Overlooking the Rhône river within walking distance of the city’s main attractions like Lake Geneva, Jet D’eau and St. Peter’s Cathedral, Geneva’s Mandarin Oriental, Geneva is a 5-star hotel with contemporary Swiss hospitality, offering supreme views of Geneva’s Old Town and the snow-capped mountains. Its 178 rooms and suites are designed with a contemporary and refined style inspired by nature, mountains and water.

The hotel’s outstanding restaurants and bars have always made significant contributions to Geneva’s dining scene and, earlier this year, Mandarin Oriental, Geneva opened its newest signature restaurant, Ottolenghi Geneva, within the hotel.

Inspired by the atmosphere of Ottolenghi’s London-based restaurant ROVI, and designed by Studio Alex Meitlis, the new venue is defined by flavors where grilling and fermentation take center stage. Ottolenghi was founded in 2002 with the opening of a small deli in Notting Hill, London, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. With 11 international best-selling cookbooks, The Guardian and The New York Times columns, a central test kitchen, and a successful online store selling branded goods, Yotam and the Ottolenghi group’s impact on modern cooking is hard to overestimate.

Premier Riverview Room © Mandarin Oriental, Geneva

Maxime Martin is the new restaurant’s head chef, bringing more than seven years of expertise to Mandarin Oriental, Geneva. Since joining the hotel in 2018, Chef Martin has built upon a distinguished culinary career running Michelin-starred kitchens along the Côte d’Azur. Martin also trained in Ottolenghi’s London kitchens. Ottolenghi Geneva offers an all-day menu using fresh, seasonal ingredients and layers of color and texture, a menu designed for sharing with a mixture of small and large plates.

At breakfast, the menu features Ottolenghi classics such as shakshuka with braised eggs and labneh, alongside indulgent treats including a halva and chocolate Danish or banana bread.

The main menu celebrates vegetables from “root to tip,” with a fresh focus on fermentation and cooking over fire. Signature dishes include celeriac shawarma, where celeriac is cooked whole over an open flame until charred, then sliced and served within a homemade pita with Tunisian bkeila, yogurt sauce and crispy onions, with a spicy fermented tomato sauce on the side.

Maxime and the Ottolenghi team also developed a range of dishes unique to Switzerland, such as langos; black garlic butter; sour cream; and locally sourced Chällerhocker, an Alpine cheese. The menu will also give pride of place to fish and meat, with hero dishes such as fish kofta with caraway tomato sauce, while lamb shoulder and chicken are both grilled over live fire in a specially designed clay oven. The lamb is finished with a rose and cardamom crust and served with fennel labneh, while the chicken is paired with coconut milk and tomatillo peanut salad.

© Mandarin Oriental, Geneva

For dessert, dishes include chocolate and tahini fondant served with star anise ice cream, as well as preserved lemon pavlova with lemon curd and mascarpone cream.

Guests can presently choose between two curated set menus: the Ottolenghi menu, which includes a starter, main course, dessert and petit fours; or the “Celebration” menu, which includes an aperitif, starter, main course, dessert and petit fours.

The new Ottolenghi restaurant in Geneva is bathed in natural light from large windows overlooking the Rhône River. It features a rich color palette of whites, reds and gold/bronze accents, reflecting signature elements of ROVI’s design while also offering a striking contrast to the natural wood and fabrics used throughout the restaurant.

A central focal point will be the live-fire grill, both a functional and aesthetic feature, placing the culinary process at the heart of the dining experience. A glass wall provides a seamless visual connection to the heart of the hotel, and is adorned with contemporary gold, bronze and natural wood sculptural accents, inspired by the creativity of the iconic Ottolenghi design creator, the late Ivo Bisignano. In tribute to his legacy, the restaurant showcases murals created by Giles & Cecilie Studio, further enriching the visual experience.