Restaurant in Kriens, Switzerland
Chef-led set menu, panoramic views, evening only.
Sonnenberg le soir is a set-menu-only evening restaurant on the hills above Kriens, where chef Luca Haase (trained under Peter Knogl at Basel's Trois Rois) runs a creative modern French menu with Japanese and Mediterranean influences. The panoramic views across Lake Lucerne and Pilatus are a genuine bonus, not the main event. Booking is easy relative to comparable Swiss fine-dining destinations.
The most common assumption about Sonnenberg le soir is that the view is the main event. It is not. The panorama across Rigi, Pilatus, Lake Lucerne and Bürgenstock is genuinely striking, but the kitchen earns the booking on its own terms. Chef Luca Haase, who trained under Peter Knogl at Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel, runs a creative set-menu format that draws on modern French technique layered with Japanese and Mediterranean thinking. If you come expecting a scenic dinner-with-ordinary-food, you will be pleasantly surprised. If you come expecting a casual à la carte night out, you will be wrong-footed: this is a set-menu-only, evening-only restaurant. Calibrate accordingly.
Sonnenberg le soir operates exclusively in the evening and exclusively on a set-menu basis. Two formats are available: the omnivore "Land and Water" and the vegetarian "Field and Garden". Each runs between three and five courses, which gives you some flexibility on pacing and price commitment without the full exposure of a longer tasting menu. For a second visit, the choice between formats is itself a reason to return: if you went omnivore last time, the vegetarian menu is a genuinely different evening, not just an afterthought.
Front-of-house is led by restaurant manager Jessica Meylan, and the service pitch is described as charming and expert rather than stiff or ceremonial. That matters here: the room sits within a small hotel that also has a children's playground and a mini golf course, so the atmosphere skews relaxed rather than reverent. Floor-to-ceiling windows mean the view is present whether or not you secure a terrace table, but if the weather cooperates, the panoramic terrace is the obvious call. The light in the late evening, when Pilatus and the lake are still visible, adds to the occasion without the kitchen needing to compensate for it.
The culinary lineage from Knogl's kitchen in Basel is a credible trust signal. Knogl has held three Michelin stars at Trois Rois for over a decade, and the kind of technique absorbed in that environment — precise saucing, disciplined sourcing, structured progression through courses , shows up in the Sonnenberg le soir format. This is not a hotel restaurant coasting on the altitude. It is a destination kitchen that happens to be attached to a hotel.
From April to November, the listed Sonnenbergbahn railway runs directly from Kriens to the restaurant. This is worth planning around: the funicular is a heritage line, and arriving by rail rather than car changes the texture of the evening. Outside that window, you will need to arrange your own transport up to Zumhofstrasse 258. Factor this into your planning if you are visiting from Lucerne or staying elsewhere in the canton.
Book Sonnenberg le soir if: you want a creative, chef-led set menu in a setting that justifies leaving the city; you are returning after a first visit and want to work through the other menu format; or you are looking for a special-occasion dinner within range of Lucerne that does not require travelling to Bad Ragaz or Fürstenau. The relaxed hotel setting makes it more accessible than the format might suggest, and the view gives it an occasion quality that a city room cannot replicate.
Skip it if you want à la carte flexibility, a lunch option, or a venue where you can drop in without a reservation. The set-menu structure and evening-only hours make this a plan-ahead booking, not a spontaneous one.
For context on what else the region offers, see our full Kriens restaurants guide, and if you are building a wider trip, our Kriens hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding options.
| Detail | Sonnenberg le soir | Colonnade (Lucerne) | Mammertsberg (Freidorf) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Set menu (3–5 courses) | Set menu | Set menu |
| Meal period | Evening only | Evening | Evening |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Terrace available | Yes (panoramic) | Limited | Yes |
| Transport note | Sonnenbergbahn (Apr–Nov) | City centre | Own transport needed |
| Hotel attached | Yes | Yes | No |
Booking is listed as easy relative to comparable Swiss fine-dining destinations, which is a real advantage. You are unlikely to need weeks of lead time, though for weekend evenings and holiday periods you should not leave it to the last day. No booking method or phone number is confirmed in our data , check the venue directly for current reservation options.
If Sonnenberg le soir sits at the right level for your trip but you want to benchmark it against Switzerland's leading end, Hotel de Ville Crissier and Maison Wenger in Le Noirmont are the reference points for what the country's most decorated kitchens deliver. For the Knogl lineage specifically, Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl remains the source. For international context on chef-counter and set-menu formats at a comparable ambition level, Lazy Bear in San Francisco and Le Bernardin in New York City show what the format looks like at its most developed. Closer to home, Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen and Da Vittorio in St. Moritz offer useful regional comparisons, and L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva is the Swiss benchmark for counter-format dining specifically.
Yes, and it earns that position through the kitchen rather than just the setting. The combination of a creative set menu from a Knogl-trained chef, a panoramic terrace with views across Lake Lucerne and Pilatus, and attentive front-of-house service from manager Jessica Meylan gives it the texture of a genuine occasion dinner. The three-to-five course format also means you can calibrate the length and investment of the evening. For a special-occasion dinner within striking distance of Lucerne, this is the strongest option that does not require travelling to Memories in Bad Ragaz.
The set-menu format works well for solo diners: you are not making complex à la carte decisions, and the service is described as warm rather than formal. The panoramic terrace or a window table also means you are never staring at a blank wall. That said, no confirmed bar or counter seating data is available for this venue, so if counter seating matters to your solo experience, contact the restaurant directly before booking. For solo diners who specifically want counter seating in the Lucerne area, Colonnade in Lucerne is worth checking alongside.
Bar or counter seating is not confirmed in the data we hold for Sonnenberg le soir. The venue runs a set-menu format in an evening-only restaurant attached to a small hotel, and the editorial angle suggests a counter or bar experience may exist, but we cannot confirm specifics without verified information. Contact the restaurant directly to ask about bar seating before assuming it is available. If counter-format dining is your priority, L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva offers a confirmed counter experience within Switzerland.
Within Kriens, the dining options at Sonnenberg le soir's level are limited, which is part of why this restaurant draws attention. For the broader region, Colonnade in Lucerne is the most accessible nearby alternative. If you want to go further, Mammertsberg in Freidorf operates at a comparable set-menu level. For a full picture of what is available locally, see our Kriens restaurants guide.
The venue already runs a dedicated vegetarian menu, "Field and Garden", as a parallel option to the omnivore "Land and Water" , so vegetarian diners are accommodated at the menu-design level, not as an afterthought. For other dietary needs (allergies, intolerances, vegan), no specific policy is confirmed in our data. Contact the restaurant directly before booking. Given the set-menu format, advance notice is always the right approach at this kind of kitchen.
No confirmed group capacity or private dining data is available. The restaurant is part of a small hotel on a hillside site, which suggests physical space may be a constraint for larger parties. For groups of six or more, contact the restaurant well in advance to ask about availability and whether any dedicated space exists. If group dining flexibility matters more than this specific kitchen, The Restaurant in Zurich operates in a larger property and may offer more group-friendly logistics.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonnenberg le soir | Easy | ||
| Schloss Schauenstein | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Memories | Modern Swiss | €€€€ | Unknown |
| roots | Flemish, Vegetarian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada | Sharing | €€€€ | Unknown |
| focus ATELIER | Modern Swiss, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
A quick look at how Sonnenberg le soir measures up.
Yes — it is well-suited to a celebration dinner. The combination of a chef-led set menu (from a chef trained under Peter Knogl at Basel's Trois Rois), panoramic views across Rigi, Pilatus and Lake Lucerne, and attentive front-of-house service under restaurant manager Jessica Meylan creates a complete evening rather than just a meal. The evening-only, set-menu format reinforces the occasion-dining feel. If you want something more impromptu or à la carte, this is not the right fit.
It is manageable solo but not the format where solo dining truly shines. The set menu structure means you are not choosing from a long menu at the counter, which removes some of the social friction of dining alone. The panoramic terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows give you a view to focus on. That said, there is no documented bar counter or chef's counter seating that would make solo dining here feel purpose-built for it.
There is no confirmed bar counter or bar dining option in the venue record. Sonnenberg le soir operates on a set-menu-only basis in the evenings, and the seating focus is the panoramic terrace and the main dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows. If bar-perch dining is what you are after, this venue is unlikely to be the right match.
Kriens itself has a limited fine dining scene, so the practical alternatives are in the wider Lucerne area. For a step up in formality and credential, Hotel de Ville Crissier and Memories operate at the top end of Swiss fine dining. For something more casual but still chef-driven in the Lake Lucerne region, the comparison depends heavily on your price point and format preference. Sonnenberg le soir sits in a distinct middle ground: more serious than a bistro, less demanding than a full tasting-menu institution.
The menu structure explicitly accommodates non-meat eaters: alongside the omnivore 'Land and Water' set menu, there is a dedicated vegetarian 'Field and Garden' option, each running three to five courses. Both are pre-structured set menus rather than ad hoc substitutions, which is a meaningful distinction. For other dietary needs beyond vegetarian, check the venue's official channels before booking.
The venue is part of a small hotel with a restaurant setting that includes both a terrace and an interior dining room, which suggests it can handle groups beyond two or four covers. The set-menu format actually works in a group's favour: everyone eats the same progression, which removes ordering complexity. For larger private group bookings, check the venue's official channels, as no specific private dining capacity is confirmed in the available information.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
