How does a savoury raclette served in a cosy pine wood parlour sound? Or what about a truffle pizza with a breathtaking view of a glittering winter wonderland? St. Moritz is a culinary melting pot. Gourmet restaurants, historical grand hotels, simple guesthouses, modern lounges and luxurious hotel lobbies serve up a mouth-watering array of local and cosmopolitan cuisine. Here in St. Moritz, the customer is king and haute cuisine is just as much part of the local culture as regional Engadin cooking traditions.
Good food is not hard to find in St. Moritz. The sunny high-altitude valley has something to still every hunger and satisfy every craving. Established in 1994, the world-famous St. Moritz Gourmet Festival is a nine-day celebration in winter, offering guests from around the world the kind of culinary diversity that can only be found here, high up in the Alps.
Simple home cooking is just as popular in St. Moritz as award-winning fine dining. In the picturesque town centre, traditional coffee houses serving local specialities like the legendary Engadin walnut tart sit alongside extravagant restaurants offering innovative cuisine. From caviar to capuns, dining in St. Moritz is like taking a culinary journey around the world while never straying too far from home. So it’s not surprising that one in ten restaurants in this sophisticated Alpine town has received an international culinary award.
From the weird to the wonderful, there’s nothing you won’t find in St. Moritz. Have you ever eaten a triangular sausage? You can here. Those particular meaty treats are produced by the butcher Ludwig Hatecke. Once you’ve tried his salsiz (smoked sausage), nothing else will ever come close.
Passion for pleasure has made St. Moritz the number one culinary destination in the Alps. A love of good food is evident wherever you go. The high-altitude air is dry and clear – it’s known as the «champagne climate» – and it also contributes to St. Moritz’s culinary reputation. Why? Food simply tastes better at 1,882 metres above sea level. Even when it comes to seafood, St. Moritz blows all others out of the water. Its gourmet restaurants are not exaggerating when they claim to serve the freshest and best fish in the Alps.
When it comes to all things culinary, St. Moritz is indisputably part of the premier league. The sheer volume of restaurants boasting Michelin stars and Gault Millau points is truly unique. Once you embark on a culinary voyage through St. Moritz, a stopover at Chesa Veglia is an absolute must. The former farmhouse is the oldest building in St. Moritz and was transformed into a pioneering gourmet restaurant by the legendary Grand Hotel Palace in 1936. It is also the home of the «Dama Bianca», a pizza that richly deserves its cult status. Tangy Taleggio cheese, succulent buffalo mozzarella, full-bodied Parmesan and – last but not least – grated truffle are a triumph for the taste buds.
St. Moritz also has a sizeable sweet tooth. In fact, long before Swiss chocolate arrived on the international stage, it was the sweet creations crafted by Grisons’s confectioners that were coveted by people around the world. The Engadin walnut tart is just one of the many sweet treats waiting to be discovered in this Alpine region. According to the New York Times, Engadin is also home to the «best cream slice in the world». You can find it in the extravagant yet cosy el paradiso mountain restaurant on Suvretta hill. The traditional coffee houses that line the cobbled streets of the town centre also serve an exquisite array of sweet delicacies. Café Hanselmann has long been renowned for its con-fectionery and baked delights. There’s no better place to indulge in a few guilty pleasures than in a tastefully decorated coffee house with long and proud confiserie traditions.
Eating out is an integral part of the St. Moritz experience. The entire town is geared towards the celebration of fine food, and the variety of regional and innovative dishes is virtually never-ending. The opportunity to sample this blend of haute cuisine and simple home cooking for yourself is more than enough reason for a trip to this Alpine metropolis.
