Njørden | Restaurant - Café - Brunch — Restaurant in Aubonne

I have travelled the world extensively over 40 years. I ate at all restaurants ranging from pop & mom’s to Michelin three stars. This is my honest review of the Njorden Cafe (the one with Michelin Bib award, not the main Michelin star restaurant) in Aubonne, canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

We had a wonderful brunch here and were genuinely impressed by both the quality and the concept. The brunch included a generous buffet of mostly cold dishes, with a focus on fish preparations — smoked salmon, marinated salmon, roulades, and herring — all of which were excellent. There were also fresh salads (including a lovely carrot salad), a selection of breads, cheeses, a few sweets, and some meat options like bacon. The fish selection slightly outweighed the meat and cheese options, so a bit more variety in those areas could bring better balance — but everything was delicious.

In addition to the buffet, we were served three warm dishes directly at the table from the kitchen: their signature cinnamon roll (as delicious as it is famous), a comforting mushroom and egg soup, and a flavorful fish dish made with pollack. The portions were intentionally small, which allowed us to sample everything without feeling overly full — a thoughtful and elegant approach.

Drinks included coffee, a lovely verveine tea, infused water, and apple juice. Everything was included, and there was no limit — just a relaxed atmosphere where you could enjoy at your own pace.

Service was excellent — warm, informative, and attentive. The only (minor) downside was a bit of a wait when it came to checking out, but that doesn’t take away from the otherwise outstanding experience.

The ambiance inside is great: cozy, with light-colored decor, soft background music, and enough space between tables to enjoy conversations without being overheard. One small suggestion would be to consider slightly softer chairs or cushions to enhance comfort, especially for older guests. The current chairs look good but might feel a bit hard over a longer meal.

All in all, a truly lovely brunch spot I’d absolutely recommend — both for the food and the welcoming,...

Unhappy experience with lunch at Njord café

Certainly, based on all the over-the-top comments, the gastronomic restaurant must be outstanding and well worth a visit. This, unfortunately, is not the case for the Njord café, a very poor "carte de visite" for the starred restaurant. 'Scandinavian-inspired' it may well be, but not offering the authentic, simple, tasty dishes we know from Scandinavia. Charming but stressed young ladies rush about in all directions, but service is not attentive, and customers' calls are consistently ignored. Customer unhappy: who bloody well cares? (Michelin?). Beautiful tableware and attractive presentation, but this does not compensate for food being nothing special, and no longer warm when served. Cutlery is placed straight on the table, canteen-style (Michelin?) Wines by the glass are poured painstakingly, Swiss-style, to make sure not a single drop goes over the 1 dl mark. At CHF 16 per glass, this is shocking. Excellent coffee. Toilets need repair and cleaning (Michelin?) Hesitated to post comment but this is not an inexpensive restaurant. My fault that my expectations were too high, I was disappointed and found it both very overrated...

Hands down our best dining experience in Switzerland, the place deserves a Michelin star for its simplicity and perfection. The focus is clearly on the perfectly balanced fish-centred set menu (although there's also an impressive wine list and a selection of Swedish beers), the staff is very friendly and not overly stiff, the ambience and details are carefully selected and beautifully Nordic and you are seated in a cosy beautiful room that feels very inviting - being Swedish we instantly felt at home. We booked a table for lunch, which is a bargain deal to try this place, and the Swedish/Swiss chef came out to speak with the guests in person which is always a nice touch. You could see that a lot of love and effort has been put into doing something different for the Swiss dining scene, and it works - Njørden definitely earns its place in the foodie guidebooks and will be getting its star soon enough. We feel lucky having eaten here already (the place opened just before the pandemic) and will...