Switzerland Insider

So far, the only suggestion on where to eat in Switzerland and how to eat on a budget is: To go to local supermarkets in order to raid their convenience section.

And we’re not all against that. Under certain circumstances you should do that, but here are a few more tips on how to eat cheap and delicious food in Switzerland!

Most of the tips below range between CHF 10 and 20 for a full and satisfying meal and will help you save some money while experiencing travel cuisine! So here’s a cool way to travel Switzerland on a budget!

Bakeries

So our first tip is going to bakeries. If you opt for sandwiches or a prepared salad, then bakeries offer you similar food but at a much better quality and fresh! So, as you can see below, for 14 Swiss Francs you can a decent and yummy lunch at a bakery.

But what you should really go to bakeries for are the desserts. Depending where you are you can ask for local specialities and you will find an actual variety of the sweetest dreams that let you even forget that chocolate exists!

Bakery products in Switzerland

Traditional Swiss dinner (Abendbrot)

We see a lot of tourists going to Migros, buying bread, cheese, dry meats, some tomatoes and they the eat that sitting by a lake. Now while a lot of travellers think they’re doing the ultimate budget version of eating, in fact they’re eating an authentic Swiss meal!

Back in the day Swiss people were very poor and this was a one way to eat dinner for example. There’s even a word for it in German. It’s called Abendbrot. And basically it means “evening bread”.

 

Swiss Abendbrot

Local supermarkets

If you still fancy convenience food from local supermarkets, then at least don’t overpay! So, what you can do is, maybe come an hour to half an hour before the shops close. You can go inside and they’ll put a 50% off sticker on those items that have to go for the day!

Alternatively you can also get other discounted products that you can easily cook yourself at your holiday rental. Maybe you fancy to make a fondue yourself? It’s not that hard, there are mixtures that only need heating up!

Reduced food in Swiss supermarket

Too Good Too Go (Food Waste App)

Another way to eat delicious food on budget is with the app called “Too Good To Go”. If you don’t know it, maybe you search it online. Basically you pay a certain price and you get a lot more than the face value of these items are because, well they need to go, but they are too good for the bin!

Food Waste Shop (Ässbar)

And we’ve got another place it’s called Ässbar. It’s written bit funny for you maybe. It’s basically Swiss German where it means: edible. And it’s a company that goes around and collects food items that are left over and sells them next day for much cheaper.

But then you think: I come all the way to Switzerland I do not want to eat all this discount food all the time I want to go to a restaurant!

And of course you can. There are plenty of options for you as well!

Lunch at Restaurants

If you go to a restaurant and want to save some money, then go for lunch. You can often get a starter, main course and a dessert for about CHF 20-30. If you are lucky a drink is included as well. There you have the chance to try typical Swiss dishes!

Now, there are different type of restaurants. There are typical Swiss restaurants, which we call Beiz. They are generally a bit cheaper. You recognise them with a name, you do not know what it means. They’re usually very heavily advertised with for example Coke or beer companies or anything else. They’re also a bit dated sometimes. So it might look a bit bad for you, but actually it is not.

How to find a Swiss restaurant

Döner Kebab

Another dish, which you need to try in Switzerland, which is cheap as well: Döner Kebab. You’ll usually find it everywhere in Europe. As it is usually cheap, it has got a bad reputation. I can assure you in Switzerland it doesn’t and you can do nothing wrong with that. You can get a Döner for under CHF 10.

Kebab

Fast Food

How about McDonald’s, how about Burger King, how about Subway? We do have them but they’re rather pricey. But you should nevertheless try them because the quality is a lot different to what you might be used to. Sometimes you can get special burgers with, for example, Raclette cheese!

Asian or Indian

What? Yes! The restaurants sometimes look a bit cheap from the outside but food is actually really good inside. That’s why you can get really cheap meals. So, this is one way. And if you go up to the owners and talk in their native language, they go to the back and get the authentic ingredients and the authentic spices just for you to make you feel at home!

That’s it! I hope you can save a few Swiss Francs here and there, which you could use differently on your trip in Switzerland. And one thing I need to add: It is absolutely no problem to eat outside in Switzerland and you can also have a beer or one of the Top 10 Soft Drinks from Switzerland alongside!

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