Fodor's Expert Review Berggastaus Aescher-Wildkirchli

Editor's Note: This location is no longer in operation.

Accessible only by cable car and then a short 20-minute hike, the Berggastaus Aescher-Wildkirchli sits at the top of the Appenzeller Alps and treats you to sweeping views of the cool green valley below. This restaurant, built in 1805 and run by Beny and Claudia Knechtle-Wyss, is in a charming wooden house built dramatically into a rocky cliff. The cozy and quiet restaurant is filled with wooden benches, each with excellent views, while a sunny terrace is a great place to stop for summer lunch and gobble down some savory local dishes, like cervat (a sliced local sausage) and Appenzeller cheese salads. The wood theme continues into the recently renovated rooms, which are paneled with honey-colored oak and furnished with comfy duvet-topped beds that offer up some of Switzerland's best views.