Grottino 1313 — Restaurant in Lucerne

I have to say that this was my favorite meal in Lucerne. Oh my goodness!! Our tour guide highly recommended it. I'm not sure that I would have seen it had it not been for Chris. It's quite the hidden gem.

First of all, the rustic and unpretentious ambiance hit all the right notes. I mean, I couldn't have asked for a better lunch setting. Although, Lucerne is full of beautiful outdoor terrace scenery. This one was by and far the best indoor scenery. Seriously! Just look at the pictures.

The 4 course pasta lunch was exactly what I wanted in a Swiss Italian meal. It's all served family style. There were 3 of us. We started with the soup & salad. It was a delicious seasonal pumpkin cream soup. She told us what was in it, but I totally forgot. It was also well-presented in a white soup tureen. The salad was equally as wonderful. I love the salad & dressing here! The quality fresh ingredients including pumpkin seeds (for Autumn) and croutons with that tasty homemade dressing is out of this world. I would have been happy & satisfied with just the soup & salad alone.

The pasta dish came out not too long after the starters. Wow! Honestly, I thought the Pasta Amatriciana was better than any pasta dish I've had in Italy. I don't normally make statements like that. I just love the simple sauces made from fresh crushed tomatoes. This one had cured pork cheek in the sauce. Our server did tell us, but I don't think he heard that part. I was surprised that my husband didn't notice it. I still haven't told him because I'm not sure what he would think of that. Haha! We loved it!

At the end, we had our choice of dessert. I think he had the tiramisu, and I selected the apricot mango one. It was a great ending. I also have to say that the Eichhof beer was light & refreshing, as well as the pitcher of naturally infused water. It's the little things that make me happy. There is an extensive wine menu as well. To be honest, I didn't see the rest of the menu. I think it's a daily fixed menu anyway. We were set on either the Pasta or Business (meat) lunch based on recommendations. We're glad we listened.

The service was exceptional. Every course was proudly explained. Our server was friendly & professional. The atmosphere was amazing! The only thing you might regret is the price. But, I'm here to tell you that it's like that everywhere in Switzerland. Just get over it, and enjoy the meal. Take that advice for what it's worth. Seek this place out if you happen to be staying in Lucerne. We have no...

My wife and I went to this restaurant just before Christmas 2023. I’m not sure how she found it, because there are so many restaurants in Lucerne, but it was an excellent choice. We walked to the restaurant from our hotel, and honestly I didn’t we were going in the right direction until we turned the corner and there it was. Really cool entryway outside with a fire pit going and inside the atmosphere was just what you want in a restaurant; intimate, but bustling. The lighting was excellent and the decor was very thoughtfully curated in a peasant chalet style. Great lights for Christmas as well!! What we really liked, was that we were not rushed through our meal and actually ended up spending over three hours there! We were both surprised, because it didn’t feel like that much time; as the courses came out, we were given right amount of time to enjoy each one. We had the house aperitif which was an apple cider spritz, and then the fixed menu. Great salad dressing. The soup was carrot/ginger, and the main was a beef tenderloin with tasty Yukon potatoes and perfectly sautéed kale sprinkled with crunchy onions. We skipped the cheese plate because we had already had enough to eat at that point, but we did enjoy the dessert cups with mascarpone and some cake inside. We also had a great Swiss Pinot Noir to accompany the meal. Incidentally, the food was all served family-style with serving dishes in the middle of the table; a welcome break from your traditional prix fixe whisking in and out of plates for each course. The servers were really fun and efficient; happily chattier than the typical Swiss, but did not overstay their welcome at the table. The prices were very reasonable for the prefix menu. My wife pointed out this morning that the single beef tenderloin dish at our hotel was almost the same price as the entire prix fixe menu at grottino 1313. I would recommend this off-the-beaten-track restaurant to anybody who visits Lucerne. I would add photos, but both my wife and I decided that it would’ve been in poor taste take out our phones and start snapping pics of the food. Everyone there (groups of friends, families and couples like us) we’re really just digging into the great food and conversation. Why...

My wife and I were very excited to visit this restaurant. So much so we booked our table one month before to make sure we wouldn't miss it. We even sent a message during the reservation process saying how excited we were to celebrate our honeymoon there.

To my disappointment, however, when we arrived we were placed in a table that was on an adjacent room to the main hall. There was no one else there other than another couple. This was extremely disappointing because part of the experience in this restaurant is to sit in the middle of the main hall and enjoy the vibe, the decour and the overall atmosphere. We asked to change tables, but we were told it wasn't possible because they were at full capacity. I am always very understanding about situations like that, but in this instance I felt they could have saved me a better spot since I booked the reservation one month ahead and made it clear a special situation. This kind of ruined the experience for us since dining in the other room provided the same atmosphere I would have had I ordered in for a delivery in my hotel room.

Regarding the food, it was good and plentiful. The plates used simples ingredients, but were very well executed by the chef.

The service was great. Although we were separate from the rest of the restaurant, our waiter was very attentive and was always around to serve us.

This would have been a 5 stars experience if not for the...