16 Best Restaurants For Fondue In The US

While fondue is usually categorized as a Swiss delicacy, this, like many food origin stories, is only partially true. As BBC Travel notes, the national dish of Switzerland is cheese fondue, but anyone who's ever eaten a three-course fondue meal knows that there are several other types. The meat variety, aka fondue bourguignon, may have been created by medieval French vineyard workers cooking their lunch out in the field, although "The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink" suggests that it didn't really catch on until it was recreated for the 20th-century palate by a chef at a New York restaurant in the 1950s. That same chef, Konrad Egli, has also been credited with creating the chocolate version a decade later.

By the 1970s, America was crazy for the dish — it was that decade's trendy-but-spendy charcuterie board, if you will. Fondue parties were all the rage, and fondue restaurants were also popular. One of these was the Melting Pot, which opened its first location in 1975 and is now a nationwide chain. Half a century later, Melting Pot may well be the last of modern-day fondue chains. There are, however, still some stand-alone restaurants that do serve the delicacy. Some establishments on this list may have just a fondue or two on the appetizer menu, while others specialize in the dish and offer a complete multi-course experience. Should you be planning a Grand Tour de Fondue, though, each one is worth a visit. (Also, can we come, too?)

Swiss-style fondue is a typical après-ski meal, so it's no surprise to find it served at a ski resort restaurant such as Aspen's Cloud Nine. However, what may come as somewhat of a surprise to anyone expecting a cozy fireside meal is the rather rowdy clientele that the alpine bistro attracts. This ski-in establishment has two daily "seatings" at noon and 2 p.m. However, according to a Vogue profile, there's very little sitting going on because everyone's too busy engaging in all manner of drunken (and possibly naked) revelry.

The restaurant's fondue is available as part of "The Cloud Nine Experience" prix fixe menu item at $55 per person with a two-person minimum. It's made with gruyere and accompanied by apples, bread, pickled vegetables, and chorizo (we presume they mean the harder Spanish-style sausage rather than the looser Mexican one). You can also get what the menu calls a "truffle supplement," with white truffles costing $55 and black a mere $25. It comes with soup or salad, but for dessert, you can get apple strudel for an additional $6 (50% off the a la carte price). 

One Trip Advisor reviewer calls the fondue "delicious and so enjoyable." Another says that "The best part of the menu is the fondu[e] dishes," although they add a disclaimer: "... unfortunately the table next to us was a little rambunctious and started the champagne spraying a little early," something that (literally) put a damper on things.

Chicago's Fondue Stube harks back to the dish's European roots and also to Chicago's own German heritage – "stube" is a German word that literally translates to "room" but usually means a pub or tavern. The menu at Fondue Stube isn't quite as extensive as some establishments, as they offer just four different cheese fondues: Swiss, muenster, cheddar, and cream cheese lox (this last one comes with bagel dippers). The restaurant's entrée fondues offer a choice of beef, chicken, scallops, tilapia, shrimp, mixed seafood, and vegetables, which are cooked in soybean oil.

The establishment also offers several combo meals: the Sinfonia Eroica ($36.50 per person) includes Swiss cheese, sirloin, and chocolate fudge fondue; the Classic ($42.50) allows for a choice of cheese, meat, and chocolate fondues; and the Romeo and Juliet ($71.95 for two) includes beef, chicken, shrimp, scallops, tilapia, and vegetables along with a choice of chocolate fondue. (Is cheese fondue not considered romantic?) There's even a kids' menu with cheese, beef, or chicken fondues, plus a dessert option. However, the restaurant's main attraction may be its all-you-can-eat fondue deal. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, $32.95 gets you unlimited chicken, fish, and scallops, while on Wednesdays and Fridays, you can fill up on beef for $31. 

On Trip Advisor, Fondue Stube rates 4.5 stars, with positive reviews including "Great Fondue!!" and "Plentiful and delicious and so much fun!"

At Kashkaval Garden, you'll get a truly one-of-a-kind, only-in-New-York fondue experience: fondue made with Bulgarian sheep's milk cheese. The restaurant takes its name from this particular type of cheese, so it's only to be expected that it would use kashkaval in one of its signature dishes. However, the restaurant offers three other types of fondue on its eclectic Mediterranean menu: There's a classic version with gruyere and raclette cheeses, one with gruyere and truffle oil, and one made with cheddar, cider, and caramelized onions. They are available at $21 per person and come with a baguette.

If a single baguette doesn't suffice for dipping purposes, though, you can add another one for $3 or upgrade to roasted potatoes for $6, add assorted fruits and vegetables for $7, or choose a variety of sausages (kielbasa, loukaniko, and soujouk) for $12. Where things get really interesting, however, is with the mix-ins that are also available on an a la carte basis. These are priced at $9 for four items and range from bacon crumbles to Egyptian spice dukkah and white chocolate. 

Overall, Kashkaval Garden rates 4.5 on Trip Advisor, but several reviewers have singled out the fondue, calling it "fun," "fabulous," and "impressive." No one, however, has answered one burning question: how does white chocolate pair with sheep's milk cheese?

The Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant is the second Colorado establishment on our list (although the state can also boast a haunted Melting Pot), but unlike Cloud Nine, it's not connected to a ski resort. Instead, it's located in Manitou Springs, home of the famous fruitcake toss. In addition to fondue, the establishment also features a basement wine bar that offers an intriguing selection of local wines (via Colorado Springs Indy).

If you come for the fondue, the best deal is the four-course meal at $57 per person. It begins with a choice of far-from-generic salads (there's a $3 upcharge for the seasonal offering) and proceeds to the Swiss staple. The basic options here are Swiss-style, cheddar, and strawberry salsa-spiked southwestern, while specialties such as Greek, brie, and vegan cheese cost $4 more. Entrée-wise, the deal covers either a vegetarian option or one that includes steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon, and bratwurst. For $10 more, you can upgrade to an all-seafood option with lobster and scallops or a wild game variety with trout, buffalo, elk, duck, and game sausage. The meal is capped off with a dessert fondue in your choice of milk, white, or dark chocolate, while liqueurs or specialty desserts like flaming turtle fondue bump the price by $3. 

While The Mona Lisa can be pricey, especially with add-ons, it does offer Groupons now and then. Groupon users are apparently well-satisfied with those deals, as they've rated the restaurant 4.7 stars.

Simply Fondue, as the name implies, is a restaurant that's all about the Swiss dish. In fact, the only standard items on the menu are a selection of salads ($11 apiece), cocktails, wine, and beer. (Presumably, it also offers non-alcoholic beverages, but the restaurant doesn't list these on the menu.) If you want a lighter meal, you can opt for an a la carte cheese fondue priced at $13 per person and choose between whiskey cheddar, pepper jack, smoked gouda, French onion Swiss, or the special of the month.

If you want an entrée fondue, though, they come as part of a prix fixe deal that also includes salad and cheese fondue, plus a dessert fondue that would be $14 a la carte. This dinner costs $56 per adult but drops to $33 for patrons ages 13 to 17 and $15 for those 12 and under. (If you have a 6th-grader with a hearty appetite, this is a real steal.) For these prices, you get to choose three selections from a variety of seasoned chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and fish options, with lobster and wild game available at an upcharge. There are also over a dozen dessert fondues to choose from, ranging from plain chocolate to ones enhanced with nuts, cookie crumbs, or liqueurs. 

Open Table users give Simply Fondue 4.5 stars, with one saying, "I love going to Fondue restaurants and Simply Fondue Dallas is one of my favorites."

Stable is not strictly a fondue establishment, as its menu offers several other items. What it is, however, is something you don't see every day — a Swiss restaurant. While Swiss cuisine is not particularly in vogue these days, Washington, D.C. is quite the international city, and it is, after all, home to the Swiss embassy, so no doubt there's a built-in clientele. Stable's menu hits all the traditional Swiss highlights such as spaetzli, rösti, and a tabletop raclette dinner. We're here for the fondue, though, and the restaurant certainly does not disappoint on that score.

Stable offers three different fondues (not counting the raclette since this cheesy meal involves no dipping or dunking). One is a traditional-style fondue priced at $27 per person. The second, costing $30, is enhanced with dried garlic and black pepper cheese. Finally, the third is spiked with Williams pear schnapps and will run you $29. Each option comes with bread for dipping, as is the traditional Swiss way, and can only be prepared for a minimum of two diners. It's worth rounding up a dining companion to experience this dish, though, as Trip Advisor users have called Stable's fondue "tasty and copious," a "must try," and "a treat," and the restaurant itself has a 4.5-star rating.

If you Google NYC's fondue establishment, Taureau, you'll find glowing reviews aplenty, but you won't find a website. What gives with this? Taureau is actually a restaurant within a restaurant, its parent being the French bistro La Sirene. While the two share a Soho address and are under the same management, the tables are booked separately, so it seems that you can't mix and match menus.

Despite this, Taureau offers two prix fixe meals: a two-course one costing $55 per person and a three-course one costing $69 per person. With the two-course option, you'll choose between four cheese fondues: Swiss, Monterey jack and cheddar, parmesan and American cheese (surprisingly appropriate since this cheese turns out to be Swiss in origin), and parmesan and American cheese with truffles and truffle oil. Each comes with a green salad and bread cubes for dipping, but you can also order a selection of fruits ($13.50) or cured meats ($16.50). 

Chocolate fondues are limited to a choice of dark or milk chocolate and come with fruit and two types of cake (banana and white chocolate). If you opt for the three-course meal, the meat fondues can be cooked in oil, vegetable broth, or red wine, although you can only pick one style per table. You also only get one meat per person, with pork tenderloin being standard, chicken costing $5 more, hangar steak priced at $15, and filet mignon with a $30 upcharge.

Portland, Oregon appears to be an up-and-coming fondue mecca — not only do they have Swiss Hibiscus with its authentic old-country options, but they also have a Melting Pot. So how, then, does Urban Fondue thrive amidst such competition? It seems they've carved out a foodie niche, appealing to locavores with offerings such as fondue made with Willamette Valley black truffles; entrées including Chinook salmon, Pacific oysters, and pork from Oregon's own Carlton Farms, and Oregon marionberries used to flavor a ketchup dipping sauce and a cheesecake dessert fondue.

Surprisingly enough, Urban Fondue is pretty affordable, especially by West Coast standards. The cheese varieties are priced at $15.95 per shareable pot — even for the fancier ones like brie and gorgonzola with hazelnuts. Entrées range from $16.95 for vegetarian meals to $31.95 for steak and lobster. All dessert fondues, even the boozy salted caramel cognac and bananas Foster are $18.95 per pot, with each serving up to two diners. 

Urban Fondue also offers a prix fixe option of $79.90 for two people and gets you one cheese fondue, one dessert fondue, and two entrées for the table. If you're dining before 6 p.m. or any time on Sunday, though, this meal costs $10 less. With fairly low prices and upscale menu options, it's easy to see why Urban Fondue rates 4.6 stars on Open Table. One customer calls it "a neighborhood favorite," while others use descriptors such as "amazing," "fantastic," and "phenomenal."