You need your wits about you when visiting this small but popular neighbourhood bar whose raison d’être is bringing Europe’s finest craft beers to Lausanne. It’s quite a hike up a long hill from Place de la Riponne to reach it, you see, meaning when you arrive you’ve got quite a thirst on, and it’s easy to tuck into the bar’s superb selection of beers without taking note of the often elevated alcohol content.
Anyway, if you do manage to leave Pi Bar with some memory of it, you’ll recall that it’s a cosy, low-lit sort of place packed with beer-loving locals with discerning tastes, and staff who know their stuff. No Carlsberg here; instead you’ll find a changing line-up of seven craft beers on tap, plus a vast array of bottled beers. Brews come from all over Europe, including Swiss micro-breweries such as BFM and Docteur Gab’s.
If you can get a seat among the throng, light tapas-style snacks and platters are available to nibble on, or you can order in pizza from Fratel & Napole down the road. Though normally shut on Mondays, it’s open for beer-tasting events on the first Monday of the month.