Stocker’s Degusta
Located in the center of town, this cozy chalet-style restaurant gets a Michelin ”Bib Gourmand” designation for ”good food at moderate prices.” A meal of salad, entreé and dessert will start at about $35.

Owner/chef Leo Stocker, who once toiled in the kitchens of the Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau’s Restaurant La Terrasse, lightens and brightens traditional Swiss dishes.

The farm house interior has a refined rustic charm.
Contact: Stocker’s Degusta, 3 Centralstr., CH-3800, Interlaken, tel. +41/033/822 00 29, fax 822 00 29
Rating: Quality 14/20 Value 12/20

Restaurant Rustica
The menu at the Hotel Bären’s Restaurant Rustica in Wilderswil makes four points about the roasted chicken: it’s from the neighborhood, delivered fresh, has never had animal feed, and should be eaten with the fingers. Any concern about etiquette disappears when the server returns with a finger bowl and outfits you in a cloth bib.

This is an upbeat and informal dining spot in a 300-year-old building with plenty of old wood and character. The resident-to-tourist ratio is high, and the prices are quite moderate; main dishes average around CHF 20 with several choices under CHF 15. For those who prefer knives and forks, trout, lamb and a half-score of Rösti options stand at the ready.
Contact: Restaurant Rustica at Hotel Bären, CH-3812 Wilderswil, tel. +41/ 033/828 3151, fax: 828 3152, info@baeren.ch,  www.baeren.ch.
Rating: Quality 12/20, Value 15/20

Ristorante Arcobaleno
Owners Giacomo Verardo and Giuseppe Fanciullo serve up traditional Italian food in an atmospheric setting in Interlaken’s Unterseen neighborhood. Entrées are priced between CHF 20-38 with most falling toward the lower end.

Popular menu choices include a seafood risotto, time-honored Saltimbocca, penne pasta with salmon, and whisky-flamed jumbo shrimp with hot peppers and tomatoes served over risotto.
Contact: Ristorante Arcobaleno, Hauptstrasse 18, CH-1800 Unterseen, tel. +41/033/823 1243
Rating: Quality 13/20 Value 14/20

Restaurant Pizzeria Da Rafmi
While most area restaurants have Swiss country settings, Pizzeria Da Rafmi goes south of the border for a distinctly Italian feel with a splash of art deco added in.

During one evening visit last December virtually every customer in the restaurant was Italian (or Italian Swiss) and/or known to the servers. Despite a full house, service was quick. The bread was warm, fresh and dense, and the salads colorful, cool and creative.

In a simple risotto mari et monti (sea and mountains), the rice was cooked to a just-right al dente with plenty of baby shrimp and firm mushrooms. Other entrées - such as veal scallopini, gnocchi with tomatoes and gorgonzola, and grilled salmon - range in price from CHF 22-34 with an average around CHF 27.
Contact: Restaurant Pizzeria Da Rafmi (Weisses Kreuz), Höheweg, CH-3800 Interlaken, tel./fax: +41/033/822 5383
Rating: Quality 14/20, Value 15/20

Il Giardino
Try this Italian restaurant for its fondue chinoise a discretion, an all-you-can-eat broth fondue with a variety of meats and vegetables and an attractive salad and fruit bar. The fondue special is Thursday through Saturday evenings and costs CHF 33 per person.
Contact: Il Giardino, Hotel Interlaken, Höheweg 74, CH-3800 Interlaken, tel.: +41 033 826 6868, fax: +41 033 826 6869,  Interlaken@bluewin.ch,  www.interlakenhotel.ch..
Rating: Quality 12/20, Value 14/20