Basel Restaurants

Slightly off the beaten track - but worthy of the brief walk.

After a busy day exploring the narrow back streets of Old Town Basel and you’re in the mood to compliment the day with some traditional Alpine fare, this is your place. I stumbled across this small, homely eatery after wandering across town to visit the Splanetor - a 10 minute walk from Barfusserplatz heading North West.

Literally, step-in off the street through the oversized wooden door down into a welcoming dining area with long upholstered bench seating down either side wall and huge, heavyweight wooden tables where everyone seems happy to share the distinctive buzz of conversation. It literally is a great place to relax with a bier - of which there are numerous - gather your thoughts, take in a short read or join in with the friendly older locals. Providing your German is up to scratch of course. I visited around 5.30pm after a busy day exploring and stayed for some time. Another pleasing aspect about The Willhem Tell was that I wasn’t rushed once I’d finished my meal. There was a friendly yet enthusiastic buzz about the place when I arrived and as more locals came in this enhanced the welcoming nature of the restaurant.

The only negative I should mention on my visit was customers’ smoke. I may have been unlucky - I don’t know, but there was a lot of smoke hanging in the air from a number of older gentlemen smoking cigars when I left. It didn’t ruin my visit as I’m a little more tolerant of cigar smoke - and luckily I had finished eating. It may be a problem for you but I would hope it doesn’t stop you visiting this charming place.

Please, take my advice. Plan a visit to see the Splanetor at some point in your day. Splanenvorstadt is a beautiful Basel street with some smashing old buildings, points of interest and old trams for numerous photo opportunities. Once you have your memories - visit The Wilhem Tell on the right down towards the Splanetor. You won’t be dissapointed!

I wanted to sample a traditional Rösti and the friendly waitress kindly suggested - in her perfectly broken English - a particular flavoursome variation to suit my eager pallet. I misplaced my bill and hence cannot recall the name of the dish, but it was quite delicious. A bacon, onion and tomato variety, topped with a speciality Swiss cheese - similar to a Brie.

My meal was well presented in an ovenware dish and though looked a little on the small side (for me that is), it was in fact overly filling! The restaurant has a wonderful menu - though if you’re like me and don’t speak much of anything other than English - you may need help in making your choice. There are varied Rösti’s to choose from as well as other dishes. I washed mine down with a wonderful wheat beer - Schnieder Wiesse - and though I was told that there are breweries in Basel, most of the beers on offer are of German origin.

Not too much of a hardship - I think you’ll agree!

Basel Hotels

Basel Restaurants

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Visiting Basel?

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