Café Restaurant L’Étoile Blanche

Always busy, this bar and restaurant is a classic Lausanne night-spot and something of a place to be seen. Its menu of burgers, salads, risotto and steak tartar is decent and well-presented, and there’s a good choice of brunch options on weekends. Things get increasingly raucous from Thursday evening onwards when drinkers fill the bar and every inch of pavement space outside. If you’re after a quick takeaway lunch, its little confiserie next door is worth knowing about too – only open for a few hours over lunchtime, it’s a great place for a quality sandwich, cous-cous salad, slice of homemade puff pastry tart or a cupcake.