Restaurant Schiff — Restaurant in Lucerne

One star is far too generous for the appalling service we experienced.

We visited on 15 September 2025 at 5:35 PM, and what should have been a pleasant evening by the river turned into an exercise in frustration. The staff—three waiters (a young man, an older man, and one particularly rude woman)—were unprofessional, inattentive, and outright dismissive.

The problems started immediately. We waited in the designated “wait to be seated” area, only to be told by the young waiter that we could sit anywhere—but not at a four-seat table. That would have been acceptable if we hadn’t watched several couples sit at four-seat riverfront tables without issue. Already, the inconsistency and arbitrariness of the rules raised red flags.

Once seated, we waited nearly 20 minutes without a single acknowledgment. No menus, no water, no “we’ll be right with you.” Nothing. The staff were right there: the female waiter stood chatting with a colleague for over 15 minutes, completely ignoring customers, while the older waiter brushed us off with “one moment” before disappearing entirely.

When we finally approached the staff ourselves to ask for an English menu, the rude female waiter snapped back with: “Here in Switzerland we have our time.” This was not only dismissive but insulting. We were on vacation, and our time is valuable—we were not demanding special treatment, just the basic courtesy of service during working hours. Her tone made it abundantly clear: customers were seen as an annoyance, not as guests.

There was no apology. No attempt to make things right. Just arrogance and contempt. As someone who works in the service industry myself, I know one thing: the customer is always right—or at least deserves respect. What we witnessed was the exact opposite.

We walked out before ordering. And honestly, I’m relieved. If the service is this disgraceful, I have no confidence the kitchen holds higher standards.

Bottom line: this place doesn’t deserve your time, money, or patience. Until management trains its staff—particularly that rude and unprofessional waitress—on the basics of hospitality, I cannot recommend this establishment to anyone.

I used translation app to Dutch so everyone know how bad the...

During my visit to Lake Lucerne, I had the pleasure of dining at Restaurant Schifi, which offers a picturesque view of the surrounding lake and landscape. While the ambiance was undeniably beautiful, the culinary experience left me with mixed feelings.

First, I tried the Half Roasted Chicken, and I must say it was roasted to perfection. The tender and succulent meat paired splendidly with the fragrant pommery mustard sauce, and the side of French fries was a delightful addition.

Next, I opted for the Vol-au-vent Lucerne Style, featuring veal meatballs wrapped in a bread pastry. The dish was a unique and palatable experience, as the meatballs were both tasty and chewable, providing a delightful blend of flavors.

However, the Homemade Pork Sausage with Rosti was a bit of a letdown. The sausage lacked appeal, and the rosti was slightly over-fried and greasy, resulting in an unbalanced and oily plate.

The highlight of the restaurant is undoubtedly its stunning location by the lake, offering a serene and picturesque outdoor view. It’s the perfect spot for those who enjoy dining with a scenic backdrop.

One aspect to keep in mind when visiting this restaurant is that water is charged separately, at 4 CHF per cup ordered. It’s essential information to consider to avoid any surprises when settling the bill.

Overall, while the food was a mixed bag, the enchanting lakeside setting adds a unique charm to Restaurant Schifi. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy breathtaking views with some hits and misses on the menu, this restaurant might just be the...

We were looking for a nice Swiss restaurant near the river and we decided to stop there.

We asked to one of the worker (big guy with black shirt) sit at the tables near the river and he said the tables were for 4 people, so he put us to another table. Just a few minutes after we saw 2 couples sitting at the tables near the river as instructed from other waitress. What a misery and poor customer service from the guy.

If tables are free and there is a chance to make the day of someone , why not? The tables stayed free for all the time we had dinner.

Thanks God the experience was recovered from Maria, luckily she was our waitress. Her bright and joyful attitude really put us in a different mood.

I have been working in hospitality for long time, I can say Maria has shown one of the best customer service experience I have ever seen.

I observed her with other customer as well, she was always chatty, nice and helpful. It was just a pleasure to see someone putting so much efforts in the job and making sure people will have a good experience.

We ordered fondue, first time so I cannot say much but it was nice, for a touristic restaurant I guess. We ordered the pork belly as well and we were very pleased with our choices.

I will definitely recommend, and hopefully come back, to eat again at the restaurant, mainly because of Maria.

Thank you for making our evening special.

To the Manager, I hope you know you have a star...