L'Hôtel de Ville

L'Hôtel de Ville is a brasserie-style restaurant at Grand-Rue 39 in the Old Town of Geneva, Switzerland, on the street that climbs through the historic quarter near the town hall and the Place du Bourg-de-Four. It serves Swiss-French brasserie plates alongside Genevan specialities, making it a straightforward place to taste local dishes without the formality of fine dining. Among the dishes associated with the menu are filets de perche, the lightly fried Lake Geneva perch fillets that are the city's best-known lake dish; longeole, the Genevan pork sausage flavoured with fennel seeds, which holds a protected geographical indication; and cheese fondue for cooler months. The dining room has the unfussy character of a traditional town-centre brasserie, with a mix of residents, office workers and visitors, moderate noise levels and no formal dress code. Beverages follow the regional theme, with Geneva and Vaud white wines, Swiss beer and the usual brasserie aperitifs. Prices are moderate (rated $$), placing it below the Old Town's more tourist-focused fondue houses for a standard main course, typically in the range of CHF 25 to 40 for a plate. The restaurant is generally open daily for lunch and dinner, though hours should be checked locally. Reservations are recommended for dinner, particularly on weekends and in the busy summer and Christmas periods, but lunch is typically easier to walk into. Because of its position in the heart of the Old Town, the restaurant fits naturally into a day of sightseeing that includes the Cathédrale St-Pierre, the Maison Tavel and the Reformation-era streets of the quarter.