This London Member’s Bar is Popping Up in Gstaad for 10 Days Only

The Reservation: Harry’s Bar is opening at The Alpina Gstaad hotel this month. 

Gstaad’s ski season might be in full swing, but one of the Swiss resort’s new apres highlights is yet to even open: from February 10-20, London hotspot Harry’s Bar will be popping up inside The Alpina Gstaad hotel.

Harry’s Bar first opened in 1979 by Mark Birley — and was taken over by London hospitality tycoon Richard Caring in 2007 — and has retained its status as one of the city’s most refined dining rooms since. Birley pinched its name from the world-regarded Venetian institution of the same name, and despite nearly 40 years in action, still retains its Italophile character. Venetian chandeliers hang from the ceiling, maximalist Fortuny fabrics cover virtually every surface, and drinks are served in specialist Murano glassware.

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This appreciation for Italy is being transferred to the Gstaad outpost, with a menu of regional northern Italian classics, intended to be shared. There’s the signature beef carpaccio (a dish first created in Harry’s Bar’s namesake restaurant), Genovese-style beef ragù, veal cutlets, and, to finish, the classic Harry’s Bar tiramisu. 

But, while the pop-up’s dishes nod toward Italian grandeur, the interior style leans more toward Alpina Gstaad’s own minimalist identity. Temporarily taking over the hotel’s Martin Göschel restaurant, the setting is pared back and cool, with crisp white linens, exposed woodwork, and a vast stone centerpiece — a quiet contrast to the London bar’s more lavish look.

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Another core difference between the original Harry’s Bar and the Swiss pop-up? The entry requirements. While the London iteration is famously exclusive, with access granted strictly to members (and their guests) only, the Gstaad version is open for lunch and dinner to anyone. Making an advance reservation is highly recommended though, and don’t forget your smart slacks and shoes – the Harry’s Bar dress code has been transported to the Alps, too.

Harry’s Bar’s trip over to Switzerland marks but the latest confirmation that a ski destination’s cultural currency is no longer just in the quality of its powder. Fresh blankets of snow still matter, of course, but so too does what happens off the slopes, and just as much attention is being paid to extra curricular activities — from the standard of restaurants (and their visiting chefs) to art scenes.