Restaurant in Steffisburg, Switzerland
Michelin value with mountain views included.
Panorama - Bistro holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and delivers regionally sourced Swiss cuisine at an €€ price point, with mountain and lake views from the Hartlisberg terrace. The four- to five-course set menu — extendable with surprise courses on request — is the reason to book, not just the setting.
If you've been to Panorama - Bistro once, the question on a second visit isn't whether to return — it's whether you're ordering the extended set menu this time. Chef Matthew Gentile's four- or five-course menu, with optional surprise courses added on request, is where this Bib Gourmand-awarded kitchen (2024 and 2025) shows its full range. At the €€ price point, this is one of the more compelling value propositions in the Thun area: regionally sourced ingredients, cooking that's classical in structure but spare and precise in execution, and a terrace view across to the mountains and lake that no comparable Swiss bistro at this price tier is likely to match.
The first thing you notice at Panorama - Bistro is the view. The restaurant sits atop Hartlisberg at Hartlisbergstrasse 39 in Steffisburg, and from the terrace you look out over Thun and the Alps. It's the kind of setting that could easily carry a mediocre meal on atmosphere alone — but the kitchen doesn't rely on it.
The Fuchs family has operated here for 40 years. Rolf and Manuela Fuchs now run the front of house, and the atmosphere they've built is modern and composed rather than rustic or chalet-heavy. The room itself is described in Michelin's own recognition as chic and elegant, which tracks with the price tier: you're not paying for tablecloths and ceremony, but the room is a step above a neighbourhood bistro in finish and intent.
What actually drives the kitchen's identity is ingredient sourcing. The approach is explicitly regional and local , not as a marketing position, but as a structuring principle for the menu. For a returning diner, this means the menu shifts with what's available and in season, which is the main practical reason to revisit. If you came in spring or early summer, a return in late summer or autumn is likely to show you a meaningfully different set of dishes. The cuisine is described by Michelin as modern and clearly structured yet classical in its foundations, producing dishes that are pared back and focused. That framing is useful: don't come expecting elaborate modernist technique or multi-component constructions. The cooking here is confident and direct, letting the quality of local produce carry the dishes rather than layering on process.
The set menu format is the right way to eat here. The four-course option is the entry point, but the five-course version, and especially the option to extend with surprise courses, is where the kitchen gets to show what it does with sourcing across more of the plate. The surprise courses are added on request , worth asking about when you book or when you arrive, rather than deciding mid-meal.
Wine service is handled by the front-of-house team, who are noted for being knowledgeable and willing to recommend. At the €€ price tier, the wine list isn't going to compete with the deep Swiss cellar programmes at [Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/schloss-schauenstein-frstenau-restaurant) or [Memories in Bad Ragaz](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/memories-bad-ragaz-restaurant), but the guidance available here is more useful than at many similarly priced restaurants, where wine service is often an afterthought.
The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday. Service runs Wednesday through Saturday with a lunch service (11 AM to 2 PM) and a dinner service (5:30 PM to 11 PM). Sunday runs 11 AM to 10 PM with no split. If you're planning around the terrace, Sunday lunch is the most practical slot , continuous service means you're not racing a kitchen cutoff, and midday light over Thun is the leading version of that view.
Google review data (4.8 across 508 reviews) supports consistent execution rather than a kitchen that has one great night and several ordinary ones. For a Bib Gourmand property in a regional Swiss town, that kind of review volume at that rating is a reliable signal. The Bib Gourmand designation itself confirms value at a non-luxury price point , Michelin's inspectors specifically award it to places where quality exceeds what the price would suggest.
For context within the Swiss dining map, Panorama - Bistro sits in a different category from the multi-Michelin-star restaurants like [Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/cheval-blanc-by-peter-knogl-basel-restaurant) or [focus ATELIER in Vitznau](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/focus-atelier-vitznau-restaurant). It's also distinct from traditional cuisine peers like [Cave à Vin & à Manger - Maison Saint-Crescent in Narbonne](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/cave-vin-manger-maison-saint-crescent-narbonne-restaurant) or [Auberge Grand'Maison in Mûr-de-Bretagne](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/auberge-grandmaison-mr-de-bretagne-restaurant) , the Swiss regional sourcing and mountain setting give Panorama a specific character those venues don't replicate. Within Steffisburg itself, the [Panorama - Cayenne (Modern French)](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/panorama-cayenne-steffisburg-restaurant) offers a different approach if you want to compare formats. For a broader view of dining in the area, [our full Steffisburg restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/steffisburg) covers your options.
Booking is rated easy. At the €€ tier with a regional following rather than a destination-dining crowd, you shouldn't need to plan weeks in advance the way you would at a starred Swiss kitchen. That said, the terrace fills on good-weather weekends , if the view matters to you, book rather than walk in.
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024, 2025) | €€ | Google 4.8/5 (508 reviews) | Closed Mon-Tue | Chef: Matthew Gentile | Hartlisbergstrasse 39, Steffisburg
See comparison section below.
Panorama - Bistro is at Hartlisbergstrasse 39, 3612 Steffisburg. For hotels near the restaurant, see [our full Steffisburg hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/steffisburg). For drinks before or after, [our full Steffisburg bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/steffisburg) and [our full Steffisburg wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/steffisburg) have options. If you want to build a wider itinerary around the visit, [our full Steffisburg experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/steffisburg) covers the area.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panorama - Bistro | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); This establishment has been run by the Fuchs family for 40 years, and these days, it is Rolf and Manuela Fuchs who are in charge. The modern, elegant restaurant atop Hartlisberg boasts not only a chic atmosphere but also a truly magnificent view of Thun and the mountains – the terrace is wonderful! The chef-patron's cuisine is no less of a draw. It is modern and clearly structured, yet classical in its foundations, making for bold and expressive dishes that are pared back to the essentials and packed with vibrant flavours. The four- or five-course set menu can be extended by up to two "surprise" courses on request. When it comes to the selection of ingredients, the approach is very much regional and local. The wine selection is also a plus, with recommendations provided by the friendly and knowledgeable waitstaff.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| 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 | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Steffisburg for this tier.
Book the set menu and request the terrace. Panorama holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025, which means the kitchen is recognised for serious cooking at a moderate price (€€). The format is a four- or five-course set menu, with optional additional surprise courses on request. It sits atop Hartlisberg in Steffisburg, so the view of Thun and the Alps is part of the draw, not just the food.
The Michelin guide describes the space as modern and elegant, so lean toward neat, put-together clothes rather than casual wear. This is not a white-tablecloth formality situation given the €€ price point, but turning up in hiking gear would feel out of place. Think dinner-smart: a collared shirt or a simple dress works well.
The venue data does not confirm bar seating specifically. Given the set-menu format and the Michelin Bib Gourmand positioning, this is primarily a sit-down restaurant rather than a drop-in bar. Contacting the restaurant directly before arriving is the safest approach if counter or informal seating matters to you.
Yes, at €€ pricing with a Bib Gourmand behind it, the extended set menu is the format this kitchen is built for. The four- or five-course menu can be stretched with surprise courses on request, which is worth doing on a first visit. Michelin's own citation notes the cooking is modern, regionally grounded, and focused — that kind of structure rewards the longer format.
For Bib Gourmand-level value in Switzerland, Panorama sits in a category with relatively few direct local competitors. If you want to step up in ambition and budget, IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada offers a sharing-format fine dining experience, and La Table du Lausanne Palace represents formal Swiss luxury. Neither competes on the Panorama combination of regional cuisine, mountain setting, and Bib Gourmand value.
At €€ with consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, yes. The Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for good cooking at a price that does not punish your wallet, so the value signal here is explicit and credible. For the Bernese Oberland area, finding Michelin-recognised cooking at this price tier is not common.
It works well for an occasion dinner. The modern, elegant room, the terrace overlooking Thun and the mountains, and the extendable set menu all give the evening a clear sense of occasion without the stiffness of a formal fine dining room. The Fuchs family has run this address for 40 years, which means the service has depth rather than the unevenness of a newer operation.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
