The story
The Grand Hotel Zermatterhof serves refined Swiss Alpine cuisine in a structure that local families raised in 1879. Generations of guests have walked across the same floors, drawn by the mountain air and the property’s quiet reputation. That shared history shapes how the kitchen approaches every plate, a method that earned the main restaurant a 16-point Gault&Millau rating last year. Executive chef Stefan Lünse directs the pass while sous-chef Jimmy Beck manages the brigade and seasonal sourcing.
Lünse builds his menus around valley produce like Eringer beef, Heida cheese, and Ziger, pairing them with imported seafood such as Walliser AlpenZander. Diners often start with a cold essence of partridge served alongside a ballotine and a poached quail egg. The kitchen also plates carne cruda made from Eringer cattle on a crisp quinoa base. This focus on Swiss Alpine cooking requires exact timing, especially when winter weather limits supply routes. Guests typically dine under a glass enclosure, watching staff carve roasted meats from a polished silver chariot.
The adjacent Lusi Brasserie handles heavier classics with equal precision, offering dishes like Tuscan-style braised tripe and lobster thermidor. Staff prepare ravioli del plin filled with Staffelalp cheese, then finish them with summer truffles and a rich fondue sauce. These preparations highlight regional Swiss flavors alongside imported techniques. Desserts move to a dedicated flambé cart, where Crêpe Suzette ignites just before serving.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Tripe and calf's head are part of the DNA of the Brasserie Lusi and remain on the menu even after the sudden departure of head chef Miri Schwarz. The successors' interpretation: The calf tripe is served Tuscan-style with braised cherry tomatoes and an elegant rosemary focaccia. The calf's head is painstakingly deboned, shaped into cubes, and fried; the lukewarm La Bonnotte potato salad served alongside it was excellent, and a 62-degree onsen egg was also not to be missed. Before the classics came a rather modern, spoon-served, excellent amuse-bouche: raw gold mackerel with passion fruit, mirin, and as a contrast, a mildly spicy wasabi mayonnaise. Brasserie classics are not missing from the large-format menu: salad bowls with eight side dishes to choose from, beef burger, foie gras, Wiener schnitzel, Eringer beef tartare (somewhat surprisingly served in a "Mex-style" with corn, chipotle mayonnaise, and tortilla chips), bouillabaisse with red mullet, monkfish, and dragonhead. We ordered two new additions: small, delicate ravioli del plin filled with cheese from the Staffelalp, accompanied by porcini mushrooms, summer truffles, and a rather rich fondue sauce. And a good old lobster thermidor, classic and well prepared. The Lusi is a little jewel in Zermatt's gastronomy: a dreamy beautiful terrace in summer (with views of the Matterhorn), an elegant restaurant with a glass dome at lower temperatures. So refined that the waiters wear dark suits with dignity, carve a large piece from the silver chariot, and circulate large bottles. Most spectacular dessert: Crêpe Suzette, prepared on the new flambé cart.
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