Bären

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Bären in Utzenstorf: Classic Cuisine, Bib Gourmand and 15 Gault&Millau Points

Bären at Hauptstrasse 18 in Utzenstorf is a country inn serving classic cuisine, rated 15 points by Gault&Millau in 2026. Manuela and Martin Thommen run it as the 14th generation of the family.

A house with a long record

The inn's first mention in the Kyburger Urbar dates to 1261, and tavern rights were recorded in 1662. Martin Thommen has led the kitchen since 2009, after training under Oskar Marti and working for André Jaeger, Horst Petermann and Mario Gamba. Michelin added a Bib Gourmand in 2026, which points to good cooking at a fair price.

Retro plates, handled with care

Gault&Millau singles out the morel cream soup with cognac and plenty of morels. The veal saddle comes with hollandaise, fried potatoes and white asparagus. Dessert is the Bärechöpfli, served since 1914: almond sponge, rum fruits, vanilla cream and whipped cream. The family says it came back from a chef's stint at the tsar's court in St. Petersburg.

A lighter hand too

The kitchen also cooks in a more contemporary register. A boiled beef salad with faint Asian notes appears as an amuse-bouche. Elsewhere on the menu are thin carpaccio with Pommery mustard mayonnaise and Sbrinz crackers, and smoked Canadian wild salmon with two-colour asparagus tips. Perch from Ringgenberg in a millet crust comes with fried potatoes and leaf spinach. The guide also praises the friendly country service and a well-built wine list.