Restaurant in Basel, Switzerland
Three stars, near-impossible to book. Plan ahead.
Basel's most decorated restaurant, holding three Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 99.5, Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl is the ceiling of classical French dining in the city. Book the tasting menu, add the wine pairing, and reserve as far in advance as possible — this is near-impossible to secure at short notice. The closest local alternative is Stucki by Tanja Grandits, but no Basel restaurant currently matches this award record.
If you have eaten at Cheval Blanc once and are weighing whether to return, the answer is yes — but go in knowing what you are booking. This is Basel's most decorated restaurant, holding three Michelin stars continuously and scoring 99.5 points on La Liste 2025, which places it in a very small group of European dining rooms operating at this level. Stucki by Tanja Grandits is the closest local rival in terms of ambition and price, but Cheval Blanc sits above it in both critical recognition and booking difficulty. If your priority is securing a table rather than chasing the ceiling, Brasserie Les Trois Rois at €€€ is a more accessible alternative for classic French cooking in Basel. For this restaurant, plan well ahead — availability at the three-star level in a city of Basel's size is genuinely constrained.
Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl sits inside the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois on Blumenrain, facing the Rhine. For a returning diner, the most useful thing to understand is that the kitchen operates within the classical French tradition without treating that tradition as a museum piece. Knogl's consistent award trajectory , three Michelin stars in both 2024 and 2025, a Les Grandes Tables du Monde recognition in 2025, and La Liste scores above 99 across two consecutive years , signals a kitchen at the leading of its technical range rather than one coasting on reputation.
The La Liste score is worth pausing on. A 99.5 in 2025 and 99 in 2026 places Cheval Blanc in the tier occupied by a handful of Swiss restaurants. For Swiss three-star context, Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau and Memories in Bad Ragaz are peer-level references, but neither operates within a grand hotel setting, which shapes the experience differently. The hotel context here matters: service cadence, wine service, and the physical dining room carry the weight of a property where hospitality is the core business, not a side arrangement. That tends to read as polish rather than personality, which is either exactly what you want or a reason to consider roots instead for something with a different register.
If you are returning after a dinner visit and wondering whether a brunch or morning format makes sense here, the honest answer is that Cheval Blanc's identity is built around the full dinner experience. The hotel setting does support morning and weekend food service through the broader property, but the three-star kitchen's expression is in its tasting and à la carte dinner format. For a returning diner, investing in the full evening service again rather than a lighter daytime visit will give you more of what earns the recognition. If you want a more casual Basel daytime option at lower price, au violon at €€ is a practical choice for classic French cooking without the commitment.
On a return visit, the counter-intuitive recommendation is to request a table closer to the kitchen side of the room if possible and to commit to the tasting menu rather than ordering à la carte. The tasting format is where the kitchen's sequencing logic is most visible, and for a diner who already knows the room, that sequencing is the more interesting thing to track. The wine pairing at this price tier in a grand hotel cellar is also worth taking: the sommelier programme at properties with Les Grandes Tables du Monde status is typically a material part of the overall score, not an add-on.
For broader context on what this level of classical French cooking looks like elsewhere, Waterside Inn in Bray and Hotel de Ville Crissier are the closest stylistic comparisons in the wider European classical French set. Both share the grand hotel or historic property DNA. If you have done Cheval Blanc and are building a Swiss fine dining itinerary, 7132 Silver in Vals and Da Vittorio in St. Moritz are worth considering as the next stops, though they operate in different cuisine registers.
Booking difficulty here is rated near impossible. At three Michelin stars in a mid-sized Swiss city with a finite number of covers, this is not a venue where showing up and hoping works. Book as far out as the reservation window allows. If your dates are fixed and you cannot secure a table, Ackermannshof at €€€€ is a serious alternative for a high-end dinner in Basel, and Bel Etage is also worth checking. For a wider look at the Basel dining scene before you commit, see our full Basel restaurants guide.
Google review score sits at 4.8 from 302 ratings, which for a three-star formal dining room is a meaningful signal: guests at this price point are not generous by default, and a 4.8 reflects a consistent delivery across service, food, and environment. The Basel hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are useful if you are building a full Basel trip around this dinner. If wine is a priority, the Basel wineries guide covers the regional context. For another point of comparison in the classical French tradition, d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour and Colonnade in Lucerne round out the European peer set worth knowing.
| Venue | Price | Cuisine | Booking Difficulty | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl | €€€€ | Classic French | Near Impossible | 3 Michelin Stars, La Liste 99.5pts, Les Grandes Tables du Monde |
| Stucki by Tanja Grandits | €€€€ | Contemporary French | Hard | , |
| roots | €€€€ | Modern / Vegetarian | Hard | , |
| Ackermannshof | €€€€ | Mediterranean | Moderate | , |
| Brasserie Les Trois Rois | €€€ | Classic French | Moderate | , |
| au violon | €€ | Classic French | Easy | , |
Yes, if three-star classical French cuisine is the format you are after. The combination of Michelin three-star status held across multiple consecutive years, a La Liste score of 99.5, and Les Grandes Tables du Monde recognition puts this kitchen in a tier where the price reflects genuine competitive standing rather than brand inflation. For comparison, no other Basel restaurant currently matches this award density. If the €€€€ commitment feels steep and you want high-end French cooking with less financial exposure, Brasserie Les Trois Rois at €€€ is the next logical step down.
Yes. At a kitchen operating at Michelin three-star level with a Les Grandes Tables du Monde award, the tasting menu is the format the kitchen is calibrated for. It is where the sequencing, wine pairing, and service pacing are most coherent. Ordering à la carte is a reasonable option for a first visit, but returning diners who want to understand what the kitchen is actually doing should take the tasting format. The wine pairing through a grand hotel cellar at this level is also worth adding rather than treating as optional.
Formal or smart formal. Cheval Blanc operates within a grand hotel at the three-star level in Basel, which is a conservative fine dining city. Smart casual is unlikely to be turned away, but the room and service register call for dressier choices. For men, jacket expected; tie optional but not unusual. For women, formal or cocktail dress is appropriate. This is not the venue to test a relaxed dress interpretation.
The Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois has bar and lounge facilities, but the three-star dining room at Cheval Blanc is not structured as a bar-dining operation in the way some one-star or brasserie-format restaurants are. If you want a classic French meal in Basel in a more informal setting, au violon at €€ is the practical alternative. For specific bar seating availability at Cheval Blanc, contact the restaurant directly before your visit.
Groups are possible in a grand hotel dining room setting, but Cheval Blanc is a formal three-star environment and group bookings at this level typically require advance arrangement and may involve private dining options within the hotel. For large groups where booking flexibility matters more than ceiling quality, Ackermannshof or Stucki by Tanja Grandits are worth contacting in parallel. Contact Cheval Blanc directly at the hotel address (Blumenrain 8, Basel) to confirm group capacity and private dining availability.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl | Classic French | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 99pts; Les Grandes Tables Du Monde Award (2025); Chef: Peter Knogl document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 99.5pts; Michelin 3 Stars (2025); Michelin 3 Stars (2024) | Near Impossible | — |
| roots | Flemish, Vegetarian, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Stucki - Tanja Grandits | Contemporary French, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Brasserie Les Trois Rois | French, Classic French | Unknown | — | |
| au violon | Classic French | Unknown | — | |
| Ackermannshof | Mediterranean Cuisine | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl measures up.
Small groups can be accommodated, but this is a three Michelin star kitchen with a finite number of covers — coordination matters. check the venue's official channels via Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois to discuss group arrangements well in advance. For parties larger than four, private dining enquiries are the more reliable route. Walk-in or last-minute group bookings are not realistic here.
Formal attire is the baseline expectation at a three Michelin star restaurant inside a grand Basel hotel on the Rhine. A jacket for men is a safe minimum; a suit is not out of place. This is not a venue where business casual will feel comfortable — dress to match the €€€€ price point and the room.
At three Michelin stars and 99.5 points on La Liste 2025, Peter Knogl's tasting menu is operating at a level where the format is the point — precision classic French cooking over multiple courses is what this kitchen does. If that format suits you, the credentials back it up. If you want flexibility or a shorter meal, Brasserie Les Trois Rois in the same hotel is the practical alternative.
Cheval Blanc is a full-service fine dining room, not a counter or bar-seating format — this is not a venue designed around drop-in bar dining. For a more flexible entry point in Basel's fine dining tier, Stucki under Tanja Grandits offers counter and à la carte options with greater accessibility.
At €€€€ pricing with three Michelin stars, a Les Grandes Tables Du Monde membership, and 99 to 99.5 points on La Liste across consecutive years, the external validation is consistent. The case for spending is strongest if classic French tasting-menu dining is your format of choice — Peter Knogl's kitchen is among the most decorated in Switzerland. If value-per-course is your primary concern, roots in Basel offers a more accessible entry to serious cooking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
