One of Geneva’s best kept secrets on the culinary scene is a charming little lunch place called Cottage Café. Tucked in between luxurious hotels and Lake Geneva, this café nestles in the idyllic Brunswick Garden with a view to the lake and mountains. Here’s why you simply have to go.
A breathing space with history
On hot summer days you can sit outside Cottage Café with a homemade, organic dish and a glass of white wine overlooking Lake Geneva and Brunswick Garden. That’s what I did last month, and I can highly recommend it if visiting Geneva! This place is a breathing space offering both tourists and business people a break from the bustling city life, and the best part is the low-key service and amazing food.
The story behind Cottage Café stretches all the way back to the last century; a thatched roof and timber framing reveals a past era, which elegantly blends in with the modern architecture surrounding it. For several decades the cottage has served as a restaurant and café, but through time the owners have changed a lot. Since a couple of years ago the place belonged to the neighboring luxury hotel, Le Richemond, but today it’s under the possession of the municipality of Geneva. Farmers are running it meaning that all food is organic and natural, and I must say that’s a refreshing dimension to the busy business capital of Geneva!
Breakfast, lunch and tapas
The café is tremendously popular as a lunch place amongst the locals (which mainly consist of business people), but tourists and other curious individuals also find their way to the beautiful garden located on Rive Gauche (the left bank of Lake Geneva). Breakfast is served everyday from 7:15am to 11:45am and it consist of yoghurt with granola, a selection of homemade, organic bread, homemade jam and freshly squeezed juice. A great way to start the day!
If you’re here for lunch, it will be served between 12pm to 14pm and you can choose between 3 starters, 4 plats du jour (dishes of the day) consisting of either meat, fish, pasta or lasagna and 3 salads. End your meal with a coffee, a homemade pastry (tatin aux pommes, tarte au citron or cheesecake) and a stroll around the garden before heading back to ‘the real world’.
At 6pm the cottage opens up for tapas meaning that people can drop by for a snack and a glass after work. The dishes are Moroccan inspired due to the owner’s nationality (Nicole Boder is part Moroccan, Swiss and Israeli), which only makes the whole thing even more interesting.
Pop by Cottage Café for an organic treat next time you’re in Geneva! For more information go to www.cottagecafe.ch.
thecopenhagentraveler.com ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM: @LUXTRAVELS_BYROSENVINGE
