The house
Guests have been hosted here since 1540. The house you walk into today has stood on Kirchstrasse since 1818. Here is its story, from a bitter water to the Orangerie.
Chronicle
-
1540: The tavern licence
Birmenstorf is granted the right to host guests. The Bären still stands on Badenerstrasse at the time.
-
1817: The house on Kirchstrasse
In 1817/18 the village mayor, Johann Jakob Zehnder, builds the classicist house where you dine and sleep today.
-
1842: “Birmo”, the bitter water
A worker in Zehnder's gypsum pit finds bitter seeping water. It becomes “Birmo”, a medicinal water with prizes from Spa to Chicago. In 1913, 178,000 bottles are sold.
-
1995: Back with the Zehnders
The Zehnder family buys the house back and restores it from 2000. The old skittle alley becomes the Orangerie.
-
2002: The Pfändler years
Harry and Bea Pfändler run the Bären until 2023, with 14 GaultMillau points and more than 50 apprentices.
-
2022: One of the finest gardens
GaultMillau ranks our garden number 7 of Switzerland's 100 most beautiful terraces.
-
2025: Rami & Ganja
Since 1 March 2025, Rami and Ganja have run the Bären. Rami learned his craft here, under Harry Pfändler.
Your hosts
A team of thirteen cooks, serves and welcomes you. Two of them introduce themselves.
-
Ganja
Host
It matters deeply to me that every guest feels they have arrived and can come alive here, with love for detail and a touch of magic.
-
Rami
Head chef
The Stroganoff has been with me, with small changes, since my apprenticeship. A classic we can no longer take off the menu.
What others say
- Number 7 of Switzerland’s 100 most beautiful terraces, GaultMillau 2022
- Number 3 of the country’s 10 best “Bären” inns, GaultMillau 2022
- 4,6 out of 5 on Google, from 536 reviews
- 4,7 out of 5 on ForaTable, from 142 guests in twelve months
- Ratings as of September 2026
