A beacon of service, a shadow in the kitchen

A breathtaking view over the sparkling Lake Lucerne, highly professional service and a wine list to warm the heart – the Scala restaurant at the Art Deco Hotel Montana has all the ingredients for an unforgettable evening. Yet, while the backdrop and the front-of-house team shine, I found the kitchen during my visit to be, sadly, the weakest link in the chain. In the end, one is left with very mixed feelings about what is otherwise a prachtig excursion.

Location & History

The Scala restaurant sits in a spectacular hillside position on Adligenswilerstrasse in Luzern's Halden district. It forms the culinary heart of the renowned Art Deco Hotel Montana, which opened in 1910 and is considered one of the city's last great palace hotels. A historic, electric funicular railway whisks you from the lakeside promenade up to the hotel in just 60 seconds, lending the visit a touch of nostalgia and exclusivity right from the start.

The Chef

Since January 2007, Dutch-born Johan Breedijk has steered the culinary fortunes at the Scala restaurant. After training in a Michelin-starred establishment in his homeland, he spent 15 years in Ticino, where he quickly made a name for himself before settling in Luzern. His cuisine is classically described as creative and Mediterranean-inspired, always attempting to bring influences from Ticino and Southern Europe to the plate. The business magazine Bilanz even named him Hotel Chef of the Year 2026 – nou nou, expectations are naturally sky-high.

Ambience

The ambience is simply dreamlike, especially if you are lucky enough to snag a table on the terrace. The view over the lake and the rooftops of Luzern is spectacular, instantly creating a wonderfully relaxed, vibrant atmosphere. The crowd is a colourful mix, giving the whole place a pleasantly unpretentious dynamic. It is truly a place to linger, where you immediately feel gezellig and welcome.

Service

The service was the absolute highlight of the evening for me, brilliantly cushioning the shortcomings of the kitchen. An exceptionally attentive gentleman on the service team shone with charm and spontaneously suggested a wonderful table change. Our waitress Brigitte also did a fantastic job; she handled our honest feedback about the food with high professionalism and charm, which was certainly no easy task. Sadly, the service crew is let down by the kitchen here – if the plates had exuded even half as much esprit as the team in the dining room, it would have been a perfect evening.

Food & Wine

Let us move on to the wine, which happily brought much joy: the sommelier did an outstanding job, and the Castello Banfi we chose was simply phenomenal. The food, however, was a bitter disappointment. The ceviche was shockingly lacking in acidity and depth – perfectly safe from a food hygiene perspective, of course, but simply flat and devoid of any dimension in terms of flavour. The risotto with scallops was presented carelessly, mushy and completely under-seasoned, while the scallops lacked any sear whatsoever. The sea bass was also a disappointment: a naturally wonderfully fatty fish, but served here dry, almost chalky and completely inadequately seasoned. On the subsequent cheese plate, we also spotted minor blemishes, which the service team explained well after a brief mention.

Guides & Press — My View

Gault&Millau consistently rates the Scala restaurant with a proud 15 points, and Falstaff awards a generous 91 points. I must be completely honest: after my experience, I cannot, for the life of me, understand these high ratings. The press occasionally points out that chef Breedijk tends to put too many components on the plate, overloading the dishes. I completely agree – there was simply far too much going on with the risotto, which, however, could not distract from the poorly executed preparation. Here, the aspirations of the guides and the reality on the plate are worlds apart.

Verdict

The Scala restaurant is a wonderful place for an excellent glass of wine, supported by first-class service and a priceless view. However, anyone looking for a culinary highlight will currently be disappointed. We can only hope that the kitchen soon returns to its former glory or undergoes a much-needed reset to do justice once again to the superb service and the prachtvoll location.