"Francesco De Bartolomeis cooks 16-Gault&Millau-point Alpine-Italian plates inside Le Grand Bellevue. Book it for a birthday in Gstaad."
Leonard’s is the fine-dining room of Le Grand Bellevue, the five-star hotel on Untergstaadstrasse in the centre of Gstaad. It pairs a stylish dining room with a garden terrace and a private cellar room, and it leans relaxed-chic rather than stiff, in keeping with the hotel. The kitchen is led by chef Francesco De Bartolomeis, whose cooking carries 16 Gault&Millau points. For the wider picture, see our Gstaad dining guide.
Francesco De Bartolomeis cooks creative Alpine-Italian food built on Saanenland produce, with clear Swiss, French and occasional Asian accents. The plates regulars come back for include a Saanenland veal steak roasted in hay, a Simmental beef carpaccio scented with coffee and mountain cumin, and a whole Dover sole finished with hazelnut butter. The kitchen runs four- and six-course tasting menus, while the hotel’s nightly three-course dinner is set at around CHF 125, and the cooking is rated at 16 Gault&Millau points. This is mountain fine dining sold on produce and technique rather than spectacle. Read our guide to the best fine-dining restaurants worldwide, and compare it with the chalet classics at Chesery up the hill.
The room is stylish and warm, with a garden terrace that opens up in the green months and a private cellar for groups. The sound sits at an easy hum, the lighting is low, and tables are generously spaced in the way a five-star hotel allows. Dress is smart and elegant, matching the Gstaad crowd, and service is polished without being formal to the point of stiffness. In winter the room fills with the season’s regulars, so it has energy without losing the calm.
Book Leonard’s for a birthday because it hits the alpine-luxury notes without tipping into stiffness: a warm five-star room, a garden terrace for the summer months, and a tasting menu of Saanenland produce that gives the night a sense of occasion. The private cellar room suits a larger group, the wine list is deep, and the Le Grand Bellevue setting makes it easy to turn dinner into a longer evening. Book a tasting menu and the terrace if the weather allows. See more birthday restaurants.
Not for a budget ski lunch. This is a five-star hotel dining room with tasting menus and prices to match, smart-dressed rather than casual apres-ski.
Yes, for alpine fine dining in the centre of Gstaad. Leonard’s is the restaurant of the five-star Le Grand Bellevue, where chef Francesco De Bartolomeis cooks a 16-Gault&Millau-point menu built on Saanenland produce. The nightly three-course dinner runs around CHF 125, with longer tasting menus available. You come for polished cooking and a warm five-star room rather than for a casual mountain meal, and on that count it delivers.
Leonard’s is led by chef Francesco De Bartolomeis, whose creative Alpine-Italian cooking holds 16 Gault&Millau points. He builds the menu around Saanenland produce with Swiss, French and occasional Asian accents. Signature plates include a Saanenland veal steak roasted in hay and a Simmental beef carpaccio scented with coffee and mountain cumin. The kitchen sits inside the five-star Le Grand Bellevue hotel.
Order from the tasting menu if you can. The dishes regulars name are the Saanenland veal steak roasted in hay, the Simmental beef carpaccio with coffee and mountain cumin, and the whole Dover sole finished with hazelnut butter. The kitchen runs four- and six-course menus alongside the nightly three-course dinner at around CHF 125. Lean on the deep wine list and book the garden terrace in the warmer months.
Yes. The warm five-star room, the summer garden terrace and a tasting menu of Saanenland produce give a birthday dinner a real sense of occasion, and the private cellar room suits a larger group. The Le Grand Bellevue setting makes it easy to extend the night. Book a tasting menu ahead, especially in the busy winter season. See our birthday guide for more.
Reserve through Le Grand Bellevue. Tables fill fast in the winter Gstaad season, so book well ahead for a weekend evening.
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Leonard’s earns a place for Francesco De Bartolomeis’s 16-Gault&Millau-point Alpine-Italian cooking at Le Grand Bellevue.
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