Geneva.

Restaurant · PaquisRestaurant SenIf you're looking for Pho in Geneva, this place will satisfy your needs. Because sometimes, a hot slurpy bowl of Pho is just what the doctor ordered. Located right in the heart of Paquis it's an easy place to get to from just about anywhere in the city, and close to the train station. (Cornavin)

By Dave

Other · GenevaTomato SandwichThe tip here is simple: get a great tomato and slice it thick. Add mayonnaise, salt, and plenty of black pepper to good bread, then put it all together. That’s it, a perfect tomato sandwich. Don’t sleep on it. Also don't be shy with that mayo.

By Dave

Drink · RiveSangres Minithese beers are crisp and refreshing, but most importantly the mini bottles are just the perfect size for slamming in summer heat. Can get at COOP and most kiosks in Geneva. But the beer is from Portugal.

By Dave

Sushi · GenevaTanukiGenuinely some of the best sushi in Geneva. A Japanese couple runs it — he makes the sushi, she handles the rest. Takeout only. When they run out of something, that's it for the day. Get a nice bottle of sake. Take a platter home. A+ sushi evening. The wasabi is homemade, which makes a larger difference than you'd expect — completely different from the stuff in little plastic sachets. The fish is good. The rice is good. The whole thing is quiet and honest.

By Dave

Seafood · GenevaSamouraï des MersYou can take them away too — the stall does orders to go, by the dozen or by the kilo, if you want to bring a tray home and eat them properly. The phone number is on the sign. Call ahead if you're planning something. One of the best ten minutes you can spend in Geneva.

By Dave

Tip · GenevaThe best place to actually sit in Lavaux and drink wine.Lavaux is one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. UNESCO-listed since 2007. A belt of terraced vineyards along the north shore of Lake Geneva, first planted by Benedictine monks in the 12th century. Vines dropping into the water. French Alps across.The problem with Lavaux is finding somewhere to actually sit and drink it. Leave cash in the box. Take a bottle. Sit on the patio with the lake below you and the Alps across the water. An A+ way to spend an afternoon. Domaine Saint-Amour is the answer. Take the train, walk up through the vines. Small caveau, stone patio, the wine made on the slope behind you. On Sundays the rest of Switzerland is closed. The door here is still open. Fridge stocked. Honour system.

By Dave

Tip · GenevaNever underestimate your neighbourhood puppet theatre.The Théâtre des Marionnettes de Genève sits on a side street in Plainpalais and is extremely easy to forget exists. Most people who live in Geneva have walked past it, registered it distantly, and thought they'd go some day. This is the tip to make you actually go. All in French, but the language of puppeteering knows no boundaries.

By Dave

Pizza · GenevaLa PignataMy ritual is to get there, order, and have a small beer while I wait for the pizza to cook. The timing works out perfectly — it's almost exactly the right amount of time to drink that little beer. A good margherita for under CHF 15. In Geneva that counts as a miracle.

By Dave

Tip · GenevaPaul-Henri SolerThe Saturday market in Carouge is a wonderful way to spend your early afternoon. Like all farmers markets, the shopping is more performative, experiential, than pragmatic — you still need to go to Coop and get real stuff. But there is one thing worth making the trip for that you genuinely cannot get anywhere else, and that is Paul-Henri Soler's wine. Say his name at Bombar and you will pass the cool test.

By Dave

Tip · GenevaPapabouA Swiss guy started it. He used to call his grandpa Papabou. All local ingredients. Swiss potatoes for the fries. There's a larger smashburger chain that opened up literally next door — Pretty Patty — which makes for a very good Curb Your Enthusiasm spite store situation. I ride with Papabou. Smashburgers and natural wine. Nice to have in Geneva.

By Dave

Tip · GenevaOh Martine!There are two Oh Martine! locations in Geneva. This one is in Eaux-Vives, right across from the train station — the other is behind Cornavin, which is also good. Both worth knowing about. This is the one I've spent more time in. Specialty coffee taken seriously. Marble tables. Relaxed without trying to be relaxed.

By Dave

Restaurant · GenevaOttolenghi GenevaYotam Ottolenghi's second restaurant in the world is, for some reason, here in Geneva. Inside the Mandarin Oriental on the lake. The check must have been very good. I've only been as a guest of someone staying at the hotel — it's connected to the whole structure — but you can also make a reservation as a non-guest, which is worth knowing. A genuine joy to have an Ottolenghi in our little Swiss village by the lake.

By Dave