A Warm Welcome to Verbena by Christian Scharrer
Waldhotel by BürgenstockHôtelAvec vue🏰 Fait partie de Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne
Assiette
3.0
Service
4.0
Cadre
5.0
4.7
468 avis
Coups de cœur
- ✦Location
- ✦Part of the resort
- ✦Fabulous rooms
- ✦Dog friendly
- ✦Many things for the dog
- ✦New wellness area
- ✦Friendly staff and good service
- ✦Head of the wellness area super friendly
- ✦Enjoyed the hotel restaurant!
Déceptions
- ▾Slow check-in
- ▾Lukewarm poached eggs
- ▾A la carte breakfast is weak
- ▾Wellness area gets crowded quickly
Location & History
The Verbena restaurant is located in the Waldhotel by Bürgenstock in Obbürgen, which perches on the Bürgenberg as part of the legendary Bürgenstock Resort. Opened in December 2017, the hotel building was designed by star Italian architect Matteo Thun and is distinguished by its sustainable, terraced architecture. The location offers guests spectacular views of the Swiss Alps, beautifully combining exclusive dining with a modern medical wellness concept.
The Waldhotel was designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun and officially opened in December 2017.
It is the world's largest gabion building, featuring a facade crafted from stone baskets filled with local excavated material.
The in-house restaurant is called Verbena and was relaunched in March 2026 under the leadership of Christian Scharrer.
The nine-story building is built in a terraced design into the southern slope of the Bürgenberg.
The Waldhotel functions as a medical center of excellence and a modern take on a health resort, complete with integrated rehabilitation.
Its location on the Bürgenberg offers sweeping views of the Alpine landscape, sitting around 500 meters above Lake Lucerne.
The Head Chef
Christian Scharrer
Christian Scharrer has been running the kitchen at the Waldhotel in the Bürgenstock Resort since November 2025, where he launched the new restaurant concept "Verbena by Christian Scharrer" in March 2026. His "Home Kitchen" style there combines emotional feel-good dishes with the technical precision of haute cuisine, deliberately steering clear of rigid, star-chasing theatrics. His signature dishes at the Waldhotel include Baden-style veal maultaschen in lovage broth, and rösti with smoked salmon and caviar.
He completed his training at the Hotel Schwanen in Waldshut (1985-1988), followed by formative career stops with mentors Jörg Müller on Sylt and as sous-chef under Harald Wohlfahrt at the Schwarzwaldstube.
He earned his first Michelin star as head chef at the Gut Faistenberg restaurant in Beuerberg (2000-2002).
He was named "Chef of the Year" by Gault&Millau (2005) during his time as culinary director at the Imperial restaurant in the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe.
He went on to earn two Michelin stars at both the Buddenbrooks restaurant in Travemünde (from 2011) and the Courtier restaurant at the Weissenhaus Resort on the Baltic Sea (from 2017).
He moved to the Bürgenstock Resort in November 2025 to lead the culinary direction of the Waldhotel (including the Verbena restaurant, Verbena Bar, and Cooking Lab).
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Ce que j'ai lu dans la presse et en ligne sur cette adresse avant et après ma visite — résumé ici en quelques mots pour t'aider à situer mes impressions.
The Good
- ✦Das Restaurant Verbena im Waldhotel wurde von GaultMillau mit 14 Punkten ausgezeichnet, wobei die gesundheitsbewusste "Waldhotel Colour Cuisine" von Küchenchef Martin Stein gelobt wurde, die zeigt, dass Genuss und gesundheitliche Vorteile sich nicht ausschliessen.
- ✦GaultMillau lobte das Pop-up-Konzept "Seven Kitchens" im Verbena unter Küchenchef Stephan Förster, das authentische Weltküche zu sehr vernünftigen Preisen anbietet, darunter eine hervorragende persische Nudelsuppe und ein grünes Thai-Curry.
- ✦Das kulinarische Angebot im Verbena glänzt laut GaultMillau mit feinen Details wie dem Brot vom Eigenbrötler Dani Amrein, Butter vom Nachbar Seppi Bircher und einem samtigen Geflügelleber-Parfait mit hausgemachter Brioche.
The Bad
- ▾Die Umsetzung des weltweiten kulinarischen Konzepts im Verbena bedeutete einen extremen Stress-Test für den Küchenchef, der sich plötzlich in hochkomplizierte, ihm fremde Länderküchen wie die persische einarbeiten musste.
C'était où ?
Resort Lake Lucerne, Bürgenstock 30, 6363 Obbürgen, Switzerland