Restaurant in Uster, Switzerland
Michelin-recognised Swiss cooking at €€ prices.
Blume in Freudwil, near Uster, holds consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for 2024 and 2025 — serious recognition at a €€ price point that makes it the strongest-value Swiss dining option within reach of Zürich. Chef Raphaël-Fumio Kudaka runs a quiet, focused room suited to food-first diners who want credentials without the city prices. Book one to two weeks ahead for weekdays; further out for weekends.
Picture a quiet village outside Uster, a restaurant with no website and no phone number listed, and a chef — Raphaël-Fumio Kudaka — cooking Swiss food at a price point that makes you check the bill twice. That is Blume at Freudwil. The Michelin inspectors found it two years running (Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025), which tells you something important: this is a kitchen producing food well above what the €€ price tag implies. If you are looking for a reason to book, that is it.
Blume sits at Freudwilerstrasse 6 in Freudwil, a hamlet within the Uster municipality, roughly 20 kilometres from central Zürich. Getting here without a car is possible but requires planning , the nearest public transport stops are a walk away. Build that into your decision. The reward is a restaurant that feels genuinely removed from the city's restaurant circuit, which is part of the appeal for food-focused travellers who want something with local character rather than urban polish.
The room runs quiet by Swiss restaurant standards. Expect a composed, unhurried atmosphere rather than the ambient buzz of a Zürich dining room on a Friday night. That makes Blume a better choice for conversation-led dinners, whether with a partner, a small group of close friends, or a business contact you actually want to talk to. The energy reads as focused rather than celebratory , this is a place people come to eat seriously, not to mark an occasion with noise.
A single visit to Blume is satisfying. Two or three visits starts to reveal how a €€ kitchen with Bib Gourmand recognition manages the balance between Swiss culinary tradition and what chef Kudaka brings to it. The Bib Gourmand designation , awarded by Michelin specifically for good food at moderate prices , has been consistent across consecutive years, which signals a kitchen that is not coasting on a single strong season. Return visits let you track how the menu moves with produce and season, which matters in Swiss cooking where the gap between spring, summer, and autumn ingredients is pronounced.
On a first visit, arrive with enough appetite to work through the menu rather than grazing lightly. Swiss cuisine at this level tends to reward commitment: the cooking is structured, portions are honest, and the logic of the menu becomes clearer when you eat across it rather than picking selectively. On a second visit, you are in a better position to test the edges of the menu , the dishes that require a little more context to appreciate, the wine choices that the first visit helped you calibrate. By a third visit, you are eating like a regular, which is exactly the relationship a restaurant like this is built for.
Blume has been holding its Bib Gourmand for at least two consecutive years as of 2025. That anniversary matters because it rules out the possibility that this was a one-season discovery. Consistency at the €€ price point in Switzerland, where ingredient costs are among the highest in Europe, is genuinely difficult to maintain. The fact that Michelin has confirmed the award twice suggests the kitchen is not cutting corners to hold the price down.
Blume works leading for food-focused travellers staying in Zürich who want to eat somewhere with real culinary credentials without spending €€€€. It is the right choice if you are tired of urban restaurant formats and want a meal with a different rhythm. It is not the right choice if you need a venue with easy public transport access, a website for pre-research, or a confirmed booking line , all of which are currently unavailable based on listed data. Factor that friction into your planning.
For groups, the absence of detailed capacity or booking information means contacting the restaurant directly through available channels before committing. The address is confirmed; the logistics around large-party reservations are not documented in available data.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, but with a caveat: no website or phone number is listed in current data, so your booking route will require some research. A Google search for current contact details is the most practical first step. Given the Bib Gourmand profile and strong Google review volume, assume that weekends fill faster than weekdays. Booking at least one to two weeks ahead is reasonable; further in advance for weekend evenings. Walk-in availability is plausible for quieter weekday slots but cannot be confirmed from available data.
| Detail | Blume (Uster) | IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada | Widder , Swiss (Zürich) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | €€ | €€€€ | €€€€ |
| Michelin recognition | Bib Gourmand 2024, 2025 | Michelin-recognised | Michelin-recognised |
| Location | Freudwil, near Uster | Central Zürich | Central Zürich |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Atmosphere | Quiet, village setting | Urban, sharing-format | Urban, hotel dining |
| Leading for | Value-focused food lovers | Group sharing dinners | City-based Swiss cuisine |
For broader planning in the region, see our full Uster restaurants guide, our full Uster hotels guide, our full Uster bars guide, our full Uster wineries guide, and our full Uster experiences guide. If you are building a wider Swiss dining itinerary, Hotel de Ville Crissier, Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel, Memories in Bad Ragaz, and focus ATELIER in Vitznau represent the upper tier of the Swiss fine dining circuit. For alternatives at different price points, Colonnade in Lucerne, Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen, Da Vittorio in St. Moritz, 7132 Silver in Vals, L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva, IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada, Widder , Swiss in Zürich, and Bistro by Regina Montium in Rigi Kaltbad are all worth considering depending on your base and budget.
Yes, clearly. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) at a €€ price point in Switzerland , where ingredient costs run high , is a strong signal that the kitchen delivers more than the bill suggests. For food-focused diners, the value ratio here beats most Zürich options at the same spend.
Possibly, but confirm directly before planning a group booking. No capacity data, phone number, or website is currently listed, so you will need to source current contact details independently , a Google search for Blume Freudwil is the practical starting point. Do not assume group availability without checking.
It suits occasions where the meal itself is the event rather than the setting. The atmosphere is quiet and composed, which works well for intimate celebrations or dinners where conversation matters. If you need a more visually dramatic room or a larger-format celebration, IGNIV Zürich or a city-based venue may serve better.
Specific dishes are not confirmed in available data, so a menu recommendation cannot be given here without risk of being inaccurate. The Bib Gourmand award signals strong execution across the menu rather than a single standout dish. The safest approach is to eat broadly , let the kitchen show its range rather than picking selectively.
One to two weeks ahead is a reasonable baseline for weekday dinners. Weekend evenings at a Bib Gourmand restaurant with a 4.8 Google rating will fill faster , book further out if your dates are fixed. No booking platform or phone number is currently listed, so track down current contact details before planning your trip around a specific date.
Within the Uster area, options at the same price tier are limited. For Swiss cuisine with Michelin recognition at a higher spend, IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada and Widder , Swiss in Zürich are both accessible from Uster and operate at €€€€. If the draw is Swiss cooking at a value price, Blume is the most credentialled option in the immediate area based on available data.
No confirmed tasting menu structure is listed in available data. The Bib Gourmand designation generally points to a restaurant where the full menu , rather than a single format , represents good value. If a tasting menu is available, the award history suggests it would justify the price. Confirm the current menu format when booking.
No dietary policy is documented in available data. Given the absence of a website or listed phone number, the most reliable approach is to raise restrictions directly when making your booking. A Swiss kitchen at this level will typically have the range to accommodate requests, but confirmation in advance is the responsible route for anything beyond minor preferences.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blume | Swiss | €€ | Easy |
| Schloss Schauenstein | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Memories | Modern Swiss | €€€€ | Unknown |
| focus ATELIER | Modern Swiss, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada | Sharing | €€€€ | Unknown |
| La Table du Lausanne Palace | Modern French | €€€€ | Unknown |
How Blume stacks up against the competition.
Yes, at €€ with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, Blume delivers a strong return on spend. The Bib Gourmand is awarded specifically for good cooking at moderate prices, so the value case is Michelin-verified, not just relative. If you want full-starred ambition, look elsewhere — but for quality-per-franc in the Zürich region, this is a strong option.
No group-specific capacity or private dining data is available for Blume. Given its village setting in Freudwil and €€ price point, it is likely a small restaurant — contact them directly before planning a group booking. For larger parties with private room options in the Zürich region, IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada is a better-documented choice.
It works well for a food-focused special occasion where the priority is quality cooking over formal ceremony. Two consecutive Bib Gourmand awards give it credible standing, and the out-of-town Freudwil location adds a sense of occasion without the cost of a starred Zürich restaurant. If you need a more theatrical setting, IGNIV Zürich offers more prestige infrastructure.
Specific menu items are not documented in current data. The cuisine type is Swiss, with Chef Raphaël-Fumio Kudaka leading the kitchen — a name that signals a considered, personal approach to the menu. Ask the kitchen what is seasonal when you arrive; at a Bib Gourmand level, the menu typically changes to reflect what is available.
No phone number or website is listed in current data, so finding the booking route requires some research before you can even reserve. Once you locate the contact, book as early as your plans allow — Bib Gourmand recognition in consecutive years will have increased demand, and this is a small village restaurant with limited covers.
Direct Uster alternatives are not well-documented at this recognition level. For Bib Gourmand-tier value dining in the broader Zürich region, check the current Michelin Switzerland listings for nearby options. For higher-end Swiss dining, focus ATELIER and IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada are both credentialed alternatives in the region.
Menu format details are not confirmed in current data. At €€ pricing with Bib Gourmand status, a structured menu — whether tasting or set — is likely the format that earned recognition. If a tasting menu is available, the price-to-credential ratio makes it a reasonable spend compared to starred alternatives in Switzerland.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
