Lausanne

P'tit Bar

Rue louis-curtat 6. open every day until 7pm. tiny, as the name would indicate this place can accommodate around 12 people at a time, and that's with strangers seated together at the tiny table, it works out to be a good place to meet people. they only serve lunch: salads in the summer and excellent soup in the winter.

Crêperie de la Chandeleur

9 rue mercerie in the carfree section of the old town, between the place de la palud and the cathedral, +41 21 312 84 19, tu-sa 10am-11pm. this cute little crãªperie offers the crãªpes in a homesy breton atmosphere. if you are traveling with children this is a great place for lunch or dinner as you will be in good company with the owners and locals, and the kids can amuse themselves with the large collection of toys. 25-30chf

Crêperie d'Ouchy

7 place du port +41 21 616 26 07 near the olympic museum, next to the hotel d'angleterre homepage: (http://www.ouchycrep.ch). the oldest crãªperie in town with more than a 30 year old tradition. it is situated in a picturesque location on the lakeside with a beautiful view on the french alps across the lake. it offers a vast variety of salty and sweet crepes which can satisfy demanding tastes of a wide range of clients. it is popular with locals, tourists and families and the terrace is always full. it is one of the rare restaurants in town to offer warm food all day long and also an ideal budget place to have a bite on the lakeside surrounded by expensive 5 star hotels. 12 - 25 chf

Dhanyaa

13, rue du simplon near the southern entrance of the train station, +41 21 617 24 60, (http://www.dhanyaa.com/). m-f 10am-7pm, sa 10am-5pm. strictly vegetarian, and strictly take-away indian foods. very vegan-friendly. 12 chf.

Utterly classic French cooking of very high quality. Also serves as the neighborhood bar.

Java

Rue marterey 36 between rue enning and place de l'ours, +41 21 321 38 37, (http://www.lejava.ch). there's something very welcoming about this little bar/restaurant that makes it a fantastic place to linger for a few hours before staying on for a dinner of one of java's many gorgeously presented mediterranean inspired dishes, or optionally one of the large selection of savory crãªpes. vegetarians will feel right at home. ~ 20 chf for dinner.

Poco Loco

Place chauderon 5, also accessible from the flon district off of rue de genã¨ve. +41 22 329 11 11, (http://www.pocoloco.ch/). so you probably aren't going to travel to switzerland for the mexican food, but if you get a hankering while you're there you could hardly do better than this noisy, popular, and fairly authentic joint which is attached to a spanish-language cinema and a hip bar. the dessert menu offers a selection of mexican cigars, tequilas, and of course sweets. moderately vegi-friendly, they do have vegetarian fajitas and a "spinach wrap". 30 - 40 chf.

Brasserie Les Trois Rois

Rue du simplon 7, +41 21 616 38 22. mostly steaks with pommes frites - but extremely good steaks. vegetarians will find little to eat. the high end is mostly horse meat. it's packed with locals, few of whom were students. the restaurant is non-smoking after 7pm, and the kitchen closes at 10pm. chf 30-40.

Café de Grancy

Avenue du rond-point 1 one block south of the main train station, +41 21 616 86 66, (http://www.cafedegrancy.ch/). the grancy offers a full dinner menu of substantial quality, which always includes a few good vegetarian options. the reason many travelers will want to visit however is to linger - outside of dinner hours - over a coffee and a book or newspaper, or to really catch the spirit of the place your still-unfinished master's thesis. it's as though the front door is some kind of science-fiction transporter which links it directly to berkeley. 3.00 chf for coffee, 3.50-4.20 chf for a glass of wine or a beer. 16 chf for the amazing risotto of the day.

Le Raccard

Rue du simplon 14, located in the hotel a la gare just below the train station, across the street from brasserie les trois rois listed above. they offer typical swiss entrees, not fancy but made with care, at a very reasonable price. the owners are great, but when i was there a few years ago, their english was lacking. make sure you sit outside, unless you are getting fondue, where the quiet rue de simplon has been commandeered into a sidewalk cafe. i lived next door and ate here 4 or 5 times a week. try the ostrich and the carrot salad!

Le Saint Géry

Galeries benjamin constant 1, 021 323 36 36, www.stgery.ch. new belgian restaurant in lausanne. interesting menu, with a very decent selection of fish and seafood, most of it "belgianized" and very very tasty. sexy decor and friendly staff make it a good choice for a romantic dinner. look at 40-60 sfr for a good night out.

l'Accademia

11 place du port in the hotel angleterre, +41 21 613 34 34. very high-end italian cooking in a warmly decorated room. the service is impressive, as is the wine list. of course you pay for what you get. 60 chf + per person.

Pur

Flon valley take metro m2 to flon, and walk through the flon valley past cafã© louis. the upscale italian cuisine in this large trendy all glass restaurant simply glows. for a real treat try the truffle ravioli. after dinner hours the bar crowd here leans very slightly gay, but there are usually lots of young hetero couples and singles too mixed in. in the summer the terrace, nicely insulated from motor traffic is a big draw for singles of all persuasions. expect to pay around 50 chf per person for dinner. the pur also has free wireless internet.

la Grappe d'Or

Rue cheneau-de-bourg 3 under the pont bessiã¨re, +41 21 323 07 60. angelika and peter baermann are the royal family of within the city of lausanne, having received numerous awards over the years including a star from michelin. the food is as creative as the restaurant is formal, with meat and seafood menus. don't be surprised if you wind up dropping 200 chf per person with wine.

la Table d'Edgard

Rue du grand-chãªne 7-9 in the lausanne palais hotel, +41 21 331 32 15. known for inventive and subtle cooking and super attentive service, the table has won a michelin star, one of two in central lausanne. 100 chf + per person

MYO

1 allã©e ernest-ansermet in the park of montbennon, +41 21 323 22 88. a high-quality sushi/fusion restaurant with a superb view of the lake and the alps. vegetarians fear not! the creativity of the chef extends to non-seafood items as well. ~60 chf per person

Ristorante St-Paul

Mathilde and Nazzareno Raffa, veterans of the pan-Italian kitchen at the Hotel Angleterre in Ouchy have made a big impression in Lausanne culinary circles with this perfectly authentic southern Italian bistro. Naturally the focus is, as in Puglia is on seafood, but there's plenty to keep vegetarians happy as well. Mathilde's English is perfect and her knowledge of Italian wines is nearly encyclopediac, so when presented with the wine card just ask her what she thinks.

The restaurant, orchestrated by the Chef Stéphane Goubin, proposes a gastronomical voyage « Around the world Â» between Rome, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Bangkok. It is a non-smoking place, ideally located right in the center of Lausanne.