There’s a new table at Beaulieu that feels both quietly nostalgic and distinctly current. Le Comptoir de Beaulieu, housed inside the historic Palais de Beaulieu, isn’t just another brasserie opening in Lausanne. It’s a continuation of what this place has always done best: bringing people together around good things, made well.
The name is intentional. For decades, Comptoir Suisse was hosted here, drawing visitors from across the country to eat, drink, discover, and connect. Producers, artisans, farmers and winemakers gathered under one roof, creating a shared celebration of Swiss know-how. The fair may be gone (its last edition was in 2018), but its spirit still lingers. Le Comptoir carries it forward, this time through a restaurant.
In the kitchen, chef Benjamin Le Maguet brings a background shaped by esteemed kitchens, and it shows. The food is generous and comforting at heart, sharpened by precision and restraint. It’s a reminder that while you can take the chef out of fine dining, you can’t take the finesse out of the chef.
The concept is refreshingly clear: 100% Swiss products, across every dish. What’s striking is just how elevated the plates look. So much so that you briefly forget you’re sitting in a brasserie at all. The cooking leans confident and expressive, with a visual language that wouldn’t feel out of place in a more formal dining room.
And yet, the atmosphere never tightens. Prices remain approachable, service stays warm and unfussy, and the room hums in a way that invites you to relax into it. This is where Chef Le Maguet's idea of democratising gastronomy really lands: not by dialing back technique or ambition, but by placing it in a setting that feels familiar, generous, and open to everyone.
That balance came through over the course of the meal. A pressé of veal with parsnip roots and tarragon mustard arrived rich and meticulously composed. A beef tartare, lifted with trout roe and herbs, felt precise and deliberate. An open 'ravioli' layered with salted whey, gremolata and crayfish bisque showed just how theatrical flavour can be, without ever tipping into excess.
Vegetables were treated with the same care as the meat and never felt secondary. Every dish spoke the same language: local product first, technique second, ego nowhere in sight.
Dessert followed suit. Light, delicate and restrained, they avoided overt sweetness in favour of balance. We ordered all three, but one standout paired apple with celery, blurring the line between sweet and savoury in a way that felt refreshing and quietly clever. At CHF 10 each, desserts felt less like an indulgence and more like an invitation to linger.
Part of what makes Le Comptoir feel so cohesive is that it isn’t driven by the kitchen alone. The broader vision comes together thanks to Jasmine Gfeller-Holland, the creative force behind the concept and a key figure in Beaulieu’s wider gastronomic transformation. Her influence is felt in how naturally the restaurant fits into this historic site, not as a standalone project but as part of a larger ecosystem connecting food, culture and community.
Small details reinforce that sense of place, like the menu written in patois vaudois, the traditional regional language of the canton. Earthy, poetic and deeply local. The kind of language that reminds you this food comes from fields and villages, not Paris salons. Expect a moment or two of squinting at the menu before ordering. It’s worth it.
Le Comptoir succeeds because it knows exactly what it wants to be. It doesn’t try to impress loudly. Instead, it builds trust through sourcing, technique and a genuine respect for Swiss culinary heritage. It’s the kind of place that works just as well for a weekday lunch as it does for a special evening out.
In a city increasingly good at opening restaurants, this one stands out for its sense of continuity. A brasserie that looks forward while honouring what Beaulieu has always represented.
We’ll be back. And not just for special occasions.
Le Comptoir de Beaulieu
Avenue Bergières 10
1004 Lausanne
021 646 19 90
info@lecomptoirdebeaulieu.ch
