Stadtkeller — Restaurant in Lucerne

TLDR version: Outstanding Swiss culture show with tons of audience participation, great cheese fondue, don't miss out on a memorable evening visit.

Full English version: I visit this place every couple of years with students, and it is always one of our favorite spots. If you book in advance, you get a better shot at seats closer to the stage, if you request that, I always do. The performers are multilingual, welcoming you in many international languages, and they do most of the show in English & German. They also invite tons of audience members up on stage to join the performances & try several instruments, my favorite is the Alphorn. Very considerately, they use a clean mouthpiece for each new person. They also recruit dancers & yodelers from multiple groups to add to the audience's enjoyment. Later on, there's a conga-line style dance for everyone, and a fun surprise visit from a very special costumed performer. ;-)

Most importantly, if you aren't lactose intolerant, order the cheese fondue. It's delicious.

I always reserve set-menus for me & my group, which the management seems to appreciate, and it's hard to go wrong. Even my occasional vegetarians say the curry is decent. The chocolate fondue I have only had once, but it was not to my taste & I cannot recommend it.

On the whole, it's educational, in the funnest way possible, incorporating music, food, dancing, & singing. The wait staff does their very best to take & serve orders without disturbing the performance, which can result in slightly longer wait-times than smaller, less-entertaining venues, but if you are there for a quick bite, you have chosen poorly.

If you go before the show, it probably won't be full, because that's what draws the big crowds, conversely, you should not have as long to wait for service.

Frankly, I am quite impressed with this whole operation. The performers & staff are so good at what they do here, it is a huge amount of things & people to coordinate & pull off such an entertaining evening, night after night, these folks just do an outstanding job, that isn't inexpensive, but it's worth it.

Deutsche Version (abgekürzt): Komm und erlebe ein Stückchen Schweizer Kultur unter Besucher aus aller Welt. Wenn dir Käsefondue gefällt, kriegst du hier ein ausgezeichnetes Beispiel, das nicht zu verpassen ist. Das Schokofondue hier ist leider nicht mein Geschmack und kann's nicht empfehlen.

Das Personal hier ist sehr freundlich und aufmerksam und leistet täglich was ganz beeindruckendes. Wenn du lust drauf hast, kannst du das Alphorn probieren, jodeln, und tanzen. Die Atmosphäre ist gemütlich und macht eine Menge Spaß. Das alles ist zwar teuer, aber des...

We just happened see it while walking through Sternenplatz on our very first day in Lucerne. I knew that there would be entertainment, and the timing of that was perfect. We didn't have a reservation for lunch, but they warmly welcomed us to the upper dining area. There was a very large tour group seated in the lower front part near the stage. The lovely show announcer asked us where we were from (USA), and told us that we arrived just in time to see their show. Yay! There were people of all nationalities enjoying their hospitality.

Our server (Linda) arrived shortly after that with our menus. She was great! We ordered a big bottle of still water for our drinks. I just had to try the traditional Fritschi Pastete from Kreyenbühl Bakery while my husband ordered the Pork Cordon Bleu. All the menus around town were heavy on veal. My husband was happy to see "schweins" on this menu.

Everything was good! Honestly, I could have done without the ring of rice. I would have been happier with some veggies or boiled potatoes. The rice around the pastete wasn't that good, but I guess it's there to soak up the sauce that flows out of the pastry. The size of the whole dish was a bit overwhelming. In retrospect, I should have ordered something lighter. I was barely able to eat half of it. It was a very large portion. The meat (veal) & sauce was gamey. Most people love that. It's a Swiss tradition. The boozy raisins served with it was a treat. Let's just say it was a good food exploration. My husband really liked the creamy mountain cheese in his Cordon Bleu, as well as the crispy fries.

The best part was the Folklore Show. This is what draws everyone here. It may seem touristy to some, but I found it to be very cultural. I honestly don't get the lower reviews for this place. Why did you even pick this restaurant if you don't like seeing traditional Swiss culture? It was a great performance! It was cool to hear the music and sounds of the Alps. This included the Alphorn music as well as yodeling. I loved it! It was also interactive. They brought up volunteers to the stage to blow into the alphorn, and to dance with them. We would have stayed longer but we had to get back to sightseeing. There's never enough time in the day to do everything.

I totally recommend a visit if you're looking for traditional Swiss food & culture. There's raclette and fondue dishes including Fondue Chinoise (or Hot Pot). There are vegetarian offerings as well as a full bar of drinks. It's a cool & clean atmosphere. A very...

On a German language class trip, our group of 25 arrived at this restaurant / beer hall, where we were all seated at a long table oriented towards an empty stage. We were soon stuffed with wonderful authentic Swiss food, and other tables began to fill. As the population rose, so did the noise level, with an enthusiastic restaurant staff cheerfully contributing their fair share. As we settled in to dinner, the staff also conveyed requests and messages from table to table, which is how we happened to meet some visitors from Japan, elsewhere in the United States, etc. This convivial atmosphere persisted through a pleasant dinner.

The hostess made her way to the podium on the stage, where she announced that a program of traditional Swiss folk entertainment would soon begin, and that in addition to the restaurant staff, we were expected to join in at the appropriate times. We weren't quite prepared for the extent of audience participation, but all worked out well.

A young woman came to the podium, and sang some folk songs, accompanying herself with a zither, followed by another young woman singing and accompanying herself with a beer-bottle xylophone - delightful!

A couple of men, and the hostess, came to the podium, and accompanied their singing by swirling ball-bearings in ceramic bowls - weird (except this "instrument" is featured in Andreas Vollenweider's music).

Then, the hostess came to the podium, and with the others, did some spectacularly complicated yodelling - wow! The hostess then started pointing out people in the audience to come up and try yodelling, and I was volunteered by the kids. When I got to the podium, I had had a chance to listen to the tune five or six times, and asked the hostess to yodel, with me singing harmony. It worked! I bowed to the audience's applause, and returned to my seat.

After the yodelling, the young men returned, with immense Alpenhorns, and through their skills and experience, played some deep, tuneful melodies. The hostess started pointing out 'volunteers' from the audience again, and this time, our ringer Cindy, volunteered. Cindy, a French Horn player with the Kalamazoo Symphony, comported herself quite honorably indeed, getting a standing ovation from the audience and peals of pleased laughter...