Donatz

The story

Donatz Restaurant in Samedan, St. Moritz – Country Cooking & Fine Wine

At the foot of the Engadin mountains, in the heart of Samedan, the Donatz family has been welcoming guests since 1974. Today, Cornelia and René A. Donatz run the 3-star-superior hotel and its acclaimed restaurant with a warmth that feels both personal and deeply rooted. René, a trained chef who once cooked on cruise ships, and Cornelia, who honed her craft in Zermatt and Zurich, bring a shared passion for hospitality to every table.

The restaurant’s signature dish is the Angus Rindsfilet Woranoff, a flambéed beef fillet prepared tableside. It is a theatrical, aromatic experience that speaks to the kitchen’s confidence in classic, hearty country cooking. Alongside this staple, the menu shifts with the seasons: wild game, mushrooms, fish, and mussels appear in rotation, always paired with produce at its peak. The dining room itself is a snug Arvenholz-stube—panelled in Swiss stone pine—that invites lingering over a long evening.

This commitment to quality has not gone unnoticed. Donatz Restaurant holds 14 Gault Millau points and has earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a clear signal that the kitchen delivers a consistently refined experience. The recognition is woven into the fabric of the place, not displayed as a trophy but felt in the careful sourcing and precise execution of each plate.

Wine is central to the Donatz identity. The Wine Bar, overseen by Sommelier René Donatz, stocks over 550 labels, with 20 available by the glass. Every Friday is Big Bottle Day, when a three-litre (or larger) bottle is opened for guests to share. The bar also serves a bistro menu—Angus beef tartare, vintage sardines, a dessert box meant for sharing—that turns an evening of wine tasting into a proper meal.

The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday during the summer and winter seasons. The Wine Bar opens Monday to Saturday from late afternoon. Both close between seasons, following the rhythm of the Engadin calendar.