Restaurant in Wangen bei Dübendorf, Switzerland
Country inn Michelin star, serious value.
Sternen - Badstube holds a 2024 Michelin star and has been run by the same family since 2005, making it one of the most consistent classical kitchens near Zurich. At €€€, the seasonal set menu in a 16th-century barrel-vaulted room delivers strong value against pricier Swiss fine dining peers. Book well ahead — demand is high and availability is limited.
The single most telling number at Sternen - Badstube is not the price point, though €€€ for a Michelin-starred meal in the Swiss countryside represents genuine value. It is the year: 2005. Matthias Brunner and Bettina Brunner-Schill have been running this kitchen and dining room for nearly two decades, and that continuity shows in the precision of a menu that has evolved without losing its classical foundations. In a country where fine dining turnover runs high, twenty years of dedicated ownership at one address is a credential worth noting.
The setting earns its own argument for the booking. Gasthof Sternen occupies a 16th-century inn in Wangen bei Dübendorf, and the Badstube dining room features a barrel-vaulted ceiling that predates most of Switzerland's restaurant industry by several centuries. This is not a room dressed up to look historic — it is historic, and the kitchen's classical approach fits the architecture rather than fighting it. If you are planning a special occasion dinner and want a room that carries genuine atmosphere rather than designed ambiance, this is a stronger choice than most Zurich city options at the same price tier.
Food stays close to classical French-influenced technique, executed with what Michelin describes as only the finest ingredients. The menu structure gives you a choice: a seasonal set menu available in omnivore or vegetarian versions, or an à la carte selection built around the kitchen's established classics. The database record specifically flags regional beef tenderloin served with harissa sabayon, potato roll, and winter vegetables as a representative dish — the combination of a classical protein preparation with a North African-inflected sauce component signals a kitchen that is classically grounded but not rigidly orthodox. Wine pairings are described as savvy rather than formulaic, which at this price point matters more than most diners acknowledge until the bill arrives.
For a special occasion, the format question is worth thinking through before you book. The seasonal set menu is the more considered route if you want the full arc of what the kitchen can do. The à la carte classics list works better if your party has strong individual preferences or if this is a business meal where negotiating a shared tasting menu adds unnecessary friction. Either way, budget for the full experience: at €€€ with wine, a dinner for two will sit in a range that requires planning, but it will not reach the heights of a four-symbol evening at Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau or Memories in Bad Ragaz.
Lunch deserves specific attention. Sternen - Badstube runs a reasonably priced set menu at midday, making it the more accessible entry point if you want to assess the kitchen without committing to a full dinner spend. The hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 AM to midnight, with the restaurant closed Monday and Sunday. Lunch is the smarter first visit: lower cost, daylight in a historic room, and the same kitchen credentials behind the plate. If you are driving from Zurich, the Wangen-Brüttisellen address puts you well outside the city, so factor in the round trip when choosing lunch over dinner.
The Gaststube , the more casual dining room within the same property , runs alongside the Badstube and serves traditional cuisine at a different register. If your group is split between those who want a formal dinner and those who would prefer something lighter and more rustic, the two-room structure solves that problem practically. Gasthof Sternen also has guestrooms, which makes an overnight stay a logical extension of a dinner booking, particularly if you are coming from further than the Zurich metropolitan area. For guests considering this as a destination rather than a local booking, explore our full Wangen bei Dübendorf hotels guide for alternatives if the inn is full.
On the question of takeout and delivery: this is not a kitchen built for off-premise dining. A 16th-century barrel vault, savvy wine service, and a room with two centuries of hospitality embedded in the walls are not features that translate to a takeout container. The Michelin award here is for a complete dining experience, not a standalone food product. If the travel or logistics do not work for you, the meal does not have an off-premise equivalent worth pursuing. Book the table or skip it , there is no middle ground at this kind of address.
Booking difficulty is rated hard. With a Google rating of 4.6 across 476 reviews and a 2024 Michelin star, demand exceeds casual availability. Plan well ahead for weekend dinners, and treat weekday lunch as the lower-resistance path in. No phone number or website is currently listed in our database , contact the venue directly or check current booking platforms for availability. Explore our full Wangen bei Dübendorf restaurants guide for context on what else the area offers, and our full Wangen bei Dübendorf experiences guide if you are building a full day around the visit.
For Swiss classic cuisine at comparable quality in different settings, Meierei Dirk Luther and Obauer in Werfen offer useful reference points for the broader Alpine classical tradition. Within Switzerland, Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel, Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen, and The Restaurant in Zurich sit in the same conversation for serious occasion dining. For those building a broader Swiss fine dining itinerary, Hotel de Ville Crissier, Maison Wenger in Le Noirmont, Colonnade in Lucerne, Da Vittorio in St. Moritz, Mammertsberg in Freidorf, and L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva are all worth mapping. Also see our full Wangen bei Dübendorf bars guide and our full Wangen bei Dübendorf wineries guide for what surrounds the meal.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sternen - Badstube | €€€ | — |
| Schloss Schauenstein | €€€€ | — |
| Memories | €€€€ | — |
| roots | €€€€ | — |
| IGNIV Zürich by Andreas Caminada | €€€€ | — |
| focus ATELIER | €€€€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes — this is a strong choice for a celebration. The 16th-century barrel vault gives the room genuine atmosphere without feeling staged, and a Michelin star since at least 2024 confirms the kitchen delivers at a level that matches the occasion. The €€€ price point is also more accessible than most starred venues in Switzerland, which makes it a practical pick for anniversaries or milestone dinners where you want quality without the full outlay of a two- or three-star commitment.
Reasonably so. The Gaststube — the more casual, rustic room serving traditional cuisine — is the better option for a solo visit: lower commitment, more informal, and less likely to feel awkward eating alone in a formal setting. If you want the full Michelin-starred Badstube experience, the set menu format works solo too, but confirm whether counter or bar seating exists before booking, as the database does not specify table configuration.
The seasonal set menu is the clearest expression of what Matthias Brunner does here. The database records a regional beef tenderloin with harissa sabayon, potato roll, and winter vegetables as a representative dish — classical leaning, but with enough technique to justify the star. Both omnivore and vegetarian versions of the set menu are available, so dietary preference does not force you off the main format. The à la carte classics are the fallback if you want flexibility.
The kitchen runs a dedicated vegetarian set menu alongside the omnivore version, which is a more considered approach than venues that simply adapt a meat-forward menu on request. Beyond that, specific allergy or intolerance handling is not detailed in the available information, so check the venue's official channels before booking if your requirements are more specific.
Lunch is the value case: the database notes a reasonably priced set menu at midday that is a separate, lower-cost offering from the evening format. If budget is a factor, lunch here gives you access to a Michelin-starred kitchen at a lower price point than dinner — which is rare in this category. Dinner makes sense if you want the full seasonal tasting menu experience and the atmosphere of the vaulted room at its most unhurried.
At €€€ for a Michelin-starred meal in the Swiss countryside, the set menu is priced fairly against the category. Sternen Badstube has operated continuously under the same couple since 2005, which is a meaningful signal of consistency — this is not a newly starred venue still finding its footing. If classical cuisine with seasonal, high-quality ingredients is your format, the value case is solid. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, the classics menu is available, though the set menu is where the kitchen's focus sits.
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