If Lucha Libre was a love letter written on the road (loud, colourful, a little chaotic in the best possible way) then Casa Nour feels like what happens when you come home, unpack your bags, and cook the food that shaped you.
The team behind one of Lausanne’s most spirited Latin American tables is back, but this time they’re looking inward rather than outward. After years of drawing inspiration from travels and far-flung flavours, Casa Nour marks a return to origins: the Mediterranean, shaped by three friends — one Lebanese, one Italian, one French — and a shared desire to create something more grounded, more refined, but still deeply generous.
That evolution is clear the moment you step inside. Where Lucha Libre thrived on joyful chaos with clinking glasses, loud conversations, music pushing the evening along, Casa Nour is calmer and more intentional. The space is minimalist without feeling cold, pared back but carefully considered, with small details that reward attention rather than demand it. It’s a room designed for conversation, for lingering, for letting the meal unfold at its own pace.
We stopped by for lunch and were immediately struck by the warmth of the service: kind, familiar, genuinely attentive. The sort of hospitality that makes you relax into your chair and trust what’s coming next.
The meal opened with the kebbecini (must-try), a crisp, arancini-style shell filled with a kebbé-inspired mixture, set on tomato sauce and finished with a yoghurt-mint note. The contrast between crunch and softness was precise, the flavours confident without feeling overworked: a quiet indication of the kitchen’s approach.
The lamb confit followed, slow-cooked until it yielded easily to the fork. Served with fragrant Lebanese rice and a gently spiced sauce, it was rich but measured. An extra jus arrived alongside, inviting you to adjust the dish to taste, spooning the lamb over rice flecked with toasted almonds and pistachios. Everything felt composed, each element clearly considered.
Alongside it, the Casa Nour paccheri brought an Italian accent to the table: al dente pasta coated in a slow-cooked beef cheek ragù, deep in flavour and restrained in execution. It was comforting without excess, and emblematic of the restaurant’s broader sensibility -- rooted in tradition, guided by precision.
What stands out most at Casa Nour is the sense of intention. The shift from Lucha Libre isn’t about tempering ambition; it’s about focus. Where the earlier restaurant embraced exuberance and movement, Casa Nour favours clarity and pace. The room is quieter, the plates more refined, but the underlying generosity -- of flavour, of hospitality, of spirit -- remains intact.
Casa Nour feels less like a departure than a homecoming. A restaurant shaped by experience and confidence, where Mediterranean roots are explored with care, restraint, and an easy familiarity. A next chapter that feels settled, assured, and very much at ease in Lausanne.
TLG tip: Finish with a Kahweh Baida (Café Blanc), a traditional Lebanese infusion of hot water and orange blossom, naturally caffeine-free and often enjoyed at the end of a meal to help with digestion.
Casa Nour
Place de l'Ours 1, 1005 Lausanne
021 217 61 49
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