Overlooking the Rhône River and within walking distance of Lake Geneva, the Jet d’Eau and St. Peter’s Cathedral, Mandarin Oriental, Geneva is a five-star hotel that blends contemporary Swiss hospitality with striking views of the Old Town and the surrounding snow-capped mountains. The hotel’s 178 rooms and suites are refined and contemporary, drawing design inspiration from nature, the Alps and water.
Mandarin Oriental’s restaurants and bars have long influenced Geneva’s dining scene. Earlier this year the hotel added its newest signature venue, Ottolenghi Geneva, bringing the celebrated culinary voice of Yotam Ottolenghi to the city.
Inspired by the atmosphere of Ottolenghi’s London restaurant ROVI and designed by Studio Alex Meitlis, Ottolenghi Geneva emphasizes grilling and fermentation. Since the first Ottolenghi deli opened in Notting Hill in 2002, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi have shaped modern cooking through best-selling cookbooks, newspaper columns and a distinctive approach to flavor and texture.
Premier Riverview Room © Mandarin Oriental, Geneva
Head chef Maxime Martin leads the new restaurant, bringing more than seven years of experience at Mandarin Oriental, Geneva and a background running Michelin-starred kitchens along the Côte d’Azur. Trained in Ottolenghi’s London kitchens, Chef Martin has developed an all-day menu that showcases fresh, seasonal ingredients with bold layers of color and texture. The menu is designed for sharing and balances small plates with larger dishes suited to communal dining.
Breakfast highlights include Ottolenghi staples such as shakshuka with braised eggs and labneh, alongside pastries and bakes like halva chocolate Danish and banana bread. The main menu celebrates vegetables “root to tip,” and places a clear focus on fermentation and open-fire cooking.
Signature vegetable dishes include celeriac shawarma: celeriac roasted whole over open flame until charred, then sliced and served in a homemade pita with Tunisian bkeila, yogurt sauce and crispy onions, finished with a spicy fermented tomato sauce. The kitchen has also developed dishes that incorporate Swiss ingredients, for example langos topped with black garlic butter, sour cream and locally sourced Chällerhocker Alpine cheese.
Fish and meat play prominent roles on the menu as well. Highlight dishes include fish kofta with a caraway tomato sauce, while lamb shoulder and chicken are cooked over a live-fire grill in a custom clay oven. The lamb is enriched with a rose and cardamom crust and paired with fennel labneh; the chicken is served with a coconut milk and tomatillo peanut salad.
© Mandarin Oriental, Geneva
Dessert selections reflect the same attention to texture and contrast, with offerings such as chocolate and tahini fondant paired with star anise ice cream, and preserved lemon pavlova with lemon curd and mascarpone cream.
Guests can choose between two curated set menus: the Ottolenghi menu, which includes a starter, main course, dessert and petit fours; or the Celebration menu, which adds an aperitif to the starter, main course, dessert and petit fours.
The restaurant is flooded with natural light from large windows that frame views of the Rhône. The interior palette blends whites, reds and gold/bronze accents with warm natural woods and fabrics, creating a contemporary atmosphere that nods to ROVI’s design while complementing the hotel’s architecture.
A central live-fire grill serves as both a functional cooking station and a visual focal point, placing the culinary process at the heart of the dining experience. A glass wall connects the restaurant visually to the hotel’s public spaces and features sculptural accents in gold, bronze and natural wood—an aesthetic inspired by the late Ivo Bisignano, Ottolenghi’s longtime design collaborator. Murals by Giles & Cecilie Studio further enrich the space, honoring the collaboration between design and cuisine that defines Ottolenghi Geneva.