Gault&Millau 2026
Olympia in Bern is "POP of the year"
"A kitchen that thinks like a bistro, but works with the finesse of a top restaurant"
Croquettes, gnocchi, pork schnitzel or flap steak with pepper sauce and chips: The "Olympia" is GaultMillau's "POP of the Year 2026". A kitchen that thinks like a bistro but works with the finesse of a top restaurant impressed the jury.
GaultMillau POP is the name of the restaurant guide's lifestyle list. We review and update it several times a year. It features pubs, bistros, brasseries, bars and cafés that may not score highly in GaultMillau, but which inspire with their young, uncomplicated concepts, passion and high quality. The title sponsor is American Express.
Armin Czapla, Chief Growth Officer of Swisscard, the only American Express provider in Switzerland: "The catering scene in Switzerland has a remarkable number of young and ambitious up-and-coming talents. We are proud to offer them a platform as part of our partnership. We present 50 particularly attractive addresses in our POP booklet.
Comeback of a Bernese star chef
The Olympia restaurant on Bern's Breitenrainplatz impresses from the very first bite with dishes that sound familiar but taste exceptionally refined. No wonder: Simon Apothéloz, GaultMillau's "Rising Star of the Year 2018", who cooked his way to 17 points in his "Eisblume" in the Worber Gewächshäusern, is at the cooker. What he now serves up at the "Olympia" shows his experience and his pronounced quality awareness. Of course, a restaurant like this cannot function without a strong crew. The duo at Apothéloz's side: Rahel Jost previously worked at "Cervo" in Zermatt and "Bonbec" in Bern, while Marco Belz runs "Trallala Weine" at the same time.
Regionality, classic craftsmanship & modern dishes
The trout from Rubigen BE - filleted with a butterfly cut and grilled on the skin - comes à la meunière with a sauce of beurre noisette, capers, onions and fresh herbs. Grilled green asparagus from Vechigen BE is combined with lettuce and an emulsion of candied sunflower seeds and lovage to make a salad. The panko-fried Duroc pork chop meets blackcurrant jam and cucumber salad with ponzu dressing. Deep-fried potato shavings provide a crispy texture for the cacio e pepe gnocchi. The vegetable platter comprises a dozen components: Carrots, spring onions, turnips, radishes, white asparagus, kohlrabi, chard - all from the Demeter farm, individually grilled. Served with stonecrop, purple basil, pickled radish, roasted almonds and romesco sauce.
Quiet sovereignty
Very remarkable for a restaurant that is less than two years old: it already looks like a permanent fixture on the Bernese catering scene. The dining room is open and inviting, the team is attentive and relaxed. The wine list eschews big names in favour of hand-picked selections from small wineries in Switzerland and its neighbourhood. The non-alcoholic drinks also reflect the high standards - with homemade iced tea, lemonades and aperitifs that are more than just sweet.
The who's who of the "POP" scene
The previous "POP of the Year": Marlene Halter ("Metzg", Zurich, 2020). Markus Arnold ("Easy Lunch", Steinhalle, Bern, 2021). Martin Hurschler, Mario Waldispühl, Sylvan Müller and Rahel Heller ("Jazzkantine", Lucerne, 2022). Armin Azadpour, Claudio Sacchi and Patrick Schindler ("Lupo", Zurich 2023). Christian Gujan and Leo Tobler ("Glou Glou", Lucerne, 2024). Meagan Cederbaum and Simon Bernhard ("Alba", Zurich, 2025).
The POP community of GaultMillau and American Express is growing steadily and currently comprises over 250 addresses online. The recommendations for foodies know no bounds: A particularly good gelateria, pizzeria, food truck, sandwich take-away or kebab also make it onto the list. Our scouts are mainly out and about in the cities of Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Fribourg. But we also list the dynamic winter sports centres: St. Moritz, Gstaad and Zermatt. The complete list is available at www.gaultmillau.ch/pop
GaultMillau's "Rookies 2026": Four Swiss winemakers and a sommelier impress the jury
The future of Swiss wine is secure, because young winemakers are pushing to the top. Their common denominator: they are excellently trained and work in the vineyard and cellar with unflagging passion. The GaultMillau jury has tasted their wines. Four wineries came out on top - and were honoured as "Rookie of the Year 2026" after a tough blind tasting: Alex Stauffer (Flanthey VS), Myriam & Johannes Lampert (Jenins GR), Manuel Schneiter & Roman Thürig (Twann BE) and the four brothers Kaspar, Matthias, Florian and Adrian Wetli (Berneck SG). A 27-year-old wine expert was also honoured as "Young Sommelier of the Year": the young Frenchwoman Lise Donier-Meroz oversees the cellar of the top Valais restaurant "Gilles Varone" in Savièse near Sion.
A brief portrait of the "rookies" and the "young sommelier":
YOUNG SUMMELIÈRE OF THE YEAR: Lise Donier-Meroz
GaultMillau" was on the lookout for talent - and discovered young sommelier Lise Donier-Meroz in Savièse VS. Chef Gilles Varone entrusts her with the cellar key. What an address! Just outside Sion, Gilles Varone is one of the best chefs in French-speaking Switzerland and his sommelier is also a class act: the 27-year-old Frenchwoman Lise Donier-Meroz. She enthuses: "Switzerland may seem small, but when it comes to viticulture, it's a universe." Lise likes sparkling wines, the elegance of Pinot Noirs from Graubünden and the depth of oxidative wines from the Jura. Next goal for GaultMillau's "Young Sommelier of the Year": Master Sommelier! www.gillesvarone.ch
Bonnet du Fou: Roman Thürig and Manuel Schneiter, Twann BE
The idea for the joint winery was born over beer. Like many young men, Manuel Schneiter and Roman Thürig dreaded the prospect of having to earn their living as employees until they retired. And so Manuel soon began his apprenticeship as a winemaker - at the renowned Anne-Claire Schott winery in Twann BE, in the historic centre of which he and Roman were soon able to take over a family winery. They found the name for their winery in the tarot card with the jester, the "Bonnet du Fou". It stands for new beginnings, carefreeness, curiosity and carefreeness. "This is our life," says Thürig. The two winegrowers have three Chasselas (classic, single-vineyard wine with old vines, orange) in their range. Plus Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Diolinoir. One of their most ambitious projects on just 2.3 hectares? The Pinot Noir "Gaucheten", aged for twelve months in barriques. www.bonnetdufou.ch
Lampert Winery: Johannes and Myriam Lampert, Maienfeld GR
Myriam and Johannes Lampert have not stormed into the wine world with a roar - rather, they have crept in on velvet paws. Although Johannes trained as a winemaker, he preferred to make his expertise available to other wineries. Except for the day he pressed his first barrel of Pinot Noir with Myriam: "For fun, more for the sake of experimentation." The wine caused a furore far beyond his circle of friends. But it didn't stop there: the couple now also grow Pinot Noir and Merlot (!), and a sparkling wine without dosage will soon be added. www.lampert.ch
Domaine vin de l'A: Alex Stauffer, Ollon VS
Alex Stauffer had to get out of the urban office, switched to the wine business, trained in Changins and launched his domain in Valais in 2018. Today, he cultivates 13 grape varieties organically, spread across plots between Sierre and Flanthey. These are mostly common varieties such as Petite Arvine, Syrah and Marsanne, which he cultivates using the solera system. Stauffer sings the praises of the Dôle: "Our bestseller! We have given this cuvée back its aristocratic title." Not bad for an ex-office clerk! www.levindela.ch
Wetli Weine AG: Wetli Brothers, Berneck SG
The Wetli Brothers from Berneck are probably the only sibling quartet in the world to run a winery together. And with clearly allocated responsibilities: Kaspar junior is the oenologist and cellar master, Matthias looks after sales, Florian takes care of the administration and Adrian looks after the vines. In 2022, they took over the winery from their father, the veteran winemaker Kaspar Wetli senior. Not all 18 hectares of vineyards are in St. Gallen. The brothers also make "Appezöller Wii" - in Wienacht-Tobel (AR) with a view of Lake Constance and in Oberegg (AI). Particularly popular: the Malbec, aged in very small quantities, air-dried in the Amarone style and matured in Appenzell oak barrels. The wine has its price - but if you would like to drink it, you cannot avoid joining the waiting list. www.wetliweine.ch
