ZURICH - In Your Pocket

24 WHERE TO STAY
Du Théâtre F-3, Seilergraben 69, 8Central, tel. +41 44
267 26 70, fax +41 44 267 26 71, info@hotel-du-theatre.ch,
www.hotel-du-theatre.ch. This three-star design hotel is
located very centrally, at the beginning of the Niederdorf
old-town district. The building has an irregular shape, giving
each room a different layout. The actors’ quotes woven into
the carpets and pictures from the one-time theatre next door
(now a cinema) recall the building‘s past in an interesting
way. The rooms are rather small, but elegant. Soundproof
windows. Q50 rooms (31 singles 145 - 215Sfr, 17 doubles
205 - 310Sfr, 2 mini-suites 265 - 340Sfr). Breakfast 18Sfr,
Wi-fi 8Sfr/hr. JA6ULBKW hhh
A view from the Rudolf-Brun bridge across the River
Limmat. www.juanrubiano.com
Sorell Seefeld G-6, Seefeldstrasse 63,
8Feldeggstrasse, tel. +41 44 387 41 41, fax +41 44
387 41 51, info@hotelseefeld.ch, www.hotelseefeld.ch.
The Seefeld is a fully equipped three-star superior hotel
located just 200 metres from the lake in the Seefeld district.
All rooms have parquet floor, soundproof windows and some
also have a balcony. The grand-lit rooms feature beds with
a width of 1.6 metres and can be used by two for a small
surcharge; real double rooms are larger. There is a gym,
room service and a tram stop right on your door-step. No
air-conditioning, but an air cooling system. Q64 rooms (15
singles 190 - 300Sfr, 49 doubles 200 - 450Sfr). Breakfast
included, Wi-fi 25Sfr for 24h. HA6FLW hhh
Budget
Limmathof F-2, Limmatquai 142, 8Central, tel. +41 44
267 60 40, fax +41 44 262 02 17, info@limmathof.com,
www.limmathof.com. The Limmathof is centrally located at
the entrance to Niederdorf, close to the main train station and
most of Zurich‘s sights. The rooms are plain and the furniture
is a little long in the tooth - but all clean with nice wooden
floors and soundproof windows. There is a TV and a shower
or a bathtub in every room. Wi-fi can be used for free in the
common area. Not a modern hotel, but quite cheap for it‘s
location. Q55 rooms (16 singles 125 - 145Sfr, 35 doubles
168 - 185Sfr, 4 triples 190 - 240Sfr). Basic breakfast included,
free Wi-fi in the lobby. JA6K hh
Marta F-3, Zähringerstrasse 36, 8Central, tel. +41 44
269 95 95, fax +41 44 269 95 90, info@hotelmarta.ch,
www.hotelmarta.ch. The marta is a functional hotel, very
centrally located in the Niederdorf, just a few minutes away
from the main train station. It was completely refurbished
in 2010 and the blue coloured rooms have a modern feel
now. There is a twin bed, a bathroom with shower and a
flatscreen tv in every room, as well as Wi-fi throughout the
hotel. The hotel is run by a non-profit cooperation, giving
socially challenged women an opportunity to work. There
is no air-conditioning but ventilators. Q39 rooms (singles
110 - 180Sfr, doubles 150 - 230Sfr, triples 225 - 260Sfr).
Breakfast and Wi-fi incl. JHA6UW hh
Pensions
Zum Guten Glück B-3, Stationsstrasse 7, 8Kalkbreite,
tel. +41 43 540 72 99, contact@zumgutenglueck.ch,
www.zumgutenglueck.ch. Opened in 2008, this lovely
pension offers basic rooms with shared showers and
bathrooms and sixties and seventies style furniture. Check-in
is at the coffee bar on the ground floor. The next tram stop
is close by and the tram takes eight minutes to get to the
main train station. The surroundings are about to change,
as a major road has just been closed to transit traffic. New
shops and bars have already opened in the area. Good choice
if you are looking for cheap accommodation. Q10 rooms (2
singles 59Sfr, 8 doubles 79 - 109Sfr). Wi-fi included. AKW
Hostels
Langstars C-2, Langstrasse 120, 8Helvetiaplatz, tel. +41
43 317 96 55, info@langstars.com, www.langstars.ch.
This hostel is situated right on Langstrasse, the city’s top
street for bar-hopping and nightlife. The six dorms, one
women-only, are rather tight but feature big lockers, reading
lamps, toilets and showers. One even has a little terrace.
The bar on the ground floor is a good place to get talking to
other travellers - as a guest of the hostel you get a discount
on drinks. As an avid traveller himself, owner Lukas knows
what makes a good stay. He and his staff will be happy to
help wherever they can. Q (bunk beds in dorm 42 - 50Sfr).
Breakfast (buffet) and Wi-fi included. AEW
Youth Hostel Mutschellenstrasse 114, 8Morgental,
tel. +41 43 399 78 00, fax +41 43 399 78 01,
zuerich@youthhostel.ch, www.youthostel.ch/zuerich.
This modern youth hostel has four- and six-bed rooms with
bunk beds and shared showers and toilets. All rooms have a
small vestibule where lockers and the washbasin are located
- so latecomers don‘t wake up the rest. There are also private
doubles and four-bed rooms with en-suite bathrooms. 24
hours reception and cheap meals (18.50Sfr incl. soft drink).
It‘s just a five-minute walk to the lake and 15 min by tram to
the centre. On the weekends a night bus (N°12) stops right
in front of the hostel all night long. Great place to meet other
travellers. Q76 rooms (16 doubles 138Sfr, 50 triples 158 -
173Sfr, 200 beds in 4- or 6-bed rooms 40 - 50Sfr). Hostelling
International membership required: a day’s membership 6Sfr,
yearly member card 33Sfr. Linen, breakfast and city tax
included, Wi-fi free in public area. HAUKW
Airport hotel
Welcome Inn Holbergstrasse 1, Kloten, tel. +41
44 804 75 75, fax +41 44 270 80 60, welcomeinn
@welcomegroup.ch, www.hotel-welcomeinn.ch. The
Welcome Inn is a functional three-star hotel close to the
airport. The rooms are decorated in a simple style and
have dark carpets. They feature a lounge seat, a desk, a
safe and a minibar. The in-house restaurant Kanzlei majors
on meat specialities and seasonal fare. They have a free
shuttle bus to the airport and free car parking on site. There
is a ventilation system, but no air-conditioning. Q98 rooms
(8 singles 105 - 180Sfr, 79 doubles 110 - 200Sfr, 9 triples
120 - 220Sfr, 2 suites 160 - 260Sfr). Breakfast 15Sfr, Wi-fi
incl., free car parking. HAR6ULKW hhh
Zurich In Your Pocket zurich.inyourpocket.com
Zurich has around 1,500 restaurants, bars and
takeaways. No wonder you can find almost any kind of
food imaginable: from down-to-earth Swiss to traditional
Vietnamese, from Lebanese to Japanese and back again.
But today many restaurants also cook in a mélange,
international style and are not easily categorized.
Nevertheless we have tried. We list the places we
recommend within any particular category. The prices in
brackets indicate the cheapest and most expensive main
courses. For lunch, lots of restaurants offer special deals,
usually considerably cheaper. Note that many restaurants
close their kitchens between roughly 14:00 and 17:30
and in the evening at 22:00 or 23:00. The letter and
the number (e.g. A-1) after the venue name indicate the
coordinates for finding it on the map in the back of this
guide.
The market-hall atmosphere of the, eh, Markthalle (p. 31).
American
Helvti Diner D-3, Kasernenstrasse 2, 8Stauffacher, tel.
+41 43 322 04 24, www.helvti-diner.ch. Quarterpounders,
hot dogs, sandwiches, French fries and some salads - the
menu of the Helvti Diner has a distinctly American flavour.
But it’s not just the menu; the long bar and the aluminum
stools conjour up some prototypical hollywood film scene. A
screen made of ketchup bottles adds a fancy touch - as well
as the dark red and purple tones of the tables and stools.
The burgers come with a sauce of your choice and were in the
best of taste at our visit - while the consistency of the fries left
some room for improvement. All day brunch on Sat. Q Open
10:00 - 24:00, Fri & Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sun closed. Kitchen
open until 23:00, Thu - Sat until 01:00. (16 - 33Sfr). JA
zurich.inyourpocket.com
PD
RESTAURANTS
Symbol key
A Credit cards accepted X Smoker lounge
S Take away E Live music
J City centre location N No credit cards
8 Nearest tram station
B Outdoor seating
C-1 Map coordinates
Popcorn A-4, Friesenbergstr. 15, 8Goldbrunnenplatz,
tel. +41 43 960 73 73, www.hotel-neufeld.ch. The rear half
of a classic American automobile next to the entrance of the
Popcorn says it all - this is an American diner. But the menu is a
bit more sophisticated than you might expect: classic and spicy
tatar, home-mada pasta or Indian lamb curry. But don’t worry: a
burger with fries is available as well. For lunch, the menu changes
daily. The old American cars are present inside the restaurant
as well - on huge black and white photo posters. Daily breakfast
buffet (06:00 - 10:00, Sun & Sat 07:00 - 11:00). Q Open 06:00
- 23:00, Sat & Sun breakfast only (07:00 - 11:00), kitchen open
11:30 - 14:00, 18:00 - 22:00. (15 - 32Sfr). AB
Asian
Blue Monkey F-3, Stüssihofstatt 3, 8Rathaus, tel. +41
44 261 76 18, www.bluemonkey.ch. Choose between the
Thai Bistro on the ground floor (open all day) or the Thai Heaven
upstairs: in heaven you will get your meals served in bowls on
a candlelight heater in a more refined atmosphere - while the
bistro is cheaper and more for a quick eat, though you won’t
feel uncomfortable staying longer. Curries, salads, soups and
wok dishes - everything cooked by the kitchen staff who are
actually Thai. Food is rather pricey but the style, atmosphere
and cooking in the Blue Monkey is more upmarket than in most
Thais in Zurich. There is a smoker’s bar on the ground floor.
QOpen 11:30 - 14:00, 17:00 - 24:00, Thu 11:00 - 14:00, 17:00
- 01:00, Fri 11:00 - 14:00, 17:30 - 02:00, Sat 15:00 - 02:00,
Sun 17:00 - 23:00. (28 - 46 Sfr, bistro cheaper). JABX
Lily’s C-1, Langstrasse 197, 8Limmatplatz, tel. +41 44
440 18 85, www.lilys.ch. Freshly prepared Asian treats:
from Thailand through Vietnam to China and Japan, and back
to India. Not exactly the place for a long, cosy dinner with
your friends but great for a quick, fresh and tasty meal - you’ll
be seated on long benches in between other customers. If
you get a seat close to the open kitchen you feel the heat
when the chef flames some stuff in his wok. Try the excellent
salmon teriyaki from the grill or one of the curries Lily’s is
famous for. Q Open 11:00 - 24:00, Fri & Sat 11:00 - 01:00,
Sun 11:00 - 22:30. (19 - 23Sfr). AS
October - November 2012
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