Where to eat MONGOLIA 🇲🇳 Liebefeld: Dschingis Mongolian Barbecue

Dschingis Mongolian Barbecue

Könizbergstrasse 1, Liebefeld

Published March 4, 2025 · by Amanda Rivkin Häsler

What we ordered: For two people, all you can eat from the barbecue/stir-fry buffet and to drink, a bottle of Chinggis Mongolian beer and one Brooklyn lemonade from the soda machine.

Cost: 120 CHF / €128 / $135

For once, we found a spot that was more of a cultural experience within Switzerland than a transnational one. We took a mobility car, a car-sharing form of transportation for short distances within Switzerland, and parked in the underground garage beneath the restaurant. Already this felt a bit like a journey to a suburban any place. 

When we entered the building, immediately the smell of soy, sesame and the smokiness of a barbecue, Asian-style, was in the air. We went upstairs and were greeted first by a measuring stick with Genghis Khan’s image for children to measure themselves as it stopped at 1.5 meters. The signal was clear: this place was a family affair.

The hostess seated us beside one larger group in an open yurt-like structure and another yurt that seemed to have multiple different tables within it. While we were not in a yurt, the walls were adorned with traditional-looking drawings of Mongol warriors.

Our server came and explained the procedure. There was “Brooklyn lemonade” which was a soda fountain with many possibilities to mix flavors and make what you wish to drink from it in a jar with a handle and a straw. There was also the possibility to order drinks, including the one Mongolian beer on the menu, named Chinggis for the warrior, naturally.

Then there was the main attraction, the barbecue. We understood the concept of “all you can eat” – I am American, after all – but not exactly the full procedure. After drinks arrived, we decided to give it a go and immediately felt the vibes of being in a resort somewhere in Asia with far too many Germans and not nearly enough locals.

Our first round was a kind of disaster, given we barely understood the procedure. Georg took multiple kinds of meats including lamb, horse and beef, whereas I combined lamb and calamari on a plate. All of it is frozen as it might be for Chinese-style hot-pot or what the Swiss call “fondue chinoise”. Then you add your “marinade,” really just a sauce from about a dozen open jars with small ladles over the meat and proceed to the grill.

This was where the resort vibes and the real spectacles of the night came to a head. Two chefs over an open griddle then took the plates, portion it off and fry it as you watch—as they do the same for the multiple other people who are waiting for their food. And in the meantime, you get to watch the people.

The customers for such fare were largely Swiss and blue collar from the suburbs of Bern and the immigrant class, out with their families. In this way, it was a bit like venturing into red state America, with the not quite urban nor quite rural fashion choices of the ex-urbs, the tattoos and facial piercings of individuals trying to distinguish themselves in places where there is not much distinct about the landscape. 

It was a bit of a treat in its own way, to be honest. It was my first foray into this side of Switzerland, beyond the cities, not this bucolic countryside catering to wealthy foreign tourists, nor the places along the major rail lines, but the places in between, where you find, in the infamous words of the current occupant of the White House, the people who live there.

After our first round, where we clearly did not take enough nor arrange it as it should be, we went back and realized the buffet of vegetables on the other side of the table as the various sauces was in fact meant to accompany the meat. Some of the possible choices as accompaniments to the meats there were interesting and definitely not Mongol, such as falafel, feta cheese and pineapple — clearly catering more to local than traditional Mongolian tastes.

Having piled my plate high with noodles, vegetables and lamb and baby squids, topped it with sesame, garlic oil and a bit of soy, I headed back to the griddle and handed my plate over and settled into a few more minutes of people-watching while we waited. Georg was moments ahead of me and had made sure to include pineapple in his round this time. On the people watching side, we were particularly keen viewing one mother and daughter pair in sweaters with large stars, the mother wore hers over a large pink tunic with stars to match and the daughter had multiple lip piercings.

In a few minutes our food was done and it was time to eat. It was clear this would be our last and final plate. We maybe took a bit too much but not so much that we were overeating. While the food was fine and the vegetable accompaniments certainly fresh, the buffet table clean, it was just not anything special that we could not do in a wok at home, likely with better meats. It was also pricey for what it was, given how much we actually ate.

As an experience into the Swiss suburban hinterlands, it was a total treat and a real experience for an outsider. In many ways, the diversity, the dress, the attitude and the social class made me feel a bit like I was in my own country somewhere, say Ohio or Wisconsin. As far as dining options though in the vicinity of Bern or even in our own neighborhood, there are likely better ways to spend the time and money and spare the commute.

How to get to Mongolia from Switzerland:

Given that it is not a frequently travelled route, there really is only one way to go from Zürich, which is with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul where a connection to Ulaanbaatar is possible on MIAT Mongolian Airlines. The layover time can range from four and a half to nearly 20 hours and consequently impacts the total amount of travel time. From Geneva, it is the same story but with average layover times of around 20 hours.

How many Mongolians are in Switzerland: More than 1,200

Distance between Bern and Ulaanbaatar: 8,837 km

Distance from the restaurant to the country capital: 8,839 km

Learn how to make Mongolia's national dish, buuz, and about its origins.

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