Part of the Schweizerhof Bern hotel, the bistro-style Jack's Brasserie offers a busy, cosmopolitan atmosphere that manages to be relaxed at the same time. The food is consistently top quality. Menus change seasonally and are French-influenced, although house classics include the Wiener schnitzel.

Garlanded by critics and regularly found near the top of best-in-Bern lists, this fine dining restaurant plays with deft combinations of European and Asian flavours. Its wine list is similarly impressive.

Recommended in the Michelin guide and set in the former US embassy, this is a classy restaurant with a good understanding of fine food. Produce is largely seasonal, and there are always strong vegetarian options.

Allegedly the oldest tavern in Bern, the Klötzlikeller is now a restaurant serving traditional market-fresh dishes with modern influences. The Klötzlikeller also has a wine cellar and wine bar.

Housed in the basement of a church-like, former granary building, with lofty vaulted ceilings and wall frescoes, this atmospheric candlelit restaurant draws the local smart set for excellent Mediterranean cuisine. Reservations are recommended.

This is a trendy restaurant, bar and lounge complex on the bank of the River Aare, with two restaurants, an events space and, over winter, a fondue hut. The Restaurant Terrasse is a popular venue for summer dining. The cuisine is mainly a blend of local and Mediterranean elements.

Altes Tramdepot Brauerei has an excellent location by Bern's BearPark and attracts quite a lot of tourists. The restaurant offers great views of the Old Town from its terrace, and it gives guests the chance to see both the in-house brewery in action and the chefs at work in the open kitchen. The food itself is well priced.

One of two Tibits restaurants in Bern (the other is at the central train station), its vegetarian focus will be familiar to anyone who’s eaten at a Tibits elsewhere in the country. It’s a self-service buffet arrangement, with dishes priced per kilo.

Reopened in 2016, this no-nonsense café-restaurant serves up a decent variety of dishes ranging from sushi and salads to tapas and soups. There’s a wide choice of pizzas too. It doesn’t push too many culinary boundaries, but that’s not the point.