Magdalena

In Rickenbach, where hills smoothly turn into clouds and restaurant windows into paintings, is this place. There are no snow-white tablecloths, silver candelabras or pathos here.

Instead, there’s a pine tree, light falling softly like a napkin, and food you don’t want to eat – you want to look at it, smell it, talk about it like a first love.

Philosophy: roh, rau, regional.

“Raw. Rough. Regional.” With these three words, Dominik Gartman describes not just a cuisine, but an approach to the world. He’s 34, but behind him is an apprenticeship with Andreas Caminada, one star at age 29, and his own cult following.

He doesn’t use meat. Not because it’s trendy. It’s because the focus is on the essence. On carrots that have gone through three kinds of fermentation. Beets that taste like tartare. Mushrooms that sound like a violin.

Menu: gastronomy that is not convenient to photograph

Magdalena does not give you a menu. It comes gradually – in sets of 5 or 7 courses.

5 courses – 155€

7 courses – 185€

Each dish is a small ecosystem that you don’t want to disturb with a fork. For example:

The restaurant also impresses with its incredibly beautiful desserts, for example:

Wine list: a lively dialog with the sommelier

Greta Burzivoda, a sommelier with the charisma of a chemist and poet, doesn’t just pour – she tells stories.

The wines here are mostly natural, from small Swiss, German and Austrian estates. For example:

Alcoholic pairing – +115 €

Non-alcoholic pairing – +75 €

(fermented drinks, decoctions, shades of mushrooms, rose hips, rhubarb)

Service: like introvert friends

The staff smiles effortlessly. They don’t “serve” – it’s like they’re leading you down a narrow path through a forest of flavors. They explain the dishes as if they were reciting poetry. If you ask for a second slice of bread, they bring you a third.

Interior: clean and calm without being “Instagrammable”

Light-colored panels, concrete floor, large windows with a view of the Alps. No unnecessary details. Nothing distracts you. Even you stop disturbing yourself.

Bakery & Café Magdalena: a morning version of magic

From 8:00 to 11:30, there is a small café with in-house baked goods.

Croissants with local butter – 4€

Sourdough bread – 7€/loaf

Filter coffee with roasts from Zurich – 5€

Verdict: a restaurant that leaves a week-long aftertaste

Magdalena is not about the food. It’s about silence, earth, mindfulness. There is no such thing as “just delicious” here. It is deep, strange, strong.

Information:

Address: Rickenbachstrasse 127, 6432 Rickenbach, Schweiz | Phone: +41 41 810 06 06 06 06 | Website: restaurant-magdalena.ch