Jacques—it just seemed so natural
Anaïs Richard
05 juillet 2026
In the heart of the Old Town, Lara Pertus and Nicolas Moeschler have created Jacques, a neighborhood bar that reflects their personalities. Behind the glasses of Chasselas, the pâtés en croûte, and the regulars already settled in, Jacques tells a story above all of patience, friendship, and family heritage.
In the cobblestone alleys of the Grand-Rue, laughter, the clinking of glasses, and lively conversation echo across Jacques’s terrace. A year ago, Lara Pertus and Nicolas Moeschler, both residents of the neighborhood, opened their first establishment. It’s a space that reflects who they are: a place to gather with friends or coworkers, where simplicity doesn’t mean compromising on the quality of the ingredients, and where you never have to wonder if you can have another drink. An approachable and welcoming bistro where you take the time to linger.
Two paths, one goal
Lara grew up in the restaurant business: her father, Jean-Jacques, owned several restaurants in the Beaujolais region. Nicolas, on the other hand, works in finance. His passion for fine dining has already led him to help his cousin open several restaurants between Geneva and Lausanne. Their project stems from a need: to find, in their neighborhood, a restaurant similar to the ones they enjoy visiting on their travels, particularly in Amsterdam.
This idea came to fruition “without rushing,” when the bar on the corner of Rue de la Boulangerie went up for sale. It was exactly the kind of place they had envisioned: intimate and featuring a large terrace. Jacques is, above all, a tribute to Jean-Jacques, who passed away a few years ago. He was the one who passed on his passion for the restaurant business to his daughter. Inside the bar, every detail has been carefully considered: tableware found at flea markets, items inherited from grandparents, and pieces salvaged from Jean-Jacques’s former establishments…
And this tribute takes the form of a simple, timeless space—a place where people return just as easily on a Tuesday night as they do with their families on the weekend. “The greatest compliment we’ve ever received is that people feel as though Jacques has always been there,” Nicolas says.
Great selection
At Jacques, simplicity doesn’t mean taking the easy way out. With limited space for cooking, the duo has chosen to focus all their attention on selecting the finest ingredients. Pâté en croûte by Romain Pellet, sardines in oil served straight from the can, or creamy burrata: behind this deliberately short menu lies a genuine quest for quality, guided by a simple yet demanding principle: offering the very best at the fairest price.
When it comes to the wine cellar, Nicolas has curated a selection of wines with the same meticulous attention to detail. Each bottle has earned its place through blind tastings, free from fleeting trends. “We’re not trying to follow a fad, but to create consistency in what we offer,” they summarize.
As if by design, this neighborhood bar has already found its regulars. A haven where you feel right at home, where the bar itself almost fades into the background, where what truly matters is the experience you come to enjoy. And for Lara, Jacques will always remain “the most beautiful tribute I could have paid to my father .”
