Stern - Chur

Excellent, friendly service. Great food. Authentic Swiss cuisine. We had dinner with an international group at the Stern restaurant. The waitress Rubina Esmeralda made sure we had a wonderful evening. She was friendly, attentive and knew exactly how to handle each individual in our group.

We a couple had a short stay at the Stern hotel as part of a Swiss rail holiday, and chose to eat at the restaurant on our last night as it was rated the best in Chur. The surroundings were lovely, and we selected the... gourmet menu which had 2 options surf or turf . 4 courses each. We also had a gin tonic as an aperitif, and a bottle of wine with the meal. I had the surf option and expected some wonderful seafood, whilst my wife chose turf . The first surprise was that the amuse bouche to start was the same for both of us, some parma ham with a dressing. Then came the starter which was ham again with a salad and a different type of dressing. I spoke to the waiter thinking he had misheard my order as no seafood had been in evidence, only to be told that the only difference between the options was the main course. That would not have suited a non meat eater as I certainly did not expect meat to be served for the first 2 courses. Then followed a kohl rabi soup, which was quite bland, then the main courses which was where the menus differed. I was served some small spirals of trout surf ? and my wife had small cubes of veal cooked in different ways. Both quite nice, but small servings, and I have eaten far better elsewhere. Finally, we had a dessert of ice cream with fruits accompanied by mousse in a tall glass. It was presented nicely, but quite unremarkable. The total cost for the 2 of us including drinks was 268 francs, which was probably the most expensive meal we have ever had. Overall, it was disappointing and, we thought, very overpriced.

By far the best food we had a week in the Engadin. Delicious salad to begin, followed by a super creamy risotto with local cheese and vegetables, followed by two main dishes, one was a tasteful rice curry, and the other was a local dish of calf medallions in a wonderful creamy mushroom and cognac sauce with rosti. Service was very good for Switzerland. They are very gluten-free friendly. Our hotel called after a reservation and let them know I have celiac disease. They had a warm, nice dinner roll for me when I arrived that hadn't happened anywhere in East Switzerland. It was easy to find GF elements on the menu (usually id’d by the typical symbol) and the cook could easily customize others. We had a local Chardonnay who was great; his top on the wine list; can order half a liter of carafe.

By far the best meal we had for a week in the Engadine. Delicious salad to start, followed by a super creamy risotto with local cheese and veggies, followed by two main courses, one was a flavorful rice curry, and the other was a local dish of veal medallions in a wonderful creamy mushroom and cognac sauce with rosti. Service was very good for Switzerland. They are VERY gluten free friendly. Our hotel called ahead for a reservation and let them know I have celiac. They had a warm, lovely dinner roll for me when I arrived, which had not happened anywhere in Eastern Switzerland to date. It was easy to find GF items on the menu (mostly id’d by the typical symbol) and the chef could adapt others easily. We had a local chardonnay that was great; its on the top of the wine list; can order a half liter carafe.

We enjoyed a very good meal, beautifully served. You can order a small portion main course for a few CHF less, which is a a good idea if you really aren't hungry or are having lots of courses! Service was quite slow, even given how...busy the restaurant was on a Monday night. This didn't really matter to us, and we enjoyed a relaxing dinner.