Discover more SoToSo Restaurants!
gartenHAUS
Article in collaboration with the team at gartenHAUS
Eating with soil awareness
A Green Oasis on the Outskirts of Lucerne
Stepping into gartenHAUS means leaving the bustle of the city behind for a moment. Located at the edge of Lucerne, the restaurant welcomes its guests with a warm and homely atmosphere.
From Swiss Classics to Plant-Based Cuisine
Since its opening in 2012, the restaurant has evolved from a place for traditional Swiss cooking into a modern destination for culinary discovery. It is a spot for everyone who enjoys being culinary surprised at the table. The best from the garden and carefully selected producers come together here with a creative twist: down to earth yet full of ideas.
At the heart of it all is a kitchen guided by the seasons and rooted in regional sourcing. Almost all ingredients come from local producers with whom the team maintains personal connections. The menu changes regularly, ensuring not only freshness and variety, but also a true celebration of seasonality.
FOCUS TOPICS
Organic Products and Other Sustainable Labels
The restaurant is working toward the Swiss organic certification Bio Cuisine. Even today, nearly all products come from organic and Knospe-certified producers. In addition, gartenHAUS is involved with ProSpecieRara, helping to promote the diversity of native plants.
Strong Ties with Local Producers
By visiting local farms and producers regularly, the team maintains personal relationships and ensures firsthand knowledge of the origin and quality of every ingredient.
Fresh, Minimally Processed Ingredients
The restaurant emphasizes preparing as much as possible from scratch, using fresh, minimally processed ingredients to preserve their natural flavors and reduce waste.
Food Waste, Ingredient Use & Sustainable Takeaway Boxes
Vegetables and other ingredients are prepared in ways that minimize waste, while portion sizes are deliberately chosen to leave little to no leftovers. If desired, however, additional servings can always be provided. Recyclable containers are also available for guests who wish to take food home.
THEIR PRODUCERS
-
Biohof Widacher
Vegetables, Fruit, Grains
Widacher Organic Farm in Malters near Lucerne is a traditional family-run enterprise that has been cultivating organic vegetables since 1980. Its focus lies on maintaining long-term soil health, supported through crop rotation, gentle tillage, and the use of farm-produced compost. Across roughly 5.5 hectares, up to 250 different crops are grown throughout the year, while hedgerows, brushwood and stone walls, as well as natural habitats, enhance biodiversity. -
Mooshof Adligenswil
Meat, dairy products, vegetables, grains, fruit, berries
On a sunny hillside in Adligenswil (LU), seasonal organic vegetables, grains, fruit, and berries are cultivated with great care and a great deal of manual work. Free-range hens are kept in mobile coops and regularly moved to fresh pastures with ample space to roam. The meadows are also home to five ProSpecieRara Hinterwälder cows, raised in a mother-cow system. -
Inwiler Edelpilze
Since 2001, Mattmann Farm in Inwil has specialized in cultivating gourmet mushrooms, with the aim of supplying the Swiss market with premium organic produce. The focus is on shiitake, complemented by oyster and king oyster mushrooms. The substrate is made exclusively from Swiss hardwoods and plant-based energy sources. In addition to mushroom production, the family manages 5 hectares of farmland with open-field vegetables, fodder crops, woodland, and traditional standard fruit trees. The farm is also home to breeding sheep and dwarf goats. -
Mühle Birseck
Oil
Mühle Briseck GmbH in Zell (LU) is a family-run business specializing in the production of premium cold-pressed oils. All seeds used are sourced exclusively from Switzerland and are Bio Suisse ‘Knospe’ certified. The mill also relies on environmentally friendly packaging and meets its electricity and heating needs through its own hydropower plant and solar panels.
© Photo: Walter Zumbühl