Rathaus Brauerei

Rathaus Brauerei is a brewery restaurant at Unter der Egg 2 in Luzern's Altstadt, Switzerland, beside the Reuss and the town hall. Its defining feature is that the beer is brewed on site in copper kettles in the restaurant itself, following the Bavarian purity law of 1516 and using Pilatus spring water. The wort is sent through a 70 metre underground pipe to the fermentation cellar in the Eisengasse, a closed circuit that was a world first when it was introduced in 1998. This makes the Rathaus Bier the central item on the menu and the reason many visitors stop here. The kitchen serves hearty Swiss pub food, including traditional dishes and sausage specialities prepared after the recipes of Luzern butchers, and a weekly lunch menu gives a lower-priced option for midday. The cuisine is straightforward rather than chef-driven, so there is no Michelin or chef lineage to note; the draw is the combination of house-brewed beer, generous portions and the old-town setting. The dining room has the lively, convivial feel of a brewery tavern, with the copper brewing equipment visible as part of the decor, and noise levels can rise on busy evenings. Prices are in the middle bracket ($$). Walk-ins are common, but groups and weekend evenings should reserve in advance on +41 41 410 61 11 or through rathausbrauerei.ch, since the central riverside position keeps the restaurant busy with both locals and tourists. Opening hours cover lunch and dinner service; visitors should confirm current times by phone or on the website before planning a visit. For beverages, the house beer is the obvious choice, and a sausage plate alongside it is the classic pairing. The restaurant is easy to combine with a walk along the Reuss and across the nearby historic bridges.