Kornhauskeller Bern: Dining in the Vaulted Cellar of the Old Granary

Some restaurants are worth a visit for the food, others for the room. The Kornhauskeller in Bern is one of the few places in Switzerland where the room alone makes you stop at the top of the stairs. You walk down from Kornhausplatz into a huge vaulted cellar under an 18th century granary, with painted ceilings, tall pillars and a gallery bar that looks down onto the dining hall.

In this guide I cover the history of the building, what the restaurant and the gallery bar are like, and practical tips for your visit, including how to combine it with the Kindlifresserbrunnen outside and the autumn light show on Bundesplatz.

I stepped inside on an autumn evening after the light show on Bundesplatz to take the photos for this guide. This article is about the place itself, its history and how to plan a visit, not a food review.

Kornhauskeller Bern at a Glance

• What: a restaurant and gallery bar in the vaulted cellar of Bern’s old granary, the Kornhaus.
• Where: Kornhausplatz in Bern’s Old Town, a few steps from the Zytglogge and the Kindlifresserbrunnen.
• Building: Bernese Baroque granary built in the early 18th century; the cellar was decorated with Art Nouveau paintings in the 1890s.
• Food: Swiss cooking with a Mediterranean touch, run by the Bindella restaurant group.
• Bar: the gallery bar on the upper level, good for a drink before or after dinner.
• Tip: reserve a table for dinner, especially on weekends and in December.

The History of the Kornhaus

The Kornhaus, the granary, was built between 1711 and 1718 from plans by the architect brothers Hans Jakob and Abraham Dünz. It is made of local sandstone and counts as one of the main works of the Bernese High Baroque style. If you stand on Kornhausplatz and look at the arcades and the long facade, you can see how important and wealthy Bern was at that time.

The upper floors stored grain, and the cellar stored wine. Both belonged to the city: grain and wine were collected as taxes and used, among other things, to pay the salaries of city officials. The granary only kept this role for about a century. Later the building was used as a market hall, a museum and a post office, and the cellar became a place for drinking and festivities.

The look you see today comes from the 1890s. Between 1896 and 1898 the cellar was turned into a large festival hall, and the Bernese painter Rudolf Münger decorated the vaults and walls in Art Nouveau style. The paintings show the coats of arms of the Bernese districts, women in traditional costume on the pillars, musicians, folk song lines, flowers and animals. Look up while you eat: there is something new to discover in every arch.

After a long renovation, the cellar reopened as the Kornhauskeller restaurant in December 1998. Today the building above also houses the main city library and the Kornhausforum, a venue for exhibitions and talks. Locals sometimes call the cellar “Chübu” in Bernese dialect.

What the Kornhauskeller Is Like

The first thing you notice is the size. The main hall is a long, high vaulted space with rows of tables, and it can host several hundred guests for banquets. Even when it is full, the high ceiling keeps it from feeling cramped. The light is warm and low, which makes the painted vaults glow in the evening.

The cellar is laid out on two levels. Downstairs is the main dining hall. Upstairs, a gallery runs around the hall, with the bar and a lounge. From the gallery you get the best view over the whole room, which is where the photo above was taken.

The Food

The kitchen serves Swiss dishes with a Mediterranean touch, with Italian and French influences. Expect pasta, risotto, meat and fish dishes, and a long wine list, which fits the Bindella group’s background in Italian wine. The menu changes with the seasons, so check the current one on the restaurant’s website. If you want to know more about Swiss dishes before your trip, read my Swiss food guide.

The Gallery Bar

Even if you do not want a full dinner, the gallery bar is worth a visit. It sits under the painted vaults on the upper level, with a long counter and soft lighting, and the food and wine magazine Falstaff has called it a bar gem. It is a great place for an aperitif before dinner or a nightcap after a walk through the Old Town.

From the bar you can look down into the busy dining hall, which is one of the nicest views in Bern on a cold evening. The bar menu covers wine, gin and other spirits.

Tips for Visiting the Kornhauskeller

• Reserve for dinner. The hall is big, but Friday and Saturday evenings, the Christmas season and the weeks of the Bundesplatz light show are busy. Book online or by phone.
• Check the opening hours. Lunch and dinner service hours can change, and the restaurant may be closed for private events. Check the website before you go.
• Go for a drink first. If you are not sure about dinner, start at the gallery bar and decide there.
• Take your time with the room. Walk around the gallery before you sit down and look at the paintings from above.
• Groups. The Kornhauskeller is popular for company dinners and celebrations, so expect larger groups in December.

Combine It With the Kindlifresserbrunnen and the Light Show

The Kornhauskeller is perfectly placed for an evening in the Old Town. Right outside on Kornhausplatz stands the Kindlifresserbrunnen, the Child Eater Fountain, one of the strangest Renaissance fountains in Switzerland. A few steps south is the Zytglogge clock tower, where the mechanical figures perform just before every full hour.

In autumn, Bern projects the Rendez-vous Bundesplatz light show onto the facade of the Federal Palace every evening for a few weeks. The walk from Bundesplatz to the Kornhauskeller takes only a few minutes, so you can watch the show and then go for dinner, or book a later table and see the show first.

In December, the Old Town also has Christmas markets; my guide to the Swiss Christmas markets has more. For other ideas in the capital, see my Bern guide, and if you are travelling further, my seven day Switzerland itinerary and my list of the best restaurants in Solothurn, my hometown, an easy train ride from Bern.

Kornhauskeller Bern FAQ

Final Thoughts

The Kornhauskeller is one of those places where history and a night out come together. Go down the stairs, look up at the painted vaults, have a drink on the gallery and then step outside to say hello to the child eater on Kornhausplatz. It is one of the most memorable rooms in Bern.