By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 26th February 2025 | Updated: 26th February 2025
Basel is full of a wide range of places to eat, both traditional Swiss and cuisine from all across the world, as well as everything from breakfast and bakery snacks through to lunch and dinner, so you will not go hungry on a trip to Basel! So here is our guide to the best places to eat in Basel, from locals who regularly frequent these places ourselves:
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Best Places To Eat In Basel Overview
There are of course numerous places you can visit in Basel for food, and we will go into some of the best and our favourites below, but these are our top picks:
📍 Great for coffee – UM Cafe, they have a few locations across the city, the main coffee house and bakery is between Barfüsserplatz and Marktplatz, with the UM Kaffee-Mobil’s located in Marktplatz and alongside the Rhine in Kleinbasel, (opposite the Münster). Perfect for a stop by after crossing the river on the Leu ferry.
📍 Great for breakfast – L’Atelier near Bankverein is a great place to start the day with a breakfast bowl or fresh pastries.
📍 Great for local cuisine – Gifthüttli or Zum alten Stöckli. Gifthüttli is one of Basel’s most well-known and traditional restaurants, serving cuisine local to the area in the setting of the historic old town, whilst Zum alten Stöckli is more of a local haunt on the corner of Barfüsserplatz, but again serving some of the most delicious local dishes. Try a Kaseschnitte if you get the chance, they are incredible!
📍 Great for lunch – La Manufacture, with one in Gundeli specialising in burgers and brunch, Elisabethan for bagels and tartines, and another in Klara specialising in burgers, all are incredible.
📍 Great for those who are undecided – If you have a group of you or someone who really doesn’t know what they want to eat, then you can’t go wrong with stopping by Markthalle. This is the place to go if you fancy different cuisines all under one roof, with over 20 different vendors offering various food and drink at reasonable prices, plus it is very centrally located near the main train station. They often hold markets and music events in here too.
📍 Great for dinner – Brasserie Café Spitz is the perfect place for dinner with a view. Overlooking the Rhine and with a seasonal menu, that includes fondue in the winter months, it is really lovely to visit and sit and watch the world go by with a drink in hand.
📍 Great for a sweet treat – Mystifry, Switzerland’s first vegan donut shop, and our regular haunt every month when they release the new monthly flavours. If you think you’ve had good donuts, wait until you try some of these. Be sure to get there early though as they often sell out.
If Mystifry is shut when you visit (they are only open Friday to Sunday), then be sure to stop by Cinnamood on Freistrasse instead – delicious cinnamon buns with various other seasonal, fruity and moreish flavours too.
📍 Great to grab on the go – Most Migros and Co-op’s in the center also have a takeout option, which can help save costs a little.
📍 Great if you fancy some Asian cuisine – Now this may be a surprise to some, but Basel has a fantastic Asian food scene. We regularly hit up Rice To Meet You in Gundeli, Thai Square, (various locations), Boo, (again various locations), and Miake Izakaya in Gundeli to get our Thai or Japanese food fix.
📍 Great if you need a hangover cure – Don’t judge us here, (we are locals and there is an Irish pub just across the road!), but if you are in need of a kebab after a night of enjoying some drinks then head to Steinegrill. The kebabs are cheap and tasty, and the shop is located right next to the tram for lines 3, 6, 10, 14, 16 and 17 so you can get home easily.
📍 Be sure to also add to your list of things to do in Basel, that you need to try the locally made spiced biscuits that originate from the city, the Basler Läckerli. Founded in 1753 making it Switzerland’s oldest biscuit bakery, these little biscuits are particularly good from the Läckerli-Huus which has shops across the city and in the main train station, or from a less well-known but equally as delicious place called Jakob’s Basler Leckerly in Spalenburg.
Best Places To Eat In Basel Map
Best Places To Eat In Basel
There are of course lots more options for various cuisines and tastes, but these are some of the best places to eat in Basel, and some of which we frequently go to!
Breakfast / Café
🍴 Unternehmen Mitte 🍴 Backerei Mock
🍴 Rhyläx Café 🍴 Sutter Begg
🍴 Bakery Bakery 🍴 L’Atelier
🍴 Grand Café Bar 🍴 Kaffeemobil Rhein
🍴 Finkmuller Klybeckstrasse
Take away snacks / Bakeries
🍴 Milos Cookies 🍴 Confiserie Gilgen
🍴 Mystifry 🍴 Cinnamood
🍴 Bäckerei KULT 🍴 Bruno Lorenzo
🍴 Steinegrill 🍴 Dans LAB Basel
Lunch / Dinner
🍴 Spale Bar 🍴 Museum Bistro Rollerhof
🍴 B1 Rooftop Bistro 🍴 Bretzelkonig
🍴 ZaZaa 🍴 Gifthüttli
🍴 Zum alten Stöckli 🍴 Thai Square
🍴 Restaurant Löwenzorn 🍴 Restaurant Safran Zunft Basel
🍴 Fischerstube 🍴 Restaurant Krafft
🍴 Du Pont 🍴 Rhystarn
🍴 Amberbar 🍴 Klara 13
🍴 Le Rhin Bleu 🍴 Miake Izakaya
🍴 La Manufacture 🍴 Boo
🍴 Panda Burger 🍴 Rice
🍴 Tibits 🍴 Markthalle
Best Places To Eat In Basel FAQs
How much is an average meal in Basel?
This is slightly dependent on what type of eatery you are in. For breakfast it can be anywhere from CHF 10 for a coffee and pastry, up to CHF 25 for a sit down meal, lunch is a little more than that again. Dinner is generally from CHF 30 per person, (this is at the cheaper end of the scale somewhere like Markthalle), right up to hundreds per person at fine dining restaurants.
What time do people eat dinner in Basel?
Dinner is often eaten a little later in Basel, as with much of Europe, so expect to see restaurants busy from 8pm onwards. You can of course get dinner before then, (we tend to go around 6:30 / 7pm just to avoid the busier times!).
Is there Uber Eats in Basel Switzerland?
Yes! There is Uber Eats in Basel, and Just Eat as well. Lots of eateries also deliver themselves too which can often be a bit friendlier on the budget with Uber Eats / Just Eat adding on extra fees!
Is there food at Art Basel?
There is no food or drink allowed within the Art Basel exhibition halls, although there are food options available in the local area.
Conclusion: Best Places To Eat In Basel Switzerland
So, there you have our locals guide to the best places to eat in Basel, Switzerland. We love our home city and love the fact that there are so many options to choose from when eating out for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
All Our Switzerland Content
Here are a few other articles you may find useful for planning your trip:
📍 The Ultimate Guide To The Best Things To Do In Basel
📍 Is Basel Worth Visiting & When
📍 The Perfect 1 to 5 Day Basel Itinerary
📍 How To Get From Basel To Lucerne (Or Vice Versa)
📍 How To Get From Basel To Zurich (Or Vice Versa)
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.