Restaurant in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
5-Radish plant-based cooking. Easy to book.
Luciole holds a 5-Radish We're Smart rating — the top score in European plant-based fine dining — making it the most credentialled restaurant in La Chaux-de-Fonds by a clear margin. Chef Danny Baker runs a 100% plant-based kitchen with enough technical ambition to justify a special trip from anywhere in the Neuchâtel canton. Book if vegetables-first fine dining is your format; skip if you need meat or fish on the menu.
That single credential tells you most of what you need to know about Luciole. Chef Danny Baker has committed entirely to 100% plant-based cooking, and the We're Smart jury — which evaluates vegetable-forward kitchens across Europe , awarded him their leading score. Five radishes is their ceiling. No hedging on dairy, no fish course as a concession to hesitant guests. If you are looking for serious, technically ambitious plant-based cuisine in the Jura Arc, Luciole is the answer, and there is nothing in La Chaux-de-Fonds that directly competes with it at this level.
The We're Smart framework rewards kitchens that treat vegetables as a primary ingredient category rather than a supporting one , dishes that demonstrate technique, refinement, and flavour depth without relying on animal proteins as a structural crutch. Earning 5 radishes in that context is the equivalent of a strong Michelin performance in the plant-based register: it signals that Baker's kitchen is solving genuinely hard culinary problems, not simply removing meat from conventional plates. The award description notes dishes that are beautiful, refined, and flavourful, with a setting that reads as pleasant and a team whose energy is immediately apparent. That combination , technical output plus an engaged, youthful front-of-house , is less common in Switzerland's watchmaking capital than it is in Zurich or Geneva, which makes Luciole's presence here more notable.
For the food-focused traveller passing through the Neuchâtel canton, or for a resident of La Chaux-de-Fonds planning a meaningful dinner, this is the kitchen to know. The level of ambition sits closer to destination dining than to neighbourhood restaurant, yet the address is Rue Daniel-Jeanrichard 19 , a city that most Swiss fine-dining itineraries skip entirely.
Yes, if plant-based fine dining is something you seek out or are genuinely curious about at a high level. The 5-Radish distinction is credible and independently verified , We're Smart is a respected European authority in this specific category, and a perfect score carries real weight. If you are travelling through western Switzerland and want one serious meal outside the Zurich-Geneva corridor, Luciole represents a genuinely strong case for a detour to La Chaux-de-Fonds.
If you are not enthusiastic about a fully plant-based menu, look elsewhere. Baker's commitment is total , this is not a venue where you can redirect to a fish or meat option. For broader modern Swiss menus in the region, Hotel de Ville Crissier in Crissier and Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel serve a different register of Swiss fine dining. Within La Chaux-de-Fonds itself, La Parenthèse offers regional cuisine for a different mood entirely.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is worth noting given the calibre of the award. La Chaux-de-Fonds is not a high-traffic dining destination by Swiss standards, and Luciole does not carry the reservation pressure of a Zurich or Lausanne address with equivalent credentials. That said, a 5-Radish kitchen in a mid-sized Swiss city will have a loyal local following, and weekend evenings will fill. Booking a week to two weeks ahead for weekend tables is a sensible precaution; weekday availability is likely more open.
Specific pricing, hours, and direct booking contacts are not available in our current data. Check directly with the restaurant at Rue Daniel-Jeanrichard 19, La Chaux-de-Fonds, for current menu pricing and reservation windows. For context on where to stay, eat, and drink around your visit, see our full La Chaux-de-Fonds restaurants guide, our La Chaux-de-Fonds hotels guide, and our La Chaux-de-Fonds bars guide.
Luciole, Rue Daniel-Jeanrichard 19, 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. 5-Radish We're Smart award. 100% plant-based menu. Booking difficulty: Easy.
Explore more of Switzerland's serious dining at Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, 7132 Silver in Vals, Colonnade in Lucerne, Da Vittorio in St. Moritz, and Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen. For international reference points in plant-forward and technically ambitious cooking, see Le Bernardin and Atomix in New York. Find wineries, experiences, and more via our La Chaux-de-Fonds wineries guide and our La Chaux-de-Fonds experiences guide.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luciole | With Chef Danny Baker no doubts : he goes completely for 100% pure plant ! And not without reason. The dishes are beautiful, refined and flavourful. The setting is also pleasant and the youthful motivation comes to you immediately. Big congratulations and spread the word, 5 radishes is the pinnacle a chef can get in the world of We're Smart !; With Chef Danny Baker no doubts : he goes completely for 100% pure plant ! And not without reason. The dishes are beautiful, refined and flavourful. The setting is also pleasant and the youthful motivation comes to you immediately. Big congratulations and spread the word, 5 radishes is the pinnacle a chef can get in the world of We're Smart ! | — | |
| Schloss Schauenstein | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Memories | Michelin 3 Star | €€€€ | — |
| focus ATELIER | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| La Table du Lausanne Palace | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
How Luciole stacks up against the competition.
Yes, particularly if the person you're celebrating has any interest in plant-based cooking at a serious level. Luciole holds a 5-Radish rating from We're Smart — the highest distinction that guide awards — which gives the meal a credential to match the occasion. Booking is reportedly easy, so you won't need to plan months out the way you would for a comparable Swiss fine-dining destination.
Luciole is the only We're Smart 5-Radish restaurant in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and fine-dining options in the city are limited by Swiss standards. If you're open to travelling within the region, Schloss Schauenstein and Memories operate at Michelin multi-star level but follow conventional menus. For plant-forward fine dining specifically, Luciole has no direct local competitor.
The kitchen runs a 100% plant-based menu under Chef Danny Baker, so the menu itself sets the parameters — there are no meat or fish options to weigh. The We're Smart 5-Radish distinction specifically recognises kitchens that treat vegetables as a primary fine-dining ingredient, so the tasting format is where the kitchen's strengths are best expressed. Specific dishes are not documented here, so check current menus directly with the restaurant.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is useful given the quality of the We're Smart award. La Chaux-de-Fonds draws less dining traffic than Zurich or Geneva, so last-minute availability is more realistic here than at comparable Swiss fine-dining venues. That said, weekends and special-occasion dates are worth booking a week or two in advance to be safe.
The 5-Radish We're Smart format typically favours tasting menus, which work as well for one as for two. La Chaux-de-Fonds is not a high-footfall city, so the room is likely to feel lower-pressure than a busier urban counterpart. Counter or bar seating availability is not confirmed in the available data, so it's worth asking when you book.
The entire menu is 100% plant-based, which resolves most meat and fish avoidance requirements by default. For allergen-specific needs — nuts, gluten, soy — check the venue's official channels before booking, as those details are not documented here. The We're Smart framework does reward ingredient-focused cooking, which tends to correlate with kitchens that are aware of what goes into each dish.
No dress code is documented for Luciole. Given the fine-dining calibre implied by a 5-Radish We're Smart award, smart casual is a reasonable baseline — overly casual dress would likely feel out of place. If you want certainty before a special occasion, call or email ahead.
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