Restaurant in Grindelwald, Switzerland
Gondola-Top Alpine Dining
Bergrestaurant First sits at the top of the First gondola above Grindelwald, making it one of the most scenically distinctive places to eat in the Bernese Oberland. Access depends on lift schedules rather than reservation difficulty. Plan a morning visit for the best conditions and quieter gondola queues — and set expectations for casual alpine dining, not formal service.
Getting a table at Bergrestaurant First is not the obstacle — the gondola ride to get there is. The restaurant sits at the leading of the First cable car above Grindelwald, which means your booking window is less about reservations and more about gondola schedules, weather windows, and whether the mountain is open. If you are planning a morning or midday visit, check lift operating hours before anything else. The good news: once you are up there, the experience justifies the logistics.
For a special occasion breakfast or a celebratory brunch with altitude, this is one of the more memorable settings in the Bernese Oberland. The atmosphere at this elevation is defined by scale — the noise is the mountain itself, wind and open air rather than a crowded dining room. The energy is calm and expansive rather than buzzy. If you are looking for a quiet, high-impact setting for a birthday morning, an anniversary, or simply a meal you want to remember, the combination of alpine air and panoramic Eiger views does the work that a decorated table never could.
Because the venue data available is limited, specific menu prices, opening hours, and booking logistics should be confirmed directly before your visit. What is known: Bergrestaurant First is a mountain hut-style restaurant at the First summit station above Grindelwald, operated as part of the Jungfrau Railways infrastructure. As with most mountain restaurants in the Swiss Alps, expect casual, hearty Alpine fare suited to hikers and day-trippers alongside more relaxed visitors arriving purely for the view and a meal. This is not a fine-dining environment , it is a high-altitude dining experience with a setting that carries its own weight.
Compared to the options you will find lower in Grindelwald village, this venue occupies a different register entirely. GLACIER and Fiescherblick offer more formal Modern French and Modern Cuisine menus at the €€€ price point, with interiors and service depth that suit a slower, more considered dinner. 1910 Gourmet by Hausers at €€€€ is the serious splurge option in the village. Bergrestaurant First is none of those things , and that is not a criticism. It is a mountain restaurant where the occasion is the landscape, and that framing matters for managing expectations.
Timing your visit early in the day is the practical move. Morning light on the Eiger is a different experience from midday glare, and the gondola queues build as the day progresses, particularly on weekends and in peak summer season. Arriving when the lift opens means a quieter ascent, cooler temperatures, and the leading chance of clear skies. For a special occasion, a weekday morning in late summer or early autumn, when crowds thin but the mountain is still accessible, is the booking window to target.
For context on how Switzerland handles mountain dining at a more formal level, the country's benchmark restaurants , including Hotel de Ville Crissier and Schloss Schauenstein , set a very different standard. Bergrestaurant First is not competing in that tier. It is competing on experience and setting, which it delivers reliably for the right visitor.
If you are visiting Grindelwald and want a full picture of where to eat and stay, see our full Grindelwald restaurants guide, our Grindelwald hotels guide, and our Grindelwald experiences guide.
| Detail | Bergrestaurant First | GLACIER | Fiescherblick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | Not confirmed | €€€ | €€€ |
| Booking difficulty | Easy (gondola-dependent) | Moderate | Moderate |
| Setting | Alpine summit | Village hotel | Village hotel |
| Leading for | Views, morning occasion | Dinner, Modern French | Dinner, Modern Cuisine |
| Format | Casual mountain dining | Formal sit-down | Formal sit-down |
The access is the planning challenge, not the booking. You reach the restaurant via the First gondola from Grindelwald , confirm lift hours and weather conditions before visiting. Expect a casual alpine dining format suited to the setting: hearty food, open-air or mountain-hut atmosphere, and a view that is the main reason to go. Do not arrive expecting a formal restaurant service. Do expect altitude, wind, and one of the more dramatic dining backdrops in the Bernese Oberland.
Specific seating configurations at Bergrestaurant First are not confirmed in available data. Mountain restaurants at this type of summit station in Switzerland typically offer counter or casual seating alongside table service. If bar seating matters to you, confirm directly with the venue before making the gondola ascent. For Grindelwald venues with confirmed bar-dining options, our Grindelwald bars guide covers the village-level options.
No confirmed menu or dietary information is available for Bergrestaurant First. As a mountain restaurant operating in a high-altitude setting, kitchen flexibility may be more limited than at village-level venues. If you have specific dietary requirements, contact the venue before your visit. For restaurants in Grindelwald with confirmed menu details, our full Grindelwald restaurants guide is the better starting point.
For the right kind of occasion, yes. If the celebration is about experience and setting , a birthday morning hike, an anniversary breakfast with altitude , the Eiger panorama does what no restaurant interior can replicate. This is not the choice for a formal dinner with long wine service; for that, 1910 Gourmet by Hausers at €€€€ is the serious option in Grindelwald. But for a memorable daytime occasion that leans on landscape rather than luxury service, Bergrestaurant First makes a strong case.
For a more formal meal in the village, GLACIER (Modern French, €€€) and Fiescherblick (Modern Cuisine, €€€) both offer structured dining with stronger service depth. Bergwelt - BG's Grill Restaurant (Contemporary, €€€) is the accessible mid-range option. For a serious splurge, 1910 Gourmet by Hausers at €€€€ is the leading end. Schmitte (Modern Cuisine, €€€) rounds out the village options for Modern Cuisine. None of these replicate the altitude setting; they simply offer a different kind of experience.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergrestaurant First | Easy | — | |||
| 1910 Gourmet by Hausers | Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Bergwelt - BG's Grill Restaurant | Contemporary | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Fiescherblick | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| GLACIER | Modern French | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Schmitte | Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Bergrestaurant First measures up.
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