I've been in Lausanne for just 1 month. I live out by UNIL, so there aren't many restaurant options nearby. I've been cooking a lot, but sometimes I want to grab something out. I haven't been very adventurous in my choices. Can anyone suggest some good restaurants in the area? If you could tell the metro stop they're nearby, that would be helpful, too! Thanks!

It depends on what you are looking for. There is a good food court which has several restaurants in Bel Air (just above the Flon metro station), it has pizza, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Sushi and Turkish. There's a couple of good Moroccan restaurants (for Couscous), you could just google "Couscous Lausanne". There's an ethiopian restaurant that I've been wanting to try for some time, near the metro station Ours. There's a nice Italian place just in front of the Gare (Bella Vita), its food is good but it's a bit overpriced and the waiters there have serious attitude problems.

I've tried many restaurants around here, I could suggest more if I know what kind of food you're into.

well, what are you really looking for? what is "the area" for you , around UNIL, or rather broader?

The Cote here has more restaurant choices that some of the largest cities of France, with great quality and alas priced accordingly. In St. Sulpice there are a couple, and so in many of the villages on the coast... but for finding ppl, you are better off heading to the center of Lausanne.

Assuming that you are not looking for THE gourmet experience, but rather for fun and some good company...
try: http://www.les-brasseurs.ch/f/lausanne/index.htm where one can see students and others getting busy around slabs of flammkuchen and large amounts of beer
http://www.lapinvert.ch/ one of the oldest hide-outs, full of good memories for those of us who studied in Lausanne in the yesteryears
http://www.bleu-lezard.ch/, where on nice days one can eat outside; there is also a grotto with concerts.
http://www.lejava.ch/ is fun and relax
http://www.etoileblanche.ch/ is a friendly spot, go for drinks before dinner, after dinner. Dinner is also very nice, but a bit pricey.
http://www.lekarma.ch/ I also like this place, but haven't been back at night for a long time

Hi Nicole,
Lausanne's got really good restaurants, some upper class, some classic.
I don't know your food habits, but I agree with Abdallah concerning places like Bel Air (Social Life, a kind of multiplex restaurant ). Riponne's also a nice (but ugly) place, with typical Vaud restaurant, pizzeria and a small but dammit good chinese
Forget about Flon, nothing really interesting and overpriced !
You can find interesting places on bonresto.ch, just take a look !

Regards

Here are some of our favourites

http://www.cafedegrancy.ch (Great for coffee/ brunch)
http://www.cafesaintpierre.ch

Kai Zen
Rue Pepinet 3, Lausanne 1003, Switzerland
0041213108484

Petit Boeuf (BBQ)
Avenue Vingt-Quatre-Janvier 4
1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
021 648 91 01

Au Canard Pékinois (Chinese)
Place Chauderon 16
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
021 329 03 23

Ichi-Ban (Japanese)
Av. d'Ouchy 58, Lausanne 1006, Switzerland
021 601 31 68

I like this one:

L'Accademia - Place du port 11, 1006 Lausanne, +41 21 613 34 34 () ‎

It is near Ouchy (140 м) M2.

Give it a try.

I love http://www.cafedegrancy.ch/ to hang out and the brasserie atmosphere.

If you like italian http://www.le-pinocchio.ch/ i guess the prices are reasonable

For a nice fondue http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...anne_Vaud.html it is by the cathedral

I guess only place serving 24h steak in lausanne http://www.restaurants-lausanne.ch/b.../bouchers.html and it is not too far from the Uni you can take the metro and walk 5 min....

Don't you think the guy who owns this restaurant looks amazingly like a younger version of George Clooney? I swear I couldn't tell you what the food tastes like because I'm always, ahem, otherwise occupied. (Just kidding, the food is good!)

Absolutely! Every female friend i've taken there has commented on it
Delicious... the food I mean

Oh and I forgot this place! A little out of the way and always packed so make sure to book.
http://www.lesallies.ch/

I have to go there...

my favorite in lausanne. out of the way for most but right across the street from us! love it - the food is great and the owners are really nice! pricey for a student but well worth it by swiss standards and the terrace is great in the warm weather... also, holy cow- good burgers, abyssinia- great ethiopian, chez mario on rue de bourg is good cheap pizza, there's really too many good places to list them all.

Hi and welcome to Lausanne (even if you are an Aggie...).

Les Brasseurs has already been mentioned; but, they've got one of the better food to price ratios in town especially with beer...

Restaurant des Bouchers has also been mentioned. They've probably got the best meat selection in town and it's closest to what you're probably used to back home.

Cafe Rose Rouge in Renens has decent pizza if they don't burn it.

The Great Escape has really good burgers. It's pretty packed inside now since it got cool out. If you're missing American bar food it's the place to go.

Down in Ouchy next to the Crepery there's a little cafe that has really nice, filling, "Swiss" food. Afterwards you pretty much have to go to the Crepery for desert.

The Manor cafeteria in St. Francois is oddly good. (It's way better than the cafeterias at UNIL or EPFL)

The other good option is to make friends with people who can cook and actually enjoy doing it. Especially when spring comes back and some of us start going through barbecue withdrawals...

Cool resto, not well known, but excellent food/price ratio. M L 16 on avenue Mon-Loisir 16. Great mix of people.

Thank you all so much! Definitely a good list to start out with. I miss some American food (I've discovered beef here doesn't quite meet my Texan standards), but most of that I can wait until I go back for. I'm excited to try some of these places. It all looks great!

I have to concur with Ohmsford02. This is by far and away one of the best ways to eat in Lausanne.
Grab an interesting group of people. Add social lubricant. Combine with delicious food you concocted yourself (you can let others share the work if you don't feel up to making it all yourself) and you have a fabulous and boozy Sunday!

So who has a big enough of a place to host a ravenous horde? (Hopefully said person/people would actually be willing to socialize with others.)

How many count as a ravenous horde?

Well when I'm hungry I eat like three grown men or 7 small children. Add you, we're up to... I dunno, 12?

Add my husband and we may hit 20!

Nope. Not nearly enough room. Know of an available conference centre?