Ottolenghi — Restaurant in Geneva

As someone who regularly cooks from Yotam Ottolenghi’s books, I’ve long admired his ability to turn bold, vibrant ingredients into refined, deeply satisfying dishes. His recipes are a staple in my kitchen, so when Ottolenghi opened in Geneva, I knew it would be a special experience. It became even more meaningful when we chose it to celebrate a joint birthday with my best friend.

From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere struck the right balance: elegant without pretension, warm without informality. Every dish was meticulously prepared, full of flavour and freshness, and unmistakably rooted in Ottolenghi’s signature culinary language.

Our waiter, Alexandre, deserves particular recognition. He brought a calm, polished presence to the evening: attentive, gracious, and clearly passionate about the food. His timing was impeccable, his recommendations thoughtful, and his manner sincerely hospitable.

The wine service was equally impressive. On the sommelier’s advice, we selected a Bourgogne Mercurey that turned out to be excellent: elegant structure, fine acidity, and a beautiful match for the menu’s layered flavours. I also appreciated the inclusion of quality local wines, particularly selections from Geneva-based producers like domaine Grand'Cour, J-P. Pellegrin, which offered a welcome and thoughtful nod to the region.

Yes, reservations are hard to come by, it took several weeks to secure our table. But the evening was more than worth the wait. Beautifully executed cuisine, outstanding service, and an atmosphere of quiet celebration. Ottolenghi Geneva is not just a restaurant, it’s a generous,...

My husband is a fan of Ottolenghi and has one of his cookbook. To celebrate his birthday, he decided to go to the restaurant. We went there for the breakfast menu. He was excited and really looking forward to it but unfortunately he was disappointed. The food that he chose were so below expectation. He had the Scrambled Rose Harissa Tofu which was lack of taste so he added a little bit of salt. He also ordered the Black Rice porridge with mango and banana. This dish was the most disappointing one. It was tasteless. Even after adding the sugar packs from his coffee and ate together with the fruits, it was still tasteless. We also ordered Shakshuka which was okay. The Middle Eastern Breakfast was the only dish that was good and interesting to try. We had also a basket of bread and pastries which was great but I think those weren't Ottolenghi's The restaurant was nice with clean and modern design. It has a great covered outdoor area. Although they messed up a couple of our orders, the staffs were pleasant, warm and nice. Overall it was a disappointing experience to celebrate a birthday. When he reserved online, he had to fill the reason of going there and stated it as a birthday celebration. Honestly we were expecting a small gesture for the birthday but there wasn't any. So we don't understand the point of asking the question when booking. We read good reviews on the food for lunch and dinner but our breakfast food was a letdown. Maybe we were not just lucky. Not sure we would...

Being a huge fan of Ottolenghi’s cooking (We have 5 of his cookbooks at home, which are quite well used), we wanted to really check out the restaurant from when it opened. Being a vegetarian in the French part of Switzerland has become progressively better since I arrived here in 2016, but no experience has matched what we experienced at Ottolenghi’s.

My wife reserved the restaurant for my birthday. We order the Kimchi Gruyère fritters as a starter (not pictured) from Ottolenghi’s “Flavour” book and we were already blown away.

We ordered the Grilled Halloumi, Grilled Cucumber and Gaspacho with Charred tropea onions with Pita bread as appetisers and things just got better and better.

The main course of Roasted aubergine with chickpeas and Mushroom mixed grill elevated the level of the meal to another stratosphere.

Finally, the desert arrived and there was a special touch from the restaurant for my birthday. We had also order the chocolate and tahini fondant, which I kid you not, I cried upon eating because the sheer experience and the emotions it triggered.

We definitely recommend this restaurant. For me personally , this was a life defining moment at a restaurant. There’s my life before eating at Ottolenghi’s and there’s my life after eating at Ottolenghi’s.

Also, a big shoutout to my wife for organising this!❤️

We are eagerly awaiting these next menu change to come back and try the...