Café Perroquet Vert — Restaurant in Biel/Bienne

My family traveled from California to surprise me with a birthday dinner, inviting my closest friends and their families. We had already enjoyed a wonderful time in Luzern, where we found Switzerland to be very child-friendly, even in upscale establishments. Unfortunately, our final experience—my birthday dinner—was disappointing and disheartening.

The restaurant reservation was made for 13 people, including five children: two 5-year-olds and three 2-year-olds. The staff assured us this would not be a problem. However, it quickly became clear that it was. In hindsight, I wish the restaurant had been honest about not being child-friendly, so we could have chosen a more suitable venue.

Despite our efforts to manage the children’s noise, the owner informed us that other diners had complained. We gave the toddlers colored pencils and paper to keep them occupied, but at one point, they marked the tablecloth and we immediately confiscated the pencils. These were washable pencils, not permanent markers.

The owner insisted on charging us for the tablecloth, claiming it was no longer usable. I apologized for the incident and offered to provide my contact information for any dry-cleaning expenses if the marks couldn’t be removed. However, I expressed confusion: if dry cleaning can handle food, wine, and coffee stains, why not colored pencil marks? The owner stated it wasn’t about the money but about “disrespect.” He even claimed the disrespect was intentional and not an accident, which I explained was not possible for 2-year-olds. He then blamed us as parents, to which I apologized again and clarified we had no intention of disrespecting the establishment and confiscated the pencils as soon as we noticed.

At this point, he refused to continue the conversation, saying he was too busy with other customers. I found this dismissive attitude unprofessional, particularly toward a paying client. It was clear the restaurant lacked experience accommodating young children and had little patience for them. I’m unsure why they accepted our reservation in the first place.

That said, the interior was beautiful, and the food was excellent. I would recommend this restaurant to adults seeking a fine dining experience, but I do not recommend it for families with young children. There was a clear lack of empathy for parents trying to enjoy a special evening.

While discussing with the owner It felt like no apology or explanation was ever going to be enough. The experience made me reflect on how, as a mother, it often feels like society holds you to impossible standards. No matter how much you try to prepare, to anticipate, to balance being considerate and allowing your children to simply be children—it’s never enough. Instead of understanding, there’s judgment.

The restaurant’s lack of patience and empathy left me feeling defeated. My birthday ended with the owner accusing me of disrespecting his restaurant over the actions of toddlers, despite our sincere efforts to manage them. What was meant to be a joyful celebration, lovingly planned by my family, ended with a sense of failure and sadness. It was a bitter farewell to Switzerland for my family and a painful reminder that, as a mother, your best is sometimes...

Very nice bistro style interior, very friendly and attentive service. Unfortunately, that's where the positive points end.

I had the saddle of roe venison for lunch which, sadly, was cooked rare even if the meat was clearly tender enough to be cooked well done which I consider more appropriate for game.

But more importantly, the spätzle were oversalted which is unforgivable, in particular for a roughly CHF 50 dish. Oversalted dishes are simply an expression of disrespect towards the customer and a lack of interest and care by the cook. Any cook, however good or bad, when tasting his/her product, will notice for sure whether his/her dish is oversalted. And when he/she does notice but then decides to push the dish out to the customer all the same... what does that say about his/her attitude?

And then when being asked if the dish was ok and when I commented about my dissatisfaction, what happened? Nothing. No apology, no discount, no free coffee, no sign of care. All I got was a patronising remark saying that I should have asked to have the meat cooked more, which is fair enough but the story shouldn't end...

We were lucky enough to take advantage of the take-away Easter offer during the lockdown. As we stood outside the restaurant, the passionate host came to us outside to explain the offer in detail. The whole team offered a tastefully exquisite French cuisine and the waiting time was skillfully bridged by the excellent service. The meal exceeded our expectations and was paired with an exclusive wine pairing. Who would have thought that we would encounter such a gem on our bicycle tour of the Swiss (gastronomic) countryside. We will gladly return and can recommend this restaurant without...