The story
Auberge de la Croix d’Or anchors the village of Yens near Yverdon-les-Bains, serving precise French-inspired cuisine through a partnership between Claudia Hiernard and her husband Olivier. Their operation adheres strictly to a Made at Home certification, chopping raw ingredients daily instead of relying on processed shortcuts. Olivier’s origins in Champagne shape the cellar, which leans heavily toward crisp whites to cut through richer preparations. The culinary calendar turns with the local harvest, swapping spring morels for autumn game and winter oysters.
Regulars often order the open raviolo packed with Sot-l’y-laisse, wild morels, and a delicate vin jaune foam. The kitchen balances straightforward brasserie items like knife-cut Swiss beef tartare and grilled pork chop with livèche against more composed plates such as a fregola sarda arrangement topped with wild crevettes and red mullet. Herbal desserts follow the same disciplined approach, featuring poached plums steeped in verbena alongside house-made sorbets. This dedication to seasonal sourcing keeps their French cooking rooted in the soil rather than trends.
The property functions as a bifurcated venue, hosting a daily lunch bistro menu while reserving its refined dining room for Friday and Saturday evenings. A rolling cheese trolley still visits tables after the main course, bridging casual brasserie seating and quieter table settings. That consistent focus on unpretentious hospitality recently secured a fifteen-point evaluation from Gault&Millau. Diners seeking dependable Swiss-French cooking will find a steady rhythm here that matches the surrounding vineyards.
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