Ristorante La Cucina - Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Lucerne

We recently visited this restaurant and, while a few aspects stood out positively, the overall experience was overshadowed by an unacceptable level of service that left us feeling uncomfortable and deeply disappointed.

To start with the positives: the atmosphere was pleasant, and certain dishes—such as the black truffle pasta—were genuinely enjoyable. The pizza dough was also well-made. Pricing is fair for the quality. That said, the seafood risotto was far too salty and poorly balanced, which made it difficult to enjoy.

Unfortunately, the real issue wasn't the food—it was the behavior of our server, who introduced himself as Daniel. His conduct was, without exaggeration, the most unprofessional and racially insensitive service we’ve encountered in Switzerland.

From the beginning, he repeatedly spoke some terms in Chinese to us, making assumptions based purely on our appearance. None of us had invited that interaction, and although we didn’t explicitly state we don’t speak the language, we deliberately kept our engagement minimal because we sensed something was off. Rather than take the hint, he persisted—approaching us multiple times with a forced smile and awkward attempts to "relate," only to immediately shift his tone and expression once he turned away. The performative friendliness felt hollow, and the repeated stereotyping was frustrating and inappropriate.

At one point, seemingly aware that his behavior had made us uncomfortable, he offered an unprompted and defensive statement: “Hey my friend, doesn’t matter your race, skin color, or whatever—I treat everyone the same, okay?” That kind of comment—meant to justify his actions—only made things worse.

What truly crossed the line, however, was how he handled the bill. He pulled one of our friends aside, quietly said “I know you speak good English but your friends don’t—so tell the one paying to leave me a tip,” and then added that if we left him a good review on Google or TripAdvisor, he’d give us a discount next time. This wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was manipulative and completely inappropriate.

To make matters worse, we observed similar interactions with other Asian diners at nearby tables. One guest simply asked for directions to the restroom, and the server’s expression shifted to visible irritation as soon as the customer turned away.

While I don’t speak Chinese fluently, I understood enough to recognize how this server chose to interact with us—and, seemingly, with other Asian-looking guests. If this is indicative of how Chinese or Asian customers are treated here, that’s a serious problem. As such, I’ll be sharing this experience on relevant Chinese social media platforms to help others make an informed decision and avoid similar treatment.

We had hoped for a welcoming and enjoyable evening. Instead, we left feeling stereotyped, uncomfortable, and insulted. We won’t be returning—and we strongly encourage the restaurant to reflect seriously on the kind of service it allows to...

ATTENTION IF YOU ARE CHINESE/ ASIAN

Please prepare for ‘Special Treatment’ if you dine here

After seeing another member of our group speak out about the uncomfortable—and frankly offensive—experience we had at this restaurant, I felt I had to add my voice. What we went through wasn’t just bad service. It was humiliating.

I was at the same table, and from the moment we sat down, it was obvious that our server, Daniel, had already decided what kind of people we were—based purely on how we looked. I asked about ordering a beer, just a simple, standard request. His response? A patronizing, dismissive: “This is an Italian restaurant—we mostly serve wine.” As if ordering beer was some kind of mistake. He reluctantly pointed toward the back of the drink menu. I ordered a beer anyway. And surprisingly—it never came. He didn’t forget. He just didn’t care. And by that point, it felt pointless to even follow up.

But the real performance came once Daniel noticed I wasn’t enjoying any of this. Suddenly, he called me as “my friend.” He tried to cover up the growing tension with a bizarre routine of forced fist bumps—once, twice, multiple times—for no reason at all. It was awkward, invasive, and completely unnecessary. His fake smile made it even worse. And the second he turned away? His face dropped instantly, revealing the irritation he’d been trying (and failing) to hide. The friendliness was fake, and he could barely keep the mask on.

Then came the cherry on top: the repeated use of random Chinese words. None of us were speaking Chinese in our group/ to him. But Daniel kept doing it—another layer of shallow, stereotype-based “service.” He wasn’t showing cultural sensitivity. He assumed our identity, our language, and our ignorance—and acted like we wouldn’t catch on. Well, we did.

This wasn’t just a poor dining experience. It was an encounter built on tired assumptions, fake charm, and thinly veiled contempt. This resto wasn’t just unprofessional— their staff especially Daniel made us feel unwelcome and disrespected in a space we were paying to enjoy.

If you’re Asian—or simply someone who expects to be treated with basic respect— stay away. This isn’t just a bad night out. It’s a reminder that some places still think it’s okay to serve stereotypes instead of hospitality.

p.s To you, “my friend”. Sorry if I gave you the impression that my English wasn’t good enough to understand everything you said all night—or good enough to speak...

This is an authentic Italian restaurant attached to the Astoria Hotel in Lucerne. Interior is wonderful, service is wonderful, food is good, value for money is terrible. Maybe you will say I should not have gone looking for value in a restaurant in Switzerland. It is after all a very expensive country. However, in the end lack of value leaves a bad taste. It started when we were offered bottled, still water. Lucerne has great tap water but they want to sell you a 1l bottle of mineral water! We accepted but should have declined because it cost 13 CHF which is over $20 Canadian. That is a tourist-trap rip-off, plain and simple. Wines were expensive and I realized in the middle of the meal that we could have had a carafe of house wine. A kicker is that they charge 10 CHF to share any item on the menu, and the waiter at the end strongly suggested that a tip would be appreciated, even though that is not the culture in Switzerland. Anyway, in the end the bill for basically salad, pizza, pasta and wine was $425 CAD for four people. This restaurant is set up to rip-you off once because as a tourist you are unlikely to come back. This is such a shame because the restaurant has so...