There’s the busy brasserie Les Trois Rois, where the steak frites is divine; and the charming Pinte Besson, supposedly Lausanne’s oldest pub, where you can tuck into fondue or local specialities such as papet vaudois (a traditional leek and potato hotpot served with cabbage sausage). Then there are the restaurants of Lausanne’s luxury hotels, including the Beau-Rivage Palace and the Lausanne Palace, where top chefs Anne-Sophie Pic and Edgard Bovier create Michelin-starred masterpieces. These places remain a beloved part of Lausanne’s gastronomic scene, but ever since that first food festival, a new energy has infused the city, inspiring a more dynamic and diverse approach to dining.

There are numerous places in Lausanne to sample the cheese dish to end all cheese dishes, but historic pub La Pinte Besson is one of the best, and possibly the most atmospheric place to get stuck in to a fondue on a winter’s evening.

If you’re visiting during the winter and need something warming, visit the famous Pinte Besson, a tiny, wood-beamed restaurant that claims to be one of the oldest in Europe. The cheese fondue is wonderful.

Il y a aussi à Lausanne ces vieux bistrots vaudois comme la Pinte Besson, le Café Romand, le Café de l’Europe, le Grûtli, le Vieux Lausanne, la Bavaria ou la Brasserie des Trois Rois. Ces dernières années ont vu la naissance des nouvelles brasseries conviviales qui propose une cuisine de bistrot modernisée, voire bistronomique, comme les cafés de Grancy, Bruxelles, l’AO (Age d’Or), le Tof, le Café des Artisans, le Café Saint-Pierre, Happy Days, le Java, Sardine, le Bleu Lézard, le Café des Avenues, le Café du Simplon, la Brasserie de Montbenon ou la Brasserie de Paudex. On trouve aussi à Lausanne quelques lieux à mi-chemin sont entre le café et le restaurant et proposent une restauration plus simple comme le Pointu, le Bluebird Café ou le Loxton.

I was sad not to have a chance to sample the famous Swiss Fondue but if I return I would definitely try it at Pinte Besson, the city’s oldest restaurant and famous for serving the best fondue in town. I also visited the city during Lausanne à Table, a food and wine festival with fine dining events in Lausanne and the local area. The signature event of the festival is Le Grande Table de Lausannois which is hosted in a different quirky location every year with food from some of the best local chefs.

While the upstairs room has been modernised and lets you admire the superb stained-glass windows, it’s the ground floor that makes the Pinte Besson worth visiting. You’ll be catapulted in 1870, in a cellar bar atmosphere. The small room, shaped like a corridor, is an excellent place to immerse yourself in Lausanne gastronomy, deep in the conversations of regulars and tucking in to a delicious fondue with morels and cognac.

However, I did find myself at La Pinte Besson, the oldest pub in Lausanne (worth a visit just to check out the impossibly steep staircase to the loos), faced with a menu of Swiss specialities. Avoiding the fondue, I instead sampled a rather tasty papet vaudois, sausage with a concoction of mushed leeks and potatoes in what was probably a butter sauce (see, it’s hard to avoid). It doesn’t sound that great, but it was.

Founded in 1780 (yep, you read that right), this restaurant radiates history and tradition. There are two sections of the restaurant, the downstairs which is more traditional with stone ceilings and wooden walls, and the upstairs which feels a bit more formal and brasserie-like. TLG tip: Spend some time walking around and looking at the photographs and pictures both downstairs and upstairs.

Established in 1780, this is the oldest restaurant in Lausanne. A raucous party celebrating someone’s birthday adds to the atmosphere in this narrow cavernous place, as we order fondue all round, just to top up our cholesterol levels. Surely there is nothing more Swiss than dipping your bread into the cheesy glue as the early winter’s night closes in around you?

If you are looking for an authentic culinary experience in Lausanne, having a plate of classic Swiss Fondue at La Pinte Besson would be ideal. La Pinte Besson is a restaurant located on the corner of an old alley in downtown Lausanne. It retains the classical and historical building that the restaurant has been in since its beginning in 1780.

Traditionalists can opt for "classic Swiss cheese dishes" at dedicated places such as Pinte Besson and Café Romand. Offering a "feast for the eyes, taste buds and soul", said Ewa Zubek on Culture Trip, Café Saint-Pierre combines "urban chic with chromatic plastic" and an "airy ambiance with colourful – and flavourful – dishes".

The Pinte Besson opened in 1780 and has since served traditional Swiss dishes. The restaurant is most known for serving up the best fondue in Lausanne – a rich mix of Gruyere and Vacherin served with potatoes and bread for dipping. Pinte Besson also serves great local wines and seasonal dishes at great value for money.

If you’re a cheese lover, the historical pub La Pinte Besson, the oldest restaurant in Lausanne, is possibly the best place to have fondue in Switzerland. They serve a delicious blend of flavors that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world and it really is fondue heaven!

Two “historical monuments” in Lausanne defy time and fashion trends: The Pinte Besson – which is 240 years old!. – and La Bavaria, which was founded in 1881. Their welcoming setting and the food quality make them highly commendable addresses.

If you want something very traditional you should head to La Pinte Besson. This is the oldest restaurant in Lausanne, founded in 1780 and the setting is very rustic. We headed there on the first night for the very traditional, Swiss menu.

We wanted to dine at a historic spot in the city, so naturally, we hoofed it up the hill to Pinte Besson. We were seated right away for lunch, about midway through their afternoon service, without a reservation.

The fondue at this Lausanne hotspot was genuinely delectable, and I appreciated the warmth of the old and typical setting. I found the service a touch abrupt which did somewhat mar the overall experience.

Selon bon nombre de lausannois, tu y trouveras la meilleure fondue de la ville. C’est une institution, le plus vieux bistrot de Lausanne !. Nous lui avons d’ailleurs déjà consacré un article ici.

If you are searching for a glass of the city’s regional wine and traditional Swiss dishes then visit the oldest bistro in Lausanne ‘Pinte Besson’ on the Rue de l’Ale which dates back to 1780.

This is the oldest restaurant in Lausanne, or so they tell me, founded in 1780. And what better place to have a Fondue?!. Four of us shared a half and half fondue.

You don’t need to wait until next October: this brasserie dish can be enjoyed in popular places like Pinte Besson, Le Vaudois or Café Romand.

Pinte Besson – this local institute is a tiny little nook in central Lausanne. Head here for some world class fondue.