FIRST ON RADAR: After 32 years in Makati, Old Swiss Inn comes home to Paco

Its return this year feels more like a homecoming than a mere relocation.

One of Metro Manila’s oldest surviving restaurants has opened a new chapter—and fittingly, it is doing so in a neighborhood that was once its home.

Old Swiss Inn is now welcoming diners at its new location at 1030 Belen Street in Paco, Manila, following the closure of its longtime Makati branch after 32 years.

The Paco restaurant officially opened on Aug. 8, bringing the nearly 80-year-old dining institution back to Manila and closer to the area where it operated decades ago. Its new home is at the Garden Plaza Hotel & Suites, near the historic Paco Park.

The move follows the closure of Old Swiss Inn’s Somerset Olympia location along Makati Avenue. While that chapter has ended, the restaurant has said it continues to scout for a new physical location in Makati, while its central kitchen remains active for deliveries and takeout.

Back where it once belonged

Old Swiss Inn’s connection to Manila stretches back to 1946, when Swiss chef Emil Landert established the original restaurant along Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Boulevard.

The business later moved to Paco, where Landert built a larger restaurant and an adjoining inn in the 1970s. A fire eventually devastated the Paco property in the 1980s, making it difficult to continue operations there.

In 1990, industrialist Felix Limcaoco Jr. acquired the Swiss Inn brand. Four years later, Old Swiss Inn opened its Makati branch, beginning a 32-year run that turned it into a familiar destination for generations of diners.

Its return to Paco in 2026 therefore feels less like a simple relocation and more like a homecoming.

The old favorites are back

The new restaurant retains the cozy European character associated with Old Swiss Inn, along with dishes that have helped sustain the brand for generations.

Among its best-known specialties are its fresh corned beef and traditional Swiss cheese fondue. The restaurant has also expanded its services through the Swiss Inn Deli, party platters, catering and other food offerings.

According to its opening announcement, the Paco branch operates Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to 10 PM.

Old Swiss Inn’s survival is notable in a restaurant industry where concepts can disappear after only a few years. Nearly eight decades after it first opened, the restaurant continues to evolve without completely abandoning the food and atmosphere generations of customers remember.

From Dewey Boulevard to Paco, from Paco to Makati, and now back to Paco, Old Swiss Inn has spent decades moving with Manila.

This time, one of the city’s enduring dining institutions has found its way home.

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