Where to eat MOROCCO 🇲🇦 Lucerne: Barbès

Barbès

Winkelriedstrasse 62, Lucerne

Published April 15, 2025 · by Amanda Rivkin Häsler

What we ordered: For two people, one lamb tagine and one couscous royale. To drink, a glass of Lebanese chardonnay, a Moroccan tea, and a half-liter bottle of sparkling mineral water.

Cost:  92 CHF / €98 / $112

As a late-evening spot, Barbès is perfection. Quiet, unassuming with touches of Morocco in the décor, Barbès is everything you need if you plan to dine after 9pm in Lucerne near the train station. That was our mission the night we went due to prior commitments nearby, and we succeeded in what we set out to accomplish. 

We ordered the most typical dishes one can in a Moroccan restaurant, the lamb tagine and the couscous royale. This is where the battleground of Moroccan cuisine is fought. Both have essential ingredients and the tagine ceramicware to work with. Variations abound in the terrain where ingredient amounts are also about feelings and what feels right. 

We were very satisfied with the outcome. Portion sizes were perfect and couscous as it should be was cooked in the vapor of the steaming meat and vegetables. The two major surprises were pumpkin, a seasonal touch, and the deliciousness of the merguez. The pumpkin was not too tender but oh, the meats were, which included lamb as well. The lamb tagine was the sweet kind of savory, brought to softness and natural sugariness by carrots and apricots, combined with the lamb and a side of bread….

The one décor touch worth noting is that the bathroom was fancier in many ways than the dining hall, the classic overdone Tetouan blue and gold ornamental lighting. In Switzerland, even in fancy establishments, the bathrooms are never too dressed up—or more so than the dining room, except the occasional oddity—one remembers an Austrian-Portuguese restaurant in Bern’s old city set in a medieval building.

We would happily return to Barbès given the right match of price point, portion size and savory food. The service was also friendly and attentive with little wait time. The wine menu includes options from Lebanon and tea is served in a semi-traditional manner, though the elaborate pour is ultimately left to the customer rather than part of the show of the presentation. 

How to get to Morocco from Switzerland:

It is a full 24-hour drive from the Swiss capital Bern to the Moroccan capital Rabat through France and Spain before crossing by ferry at Gibraltar into Morocco and driving down along the Western coast to the capital.

By rail there are no effective options.

There are no nonstop flights from Zürich to Casablanca, though Air France and Iberia offer the most direct options at the best prices with layovers in either Paris or Madrid. There is also an option with Lufthansa and Royal Air Maroc via Frankfurt.

From Geneva, there are direct flights on Air Arabia Maroc and Royal Air Maroc, with flight times averaging around three hours. Additional routing options are available with Air France, Iberia and Tap Air Portugal with layovers in Paris, Madrid and Lisbon. Total flight times with layover average around five and a half hours to just over nine hours.

How many Moroccans are in Switzerland: More than 8,500

Distance between Bern and Rabat: 2,338 km

Distance from Barbès to Rabat: 2,443 km

Learn how to make Morocco's national dish, lamb tagine, and about its origins.

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