WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN
The Lavaux
Fondue, raclette and chasselas from Lake Geneva's vineyards, in a candlelit West Village room.
Three Swiss friends from the Lavaux — the terraced vineyards that fall to Lake Geneva — opened this small wine and fondue bar in 2020, and it has become the city's clearest answer to the question of where to eat Swiss. The room is snug, candlelit and usually full.
Order fondue: several cheese blends bubble in caquelons over flame, for bread, potatoes and pickles to dip. There's raclette, too — the cheese melted and scraped over potatoes and cornichons. Drink Swiss wine, which almost never leaves Switzerland: a chasselas from the Lavaux, mineral and bright, is made for melted cheese.
Editor’s tip
Order a fondue for two and a bottle of chasselas — and come on a cold night, when it makes the most sense.
Make an evening of it — beautiful stops nearby
Also in the neighborhood
WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN
One if by Land, Two if by Sea
The carriage-house proposal restaurant — fireplace, piano, beef Wellington, no irony.
American Classic · Romantic Restaurant · $$$$
WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN
Palma
Seasonal Italian on Cornelia Street with a garden that feels borrowed from the Mediterranean.
Italian · Romantic Restaurant · $$$
Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.