good value for the money spent.
And this can also be said for the other aspects: service / atmosphere / ... : enjoyable, simple, reasonably priced, but not more... For lunch it is a good alternative, but if you would like to spend a meal over hours in a relaxed atmosphere, I recommend to visit one of the other restaurants in Aarau which put more effort into these details.
6. Steakhouse MEAT's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 156 reviews
Reviewed By defko
I ate lunch twice at the steakhouse MEAT's. I always was there alone and was treated superb by the service team. They were friendly at all times, explained the menu descriptions which I did not understand, and even remembered what I had ordered the first time, even though I only returned a few weeks later.
For anyone who likes good meat - this is a great place to eat. However, bring a well-filled wallet, as the quality has its price.
Furthermore, I recommend to visit the restaurant in the winter, or when wishing to eat inside. It is quite dark in the back part, but still cosy. And sitting outside never seemed apealing to me, as the restaurant is just next to a main street.
7. La Caverna - Passione per la Pizza
Overall Ratings
4 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By inkwave17 - Switzerland
Very good pizza and nice atmosphere. They use high quality ingredients and since they specialize in pizza, obviously they have to make them taste good. Some others have described it as "reasonably priced" - but it is just pizza after all, not a 3 course meal. In my opinion, it is only a good deal if you go with a large group. For 2 people it's quite expensive if you order anything other than the most basic varieties, so I would say the value doesn't kick in unless you have at least 4-5 in your group. I also thought they were pretty skimpy with the toppings considering how much you pay. Beer was well-priced, although only one option on tap.
Overall, I would probably only go here again with a group rather than just a party of 2.
8. La Creperie
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By 19Graham68 - Elgin, United Kingdom
Cannot fault the crepes, freshly cooked and very tasty. Maybe we were just unlucky but we waited over 20 minutes for the crepes and unsurprisingly my coffee was well and truly drunk by then! Don't let this put you off though, the wait was worth it,
9. Restaurant & Pizzeria Pulverturm
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 150 reviews
Reviewed By defko
I am a regular guest of the restaurant - which says a lot about the place. It is one of my favorite restaurants in Aarau - in regard to the overall offering. The restaurant is not very exquisite or anything the like. But I love to spend my lunch breaks at the place. The food is always great, the personnel is always friendly (in whichever language they prefer most) and willing to except special orders and the outside Terrace is lovely.
For a simple but good lunch in a nice atmosphere (especially outside but also inside) I would really recommend this place - but hope that recommending the restaurant for tripadvisor does not bring the risk that I will not find a seat in the future.. :) But also eating dinner at the Pulverturm is enjoyable, if one is not looking for anything special but just a good plain Italian dinner in a nice surrounding.
10. Restaurant Beluga
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 100 reviews
Reviewed By ReiseReiseCH - Switzerland
Located in the old town, two distinct areas with separate menus, a warm atmosphere and nice attentive staff, this restaurant serves excellent food at a fair price.
