Rhyschänzli — Restaurant in Basel

Quick Summary: overpriced, cold food and service, not an international environment (Speaking English a disadvantage). Go to 800 Grad for better tasting and less expensive steak, or Oliv for an overall better experience at equivalent pricing as Rhyschänzli.

Recently visited here for the first time with my wife to celebrate her birthday. It came highly recommended from a friend with normally solid recommendations so I could be the exception here in terms of the experience I had. I like to preface my review with that as it usually takes an extremely negative experience for me to write a negative review.

Unfortunately this was the worst restaurant experience I’ve had in a long time. I made a reservation and was sure to mention it was for my wife’s birthday. When we walked in the night of, the same person who took my reservation received us and seemed a bit overwhelmed to begin with. She sat us in a table that seemed in the way of restaurant traffic so my wife and I moved the table ourselves to avoid getting hit by the passing staff every minute or so. When ordering time came the waitress seemed shy to speak English and did not offer any recommendations or guidance. My friend told me steak was the way to go so we did so. Asked how many grams and she said 600g for 2 people would be fine, but came back after 2 minutes and said she had a 550g portion and asked if sufficient so we said yes. Ordered the bone marrow starter and a couple sides with the steak.

Bone marrow was fine but again the server just put it down and didn’t say a word, seemed again like everyone was too busy to do their job with any level of customer service that day. Waited very long for the bone marrow and even longer for the entree. Once served the portion seemed only enough for one person as the steak had a huge bone and obviously reduced after cooking. We were both starving but said ok let’s just enjoy what he had in front of us. As we ate we realized the food was barely even warm, even the steak. I’ve never been served a lukewarm steak, even at a lower end chain restaurant. However I could tell the meat was very high quality. In spite of this I had to say something after 2 bites. Even the mashed potatoes and vegetables were cold. It seemed like they forgot about it after it was cooked and probably left it sitting for quite a while before serving. They suggested taking the food back and rewarming it which is always a bad idea with steak. With no other choice we said yes. It came back, again not very warm as now they could not over cook it. With no other option we ate it as we were starving. When the manager came by to ask if it was fine this time I said no it was cold and not very enjoyable. As I was explaining (complaining) she started to walk away and just “enjoy your meal”. At this point I gave up and just finished whatever we could eat and wanted the check so we could leave.

Got the bill for 150ch for cold steak and mashed potatoes, which left us hungry and dissatisfied... all this to celebrate on my wife’s birthday. I asked for the check so we could leave and go to another restaurant for dessert to salvage the night.

I took my wife to Oliv the next night to make up for it and had an exquisite experience there as we always do, thankfully. Still upset about the experience at Rhyschanzli but what can you do - sometimes it takes a bad experience to appreciate the good. Lesson learned - never try a new restaurant on a...

Restaurant Rhyschänzli was recommended by Tim, from Kuni & Gunde, who told us we would find a traditional meal, well prepared, in a pleasant atmosphere. I was not disappointed!

Cyril, the proprietor, was charming and welcoming to his restaurant and we chose to sit outside in the warm evening on tables arranged on the pavement. It wasn't long and the table was set up and from there nothing was an inconvenience. Cyril took his time explaining the menu in perfect English, switching to Italian and German with ease as regular customers arrived and left. He discussed the ingredients and suggested options. I would like to thank Cyril and his staff for making me feel so at home. It was an absolute pleasure. The food was, as Tim said, exceptional, and overall would recommend a visit to Restaurant Rhyschänzli on a warm evening, to sit outside, beside a park and enjoy the meal, in the very capable hands of...

My wife and I visited this restaurant in Basel on a recommendation to try the fondue, and it truly exceeded our expectations! The fondue was exceptional, and we also enjoyed a delicious salad, perfectly cooked pork chops, and delightful ravioli – every dish was absolutely amazing.

To complement our meal, we tried the Chardonnay wine, which was an excellent recommendation from the staff. Speaking of the staff, they were phenomenal! Incredibly attentive, warm, and friendly, they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, speaking to us in English and even Spanish, which we greatly appreciated.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was equally fantastic – warm, quiet, and cozy, creating the perfect setting for a memorable dining experience. We were so impressed that we ended up going twice during our stay, and we’re already looking forward to our next visit. Highly recommended – this place is an...