Restaurant HERMITAGE, Luzern — Restaurant in Lucerne

The food was overall good, but as someone with food allergies, the experience was deeply disappointing — and, honestly, upsetting- I was fighting back tears. I had informed the restaurant of my allergies in advance when making the reservation, so my dietary needs were not a surprise.

I ordered something very simple — meat, fries, and salad — and politely requested olive oil and vinegar on the side for my salad. This is a very standard request, and I always try to make things as easy as possible by opting for straightforward options. Still, when it wasn’t brought out, I waited patiently, then eventually had to ask again. The response felt cold, as though I were being difficult simply for requesting what I had already ordered — almost like a subtle way of saying, “you’re a problem for having allergies.” For the record, my allergies are not complex, and I do everything I can to make dining out smooth for everyone involved.

When the vinegar finally arrived, it was served in a literal bowl (see photo)— something I’ve never experienced before — which felt more like a passive-aggressive F U , rather than helpful service. I also had to grab salt and pepper from another table because none were provided and I was afraid to ask again. I usually feel safe and welcome when dining out — this time, I felt the opposite.

The second course took quite a long time to arrive. While I truly appreciated that the kitchen made a sauce I could safely eat with the steak, that thoughtful effort was completely overshadowed by the waiter's attitude. When we politely asked about the delay, we were met with, “Well, the restaurant is big, so you’re not the only ones here,” completely uncalled for. I understand a busy service can stretch the staff — but that’s not the guests’ burden to bear, and it’s not an excuse for rudeness.

I must say the host was kind and welcoming, but the waiter’s behavior ultimately ruined what should have been a lovely evening. They did offer a dessert on the house at the end, which was appreciated — but by then, it felt like too little, too late. The repeated dismissiveness — especially toward my elderly in-laws and toward me, despite my efforts to make things easy — left me fighting back tears. Instead, I felt uncomfortable, like a burden, and unsure of myself — questioning whether I should even ask for anything at all.

If you have food allergies, be aware that this place may not make you feel safe or respected. If your food is delayed and you ask about it politely, be prepared for attitude in return. I genuinely hope the restaurant takes this as constructive feedback and reflects on how they treat guests — because no one should leave feeling humiliated, uncomfortable, and sad for having needs they can’t control.

If guests are seen as an inconvenience, perhaps that should be stated on the website. I’m hesitant to ever return. Our first visit was lovely, with excellent food and service. Sadly, this time was the complete opposite. Based on this experience, I wouldn’t recommend it — no one deserves to feel this way when all they want is to...

Restaurant in a beautiful location on Lake Lucerne with kind service, however, our experience with an issue with one of the entrees gives me pause on recommending this spot.

Reservations and arriving: Made via message online or a call; we did so as part of our stay at the Hermitage. When checking in, the front desk was very gracious noticing that we had an upcoming reservation and called ahead letting the restaurant know that we are running a little bit late due to the check-in process. We arrived and were seated in a beautiful table overlooking lake Lucerne.

The menu is vast yet easy to digest as the recommendations of the house were clearly marked. The alcohol list was extensive as is the non-alcoholic options.

Service was relaxed which is fine because we are there to relax as well. When a glass broke they were very quick to clean our table which was great.

FOOD AND DRINK: We started our meal with an amuse bouche of roast beef and tartare sauce with horseradish, which was excellent and a beautiful single bite start to our meal.

The ginger sour cocktail was beautifully presented, topped with egg white and a slice of orange and ginger, however, for a drink listed under the sours section it was too sweet.

For appetizers, beef tartare is beautifully presented, smooth with plenty of mustard seeds and with a portion of bread on the side. The mushroom soup was very flavorful and topped with croutons, and the flambeed asparagus was fresh and delicious, dotted with strawberry jelly and a herb sauce.

Our issue came with the entrees. We ordered the entrecote (as recommended in menu), flank steaks and a perch fish dish. Note: Fish was great! Seasoned well and served with leeks. We were not asked how we wanted our steaks done: unfortunately all the steaks came well done which is more cooked than we preferred.

The flank steak comes with a chimichurri sauce but was thinly applied and under seasoned; salad underneath is good but the steak was dry.

The entrecote steak was so well done that the meat was firm and mostly white, so we raised this one item to our waiter.

He took it back to the kitchen, then came back and reported that this cut is made to be just a little bit pink and recommended as is. When we confirmed it was too well done for our taste, he went back and returned saying that they will not be able to replace this without charging us more. At this point I did not want to waste food, received my original dish and ate it anyway.

Service and ambiance was great otherwise. Just a shame we ended with bad experiences with our entrees and the kitchen refusing to replace a dish that we did not like without...

The setting for this restaurant is amazing with beautiful lake views. After that, for a super high-end restaurant, everything else is extremely overpriced and doesn't come close to justifying the cost. I booked this restaurant as our vacation dinner splurge, knowing how expensive it was. With that knowledge, there was an assumption that it it would be a high end dining experience commensurate with the price.

Beginning with the level of service, which is usually seamless in a top notch establishment, staffed with knowledgeable and experienced staff, we were very disappointed. Our waitress was sweet, but was working her first night and knew very little about the menu, wine list, or cocktails, and she continually tried to come up with explanations for questions that she clearly didn't know the answer. We all laughed when martini's were served in giant glasses with barely anything in them (literally 3 small sips), asking if she "spilled some on the way over."

Unfortunately, the service continued to be 'clunky' the rest of the night, which would have been OK if the food compensated for it... but no such luck. We had some tasty appetizers, which while not overly creative, were the highlight of the experience. Because their website touted them and the special imported oven, we ordered various steaks for entrees, again with our waitress not being able to describe them. When she didn't have a recommendation for how to cook them, we told her chef's preference would be fine, which is usually safe... It wasn't. The thin/poor cuts of beef were so overcooked, we were wondering if the chef was also working his first night.

Had this been a mid-priced restaurant, I would have given it an average rating. However, having spent nearly $500 for only 3 people, (very expensive even by Swiss standards) Hermitage needs a great deal of improvement in their level of service and food quality to...