Top 5 Family Restaurants in Luzern

Five family friendly restaurants in Luzern

As parents, we sometimes just want a night away from the kitchen, or to share a delicious lunch together that we haven’t had to prepare. Visiting a family friendly restaurant can be a relief from the every day ritual and hopefully a fun and bonding experience with our children.

Luzern has many delights for the family that includes family friendly restaurants that are important, if not vital, for everyone to relax allowing parents to enjoy family time. There are many great restaurants in Luzern but we want family friendly and there are certain requirements that are a must for family friendly. What constitutes family friendly may be different for every family but the following should be included:

Healthy menu with a good choice of meals at a reasonable price – thinking fussy eaters
Play area for various ages in view from your table and activities for the not so active, eg. colouring in placemats, books
Space for all family members to sit comfortably around a table with available children’s chairs
Easily accessible and clean restroom/s and a change table for the youngest family members
Friendly staff who interact with your children and make them feel welcome - because if our children want to come back we will be back

tibits Luzern

Zentralstrasse 1, Im Bahnhof, 1. Stock

The vegetarian tibits restaurants are very successful throughout Switzerland. The branch in Luzern is on the second floor of Luzern main station, therefore, central and easy to reach by train or bus. There is a carpark underneath the station for those who drive.

tibits staff are friendly and helpful and there is always someone at the main counter to help – and they understand English and other languages. There are a variety of high and low tables inside and outside and tables can be moved around to accommodate larger numbers, however, the family corner could seat up to 20 family members or around three separate families. It is often busy so if you have a larger family it would be worth booking at peak times. One other advantage is that you can really take all family members as dogs are welcome.

For Kids

A ‘Kids Lounge’ provides a table, seating cubes, books, colouring pencils and various wooden and board games. Along from the lounge is an eating area separated from the main dining area and the toilet is in this corner of the restaurant. There is a code required to enter so make sure you know the code before you have an emergency. Meals are flexible with a buffet and a wide variety of plant-based meals, salads, sauces and a free brötli. Even the fussiest eaters can find something and it can be fun for them to choose what they want to put on their plate. There is a dessert bar next to the main bar so watch they don’t go there first – personal experience.

Top 4 Things To Do in Luzern with Kids!

Swiss Transport Museum AND Swiss Chocolate Adventure Experience. Book Full Day Pass Here from CHF 62 per person.
Swiss Transport Museum. Book your entrance ticket here from CHF 35 per person.
Swiss Chocolate Adventure experience. Book here from CHF 18 per person.
Mount Rigi Day Trip with Cruise & Cable Car. Book here from CHF 126 per person.

Restaurant Libelle

Maihofstrasse 61

This favourite restaurant in Luzern is very hip and caters for everyone from a lone coffee and newspaper to anyone who wants to play the famous Swiss card game Jass with Jass mats provided. Also welcome are families with varying aged children and everyone in between. It is large, open and industrial style with various sized wooden tables, with seating both inside and outside. Outside has tables & chairs at the street entrance and on the side a terasse. The inside dining area wraps around a service counter and open kitchen with an upstairs section above the counter/kitchen.

Libelle is a popular restaurant so at peak times, like weekends or special holidays, you should definitely book but a lazy Sunday lunch should be fine. The restaurant is on Maihofstrasse, the main road from Luzern to the Mall of Switzerland, has a few parking spaces, and easily accessible by any buses going to Ebikon.

For Kids

There is an area with toys, books, hats and a dolls house to entertain. A large wooden table in this area could seat a large family, a party group or even a family on each end and there are seats available for toddlers/babies. The toilet is, however, on the other side of the counter. It is bright pink inside, has a change table and even some nappies for the times one forgets something just trying to get out of the apartment.

The children's menu includes pasta and spaghetti dishes and a R√§uberteller - pirate plate - essentially an empty plate for the kids to steal some food off mum and/or dad's plate or anyone else sitting close enough.

Restaurant Opus

Bahnhofstrasse 16

The foremost attraction of Restaurant Opus is location location location. Perched next to the Reuss, with a view of the Chapel Bridge from the spacious outside seating that wraps around two sides of the building with umbrellas, a large shady tree and a large historic water fountain. The decadent apartments, hotels and restaurants peer over the water from the other side of the Reuss and creates the picture perfect postcard of the old town but means no nearby parking is available but the main station is some blocks close. Inside are two sections with the toilet stuck down behind the kitchen and self-service area and up some circular steps. The menu has a mediterranean flavour with an a la carte menu and a delicious and varied antipasta buffet with fresh loaves of bread to cut.

For Kids

The children have their own Leo & Lily menu card to mark off their choices - a nice trick for fussy eaters. The choices include a kinder friendly ap√©ro, soup or salad for starters, pasta and choice of sauce, kids burgers, kids classics like chips and nuggets or a gala menu for a super price. The Leo & Lily Kidsclub for 4-12 year olds includes a birthday gift, however, register 3 months prior to make sure the gift will be delivered. There is no game area or special section for children but there are books and colouring pencils and puzzle books and toddler seats available.

Neubad Bistro

Bireggstrasse 36

This place is cool, cultured and eclectic. It is huge with lots of space inside and outside and various seating arrangements for everyone. Exposed concrete floors and the serving counter/bar are painted in an eye-catching turquoise in the former Biregg indoor swimming pool. A monthly program for the many events, group meetings, markets, music and all things creative is printed on the paper place mats, takeaway flyers at the entrance and online.

The menu includes a weekly meat meal, a different vegetarian meal each day, salad, snacks and Saturday and Sunday brunch and can be checked as above and online, on the place mats, flyers and blackboard at the service counter/bar. Local and organic foods are sourced where possible.

Outside caters perfectly for spring and summer weather, with greenery, assorted seating and tables and a large play area around a shady tree. It isn't exactly central so a bit out of the way and no parking provided by Neubad but paid parking can be found on the streets around. The number 4 bus stops at Steghof bus stop and is close by, or you can ride a bike or walk that takes around 10/15 minutes from the main station. Staff are friendly and helpful and English doesn't seem to be a problem.

For Kids

Children will be very happy with the large play room that has a table tennis, books, rocking horse, table and chairs, games, rugs and cushions, a chest, lounge, bead maze and stuffed toys. Toilets are next to the play room and a separate toilet for people with disabilities has a change table.

And for the young and young at heart there is an old school arcade video game just inside the entrance. The events program includes a Kinderklub where once a month a Bookstart team tells stories with finger verses, poems and songs and an array of books to read and borrow. It is suggested to book two months in advance.

There is no children's menu but portion and price are halved on the daily offering. Good to check first to make sure there is something the kids will eat or best day to go.

Mövenpick

Pilatusstrasse 14

Mövenpick has been around for a long time and seems to be a favourite for the elderly particularly for a Sunday lunch. It is in walking distance from the main station, or one bus stop to Kantonalbank, with paid parking on nearby streets. There is a large display of food and drinks at the counter on the left and some tables here. To the right is the main dining area with plenty of seating for families with a good section further around the back for familes. The toilets are downstairs from here with a change table in the female toilet. There is also seating out the front in the warmer weather, like most other restaurants in Luzern.

For Kids

Mövenpick has a special menu card for the children and is appropriately called Picky’s. It has all the favourites: pizza, chicken nuggets, pasta with sauce and cheese, chicken wings, crispy fish pieces and a garden salad. Prices are reasonable for adults and good for Picky’s menu. There are no play areas, or books and toys, but they do have colouring books and pencils and toddler seats.

About the Author

Lily is a travel and culture writer from Australia, living for the second time in Switzerland.

The first time was in Zürich and then Zürich canton and this time she is enjoying living in Luzern with a view of the craggy peaks of Pilatus that she finds both mysterious and inspiring. She has a degree in Creative Writing and her favourite genre is creative non-fiction. She is passionate about writing about people with limb differences as it is important to start normalising disabilities in society.

Top 5 Family Restaurants in Luzern

Our top picks for eating out with family in Luzern