Zurich, Switzerland — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Zurich, Switzerland
Restaurants
Expensive
Kronenhalle
Some of the 20th century's greatest artists (including Stravinsky, Brecht and Joyce) have frequented the Kronenhalle. Its fin de siècle décor is well suited to its wonderful collection of 20th-century art, which includes works by Giacometti, Picasso, Miro, Chagall and Matisse. The menu attracts many regular diners, who enjoy the excellently prepared local and international dishes on the menu. Service is first-rate and the ambience more laid-back than formal, despite the price.
Rämistrasse 4, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 262 9900.
Website: www.kronenhalle.com
Petermann's Kunststuben
The Kunststuben, 6km (4 miles) south of the city center on Lake Zurich's eastern shore (the ‘Gold Coast'), counts among the nation's finest restaurants, thanks to Hamburg-born Michelin-starred Horst Petermann, one of Switzerland's greatest chefs. The intimate restaurant (a former art gallery) boasts an exceptional wine cellar and a daily changing menu which leans heavily on French cuisine. It has welcomed various heads of state. Reservations essential.
Seestrasse 160, 8700 Küsnacht
Tel: (044) 910 0715.
Website: www.kunststuben.com
Sein Zurich
Sein’s casual approach to gourmet dining has made it a favorite on the Zurich culinary scene, its well crafted menu incorporating a mixture of classic recipes, fusion offerings and creative vegetarian dishes. Sample menu items include quail risotto with sundried tomatoes and marinated duck liver, and thinly sliced raw sturgeon on mashed potatoes with caviar and sour cream sauce. The restaurant has received numerous industry awards in the last decade.
Schützengasse 5, 8001 Zürich
Tel: (044) 221 1065.
Website: www.zuerichsein.ch
Moderate
Veltliner Keller
The Veltliner Keller has been a restaurant since 1551 (and a wine cellar for 200 years before that, storing the Italian-Swiss Valtellina wines carried over the Alps to Zurich). The ancient carved wood interior is typical of the Graubünden region, with paneling made from arve, a mountain pine unique to Switzerland. The seasonal menu includes both Swiss and Italian classic dishes, including the celebrated Zurich-style kalbsgeschnetzeltes (sliced veal and mushrooms in a white wine sauce).
Schlüsselgasse 8, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 225 4040.
Website: www.veltlinerkeller.ch
Lily’s Stomach Supply
Interesting name, interesting place. The menu at Lily’s draws on recipes and ingredients from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, and is every bit as eyebrow-raising as its component parts suggest. It’s a trendy joint, as evidenced by the numbers it invariably draws, but it’s well worth the wait to get a spot at a table. You’ll find yourself sharing a long table with other diners, guaranteeing a convivial atmosphere.
Langstrasse 197, 8005 Zurich
Tel: (044) 440 1885.
Website: www.lilys.ch
Blindekuh
An interesting concept in novelty dining that’s sprung up successfully in various corners of Europe, Blindekuh is run by blind and visually impaired staff. Diners eat in pitch-blackness to simulate the experience of being blind. With the senses of taste, smell and touch accentuated, the experience is enlightening. The blind waiters and waitresses guide customers to their seats and no one ever sees the interior of the restaurant - or even their own food. There’s usually a long waiting list.
Muhlebachstrasse 148, 8008 Zurich
Tel: (044) 421 5050.
Website: www.blindekuh.ch
Cheap
Crazy Cow
This friendly and eccentric restaurant adjoining Hotel Leoneck draws a young and lively crowd and is decorated with cows, Heidi, edelweiss, giant Toblerones and a variety of other witty Swiss stereotypes. The food is wholly Swiss too, including various hearty rösti dishes and the house specialty, Alpen macaroni. Even the menu is written in Swiss dialect - ask for a translated version. There’s a good range of cocktails on offer.
Leonhardstrasse 1, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 261 4055.
Website: www.crazycow.ch
Restaurant Hiltl
The Bavarian Ambrosius Hiltl purchased the Vegetarierheim und Abstinez-Café (Vegetarians' Home and Teetotallers' Café) in 1907 and turned it into the hugely successful vegetarian restaurant Hiltl. Now run by Hiltl’s great-grandson Rolf, it is especially popular for its lunch menu, which always includes 50 salads (to eat in or take away) and its Indian and Thai buffet of around 30 different dishes in the evening, all priced by weight.
Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 227 7000.
Website: www.hiltl.ch
Zeughauskeller
Built on the remains of a 15th-century armory, the Zeughauskeller opened in 1927, when a new owner converted the building into a beer hall. Large stone pillars hold up the ornamental wooden-beamed ceiling, and portraits of noblemen and weaponry are displayed. As with all beer cellars, lengthy tables are shared. Classic Zurich cuisine dominates the menu, including at least 12 varieties of sausage.
Bahnhofstrasse 28A, near Paradeplatz, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 211 2690.
Website: www.zeughauskeller.ch
Nightlife
The most popular place to seek out nightlife in Zurich is the Old Town, on the left bank of the River Limmat, with many bars and cafes tucked away on the side streets such as Niederdorfstrasse and Oberdorfstrasse. New bars and clubs keep opening up in the city, especially to the west of the Hauptbahnhof in the fourth and fifth districts, around Langstrasse and Escher-Wyss-Platz. The majority of bars and clubs close around 0200 but some stay open until 0300 or 0400.
Information on club nights and performances (as well as theaters, concerts and opera) is listed in Züri Tipp, published in Friday's Tages Anzeiger (www.zueritipp.ch).
Bars
Kaufleuten
Prestigious enough to count the likes of Prince, Robbie Williams and Madonna among its past visitors, Kaufleuten is one of the best known bars in Zurich. There are four bars across two separate floors, ranging from the theatrical, chandelier-laden main bar to the more comfy lounge area, arranged with large cushions and wooden furniture. The terrace is a great place to hang out when weather allows.
Pelikanplatz, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 225 3300.
Website: www.kaufleuten.com
PurPur
A Moroccan-themed joint that manages to steer well clear of tired North African clichés, Pur Pur combines Asian-Mediterranean cooking with a hip clientele and sumptuously rich decor. It offers a DJ most nights of the week but the mood's relaxed rather than ravey, and with a location close to the city's Opera House, it makes a good spot to round off a night of high culture.
Seefeldstrasse 9, 8008 Zurich
Tel: (044) 419 2066.
Website: www.purpurzurich.ch
Jules Verne Panorama Bar
The big draw here, if you hadn't guessed, is the view. Located on the 11th floor between the Brasserie Lipp and the Urania Observatory, it affords drinkers some great wraparound vistas of the city. It's a classy nightlife spot too, proven by its lengthy wine and cocktail list. Things can get a little crowded, but there's fun to be had in checking out the various design nods to Jules Verne himself.
Uraniastrasse 9, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (043) 888 6666.
Website: www.jules-verne.ch
Clubs
Rohstofflager
Not only a nightclub but also a regular live music venue for the kind of tight-trousered bands that get described as ‘achingly cool', Rohstofflager is somewhere so close to the cutting edge it hurts. It's made a name for itself for playing alternative dance music, although on certain nights the music is far removed from the world of techno. The main bar has some great retro lampshades.
Duttweilerstrasse, 8005 Zurich
Website: www.rohstofflager.ch
Labor Bar
Owned and run by a well known local TV presenter (who broadcasts a talk-show from the club every Sunday), Labor Bar has built its reputation as a place to dance and lounge around without too many snooty judgments from the fashion police. Its weekly ‘Butterfly Party' event is one of Zurich's most popular gay nights. It plays a mixture of urban music, throwback pop and other genres.
Schiffbaustrasse 3, 8005 Zurich
Tel: (044) 272 4402.
Website: www.laborbar.ch
Club Indochine
Sitting in the hip western quarter of town, Club Indochine is one of the most glamorous Zurich nightlife spots around. As the name suggests, the style approach draws heavily on south east Asia, and there's an appealing den-like feel to the interior. The upper floor is where most of the action takes place, but you'll want to look your best coming here. Vietnamese food is served.
Limmatstrasse 275, 8005 Zurich
Tel: (044) 448 1111.
Website: www.club-indochine.com
Live Music
Hallenstadion
The most obvious port of call for big international rock acts passing through Zurich (think Sting, Tina Turner, Metallica and the like), the Hallenstadion is a multifunctional sports arena and music venue located in the Oerlikon quarter in northern Zurich. Top-tier events can sell out well in advance, so try to plan ahead if you're looking to take in a big-name concert.
Wallisellenstrasse 45, 8050 Zürich
Tel: (044) 316 78 00.
Website: www.hallenstadion.ch
Volkshaus
The traditionally designed Volkshaus dates back to 1910, so has considerable experience at putting on the kind of critically acclaimed musical events that it still makes a habit of staging today. There's a big selection of different performance venues under the one roof, ranging from the intimate to the large-scale. Volkshaus draws a mixture of international acts and local musicians - again, tickets can often be hard to come by.
Stauffacherstrasse 60, 8004 Zurich
Tel: (044) 241 6404.
Website: www.volkshaus.ch
Moods Jazz Club
Does what it says on the tin. Located in fashionable Zurich-West, Moods is an atmospheric Zurich jazz venue that draws comparison with the likes of Ronnie Scott's in London and Vienna's Porgy & Bess. It stages around 230 shows a year, although tends to take a summer break over July and August. The venue itself is in a cultural center in an old industrial building. Unmissable for anyone serious about jazz. Schiffbaustrasse 6, 8005 Zurich
Tel: (044) 276 8000.
Website: www.moods.ch
