ZURICH - In Your Pocket

32 RESTAURANTS
Quick eats
Not surprisingly, there are plenty of options for a quick
eat in Zurich, be it a speedy dinner or a snack on a tour
through the city’s nightlife. The Turkish kebab and its
variations are probably the most popular fast food and
can literally be found everywhere. If you want something
more local, go for a grilled bratwurst or a cervelat
(both Swiss sausages). Besides that are many Asian
take-aways, as well as the big American burger joints
McDonalds’ and Burger King of course. We list some of
our favourites for you:
NEW
menüfoif K-6, Hardstrasse 320, 8Escher-Wyss
Platz, tel. +41 44 271 21 21. The jazz in the
background, the curtain made of old spoons, the no-fuss,
calm service - menufoif is a slightly different take-away.
Their business is sandwiches and this they do very well:
the ciabattas, panini and other variations are offered with
a range of fillings, such as sun-dried meat and ruccola or
aubergine, tomato and mozzarella, apart from salads and
drinks. You can’t eat anything on site though, as the city
police are located so close by that the usual lee-way that
take-aways enjoy is just not given. Just grab something on
your way through. Q Open 11:00 - 14:00, 16:00 - 18:30.
Sat & Sun closed.
Sternen Grill F-5, Sechseläutenwiese/Bellevue,
8Bellevue, www.sternengrill.ch. This is the city’s
most famous sausage barbecue. Because its traditional
location is undergoing renovation, it’s temporarily
located in a motor home on Sechseläutenwiese at
Bellevue. The bratwurst here is tasty, but the mustard
is what’s really special: made with horseradish it’s extra
hot and fiery. No matter the weather (there is a tent
and heaters), this is where Zurich gets its bratwurst.
You can also get grilled chicken, French fries and other
snacks - but the bratwurst is what Sternen Grill is all
about. QOpen 10:30 - 23:30.
Beer halls
Bierfalken D-3, Löwenstrasse 16, 8Löwenplatz, tel.
+41 44 211 68 23, www.bierfalken.ch. The walls lined
with dark wood and the big tables with benches and solid
chairs give this restaurant a rustic and very traditional charm.
The menu features solid Swiss dishes like cordon bleu,
schnitzel or rösti. The place is popular with businessmen
and workers alike. The food and the service are good and
portions generous, even though it’s a bit more expensive
here than in similar places. Q Open 11:00 - 23:00, Sat
10:00 - 16:00, Sun closed. (23 - 37Sfr). JA
Brasserie Federal E-2, Bahnhofplatz 15,
8Hauptbahnhof, tel. +41 44 217 15 15, www.brasserie
-federal.ch. This is a beer lover’s paradise: More than 100
different Swiss beers are sold in this huge hall situated inside
the main train station. You can try seven at one blow: for
9.90Sfr the waiter will serve you seven beers from the tap in
small glasses (1dl). Food is Swiss-style, hearty and served
fast: pasta with minced meat, bratwurst or rösti with bacon
and raclette cheese. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. Kitchen open
until 22:30 (19 - 30Sfr). JA
Rheinfelder Bierhalle F-2, Niederdorfstrasse 76,
8Central, tel. +41 44 251 54 64, www.rheinfelder.ch.
The Rheinfelder is one of the oldest beer halls in town: a place
where workers, students, and business men alike go for the
big portions, good prices and traditional down-to-earth food
- and lots of beer of course. The waiters have a rough charm,
but usually serve the desired dishes quickly: schweinsleberli
(pork liver), bratwurst, kidney, rösti or chnöpfli (small ballshaped
noodles). If in doubt go for the jumbo-jumbo cordon
bleu that the Rheinfelder is famous for. But beware: the
waitress will poke fun at you if you can’t take this piece of
meat the size of an elephant’s ear. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00.
Kitchen open until 23:15 (12 - 32Sfr). JNB
Zeughauskeller E-4, Bahnhofstrasse 28a,
8 Paradeplatz, tel. +41 44 220 15 15,
www.zeughauskeller.ch. The Zeughauskeller (the arsenal)
is one of Zurich’s biggest beer halls. Situated in a mediaeval
arsenal it serves good solid traditional Swiss fare: generous
helpings of meat, sausages, schnitzel and roast. Popular with
tourists, locals and lads out for the night, it’s a place where
it’s easy to get to know people, as you share the big tables
with other guests. Old military devices standing around are
there to remind you where you are. So don’t get too drunk,
you might end up getting conscripted. QOpen 11:30 - 23:00.
Kitchen open until 22:15 (19 - 40Sfr). JAB
Vegetarian
Bona Dea E-2, Bahnhofplatz 15, 8Bahnhofquai/HB,
tel. +41 44 217 15 15, www.bona-dea.ch. Bona Dea in the
main train station offers a large vegetarian buffet every day of
the week, with curries, other Asian and also Italian dishes and
salads and dessert. The atmosphere has a touch of airport
anonymity, but the staff, who serve the drinks, are very friendly.
Q Open 11:30 - 14:30, 17:30 - 23:00. (21 - 42Sfr). JA
Hiltl D-3, Sihlstrasse 28, 8Rennweg, tel. +41 44 227 70
00, www.hiltl.ch. The Hiltl is Zurich’s vegetarian institution
par excellence. It’s simply amazing what they do with purely
vegetarian ingredients. Just grab a plate and pick from the
huge choice of curries, chutneys, salads, tofu and a lot more…
Take away and eating in the bar area is cheaper, while the
restaurant area with table service and à la carte dishes offers
more comfort. In the evening the bar doubles as a club. Q Open
06:00 - 24:00, Thu - Sat 06:00 - late, Sun 08:00 - late. Kitchen
daily from 11:00 - 23:00. (25 - 33Sfr). JAB
tibits G-5, Seefeldstrasse 2, 8Opernhaus, tel. +41 44
260 32 22, www.tibits.ch. The sumptous vegetarian buffet
is the focal point of tibits - everybody queues up to choose
from around 40 home-made salads, hot daily specials, soups
and sweets. The food is excellent, making tibits very popular
with the business people and the hipper residents of the
Seefeld area. Sister restaurant ‘tibits im NZZ bistro’ around
the corner at Falkenstrasse 12, +41 44 258 17 18 (Open
11:00 - 22:00, Sun 11:00 - 18:00). QOpen 06:30 - 23:30,
Fri 06:30 - 24:00, Sat 08:00 - 24:00, Sun 09:00 - 23:30.
(buffet, 4.20Sfr per 100 grams). JAB
Zurich In Your Pocket zurich.inyourpocket.com
Café des Amis M-6, Nordstrasse 88, 8Limmatplatz,
tel. +41 43 536 93 81, www.desamis.ch. Not too far from
Limmatplatz and still within the reach of a Zurich visitor, the
Café des Amis is a relaxed place for breakfast on weekdays
or a long brunch on the weekend. After its opening it quickly
became popular with urbanistas of every age, much in
contrary to the many venues that tried their luck before at
this location. In the evening it’s a location for chilling with a
drink at the bar. Q Open 08:00 - 24:00, Sat 09:00 -24:00,
Sun 09:00 - 18:00. B
NEW
Collana F-5, Theaterstrasse 9, 8Stadelhofen, tel. +41
44 250 59 10, www.commercio.ch. At the entrance to the
new subterranean car park in front of the opera at Bellevue
there is a stylish new café. A huge window front, stone floors
and the wooden panels behind the bar bring a fancy italianità
to the place. The coffee here is excellent and the food Italian,
solid and rather pricey (e.g. ravioli 25Sfr). Also on their menu
you’ll find the original pepito, a sandwich with a piece of grilled
meat (beef, lamb or chicken), onions and a secret sauce. It
has many fans and was sold for decades in the Niederdorf
until the place was recently closed. Nice outdoor area. Q
Open 07:00 - 24:00, Sat & Sun 09:00 - 24:00. JAB
Café des Amis, waiting for your custom. Florian Kalotay
Gran Café Motta F-3, Limmatquai 66, 8Rathaus,
tel. +41 44 252 31 19. The Gran Café on Limmatquai - an
institution for decades - was completely renovated in 2010.
It now oozes Italian elegance - bright parquet floors, a long
metallic bar - tastefully combined with playful, modernist
elements. The coffee is strong and tasty, especially the
Indonesian blend. The ceiling height of more than 4.5 metres
gives the place the grandezza of a Gran Café. Italian paninis
and appetizers - and probably the best outdoor seating for
watching the world go by on Limmatquai. QOpen 07:00 -
23:00, Sat 07:30 - 24:00, Sun 07:30 - 23:00. Kitchen open
until 22:00 JNB
La Stanza D-4, Bleicherweg 10, 8Paradeplatz, tel.
+41 43 817 62 82, www.lastanza.ch. This popular
Italian style coffee bar close to Paradeplatz offers a variety
of Mediterranean liquors, wines and drinks - and the local
beer Paul on tap. The rather well-dressed customers sit on
the window benches and sip on their sprizz (a mixture of
zurich.inyourpocket.com
CAFÉS
prosecco and aperol liquor) served by the stylish black-tied
owners. The stone bar and the big steaming coffee machine
(a 1963 Faema) in the back make the Italian experience
perfect. Soups and Italian snacks available - brunch on
Sundays. QOpen 07:00 - 23:00, Thu 07:00 - 24:00, Fri
07:00 - 01:30, Sat 10:00 - 01:30, Sun 10:00 - 22:00. J
Schurter F-3, Niederdorfstrasse 90, 8Central,
tel. +41 44 252 32 32, www.cafeschurter.ch. At
Schurter’s you get traditional Zurich pastries like hüppen,
offleten and tirggel, all members of the family of the
waffle. We recommend enjoying them with a hot chocolate
(served in 7 different flavours). From the window seats
you can observe the never-ending flow of pedestrians
entering or leaving the Niederdorf part of the old town
at Central, where the café is located. The high bar tables
and stools give the place a modern touch despite its
almost 150 years of history. Q Open 07:00 - 19:00, Sat
09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. J
Sprüngli E-4, Bahnhofstrasse 21, 8Paradeplatz,
tel. +41 44 224 46 16, www.spruengli.ch. Sprüngli
is the place to stop for a coffee on a shopping tour on
Bahnhofstrasse. It has been around for 170 years and
for locals it’s synonymous with excellent confectionery
and chocolate. Try to get a window seat on the first floor
overlooking Paradeplatz, order a coffee or a hot chocolate
and choose something sweet from the display cabinet -
best known are the Luxemburgerli, small macaroons with a
light and airy cream filling in different flavours. Unusually for
Switzerland you pay at the cash desk when leaving. Lunch
meals and brunch every day, coffee bar and shop on the
ground floor. QOpen 07:00 - 18:30, Sat 08:00 - 18:00, Sun
09:30 - 17:30. JABK
Breakfast
Sunday breakfast is an institution in many Swiss
families. Zopf is one of the mainstays of Swiss breakfasts,
a rich white bread baked in the shape of a braid, and is
served with butter, jams, honey, cheeses or cold meats.
Swiss bakeries bake a huge variety of breads - rye bread,
maize bread or potato-and-walnut bread to name just a
few - which add to the breakfast spread. Buttery croissants,
called gipfeli in Swiss German, are also a favourite. Another
breakfast dish with strong roots in Switzerland is müesli,
made of oat flakes, grated apple, ground hazelnuts and
yoghurt in the classic birchermüesli version. Many Swiss
don’t consider breakfast complete without one of the many
takes on the müesli-theme.
In recent years, brunch has become very popular in
Switzerland and in Zurich many restaurants and cafés
now serve breakfast or brunch until noon or even later.
Here come our favourites:
Casablanca, à la carte brunch Sat and Sun 08:00 -
14:00 (p. 35).
Maison Blunt, one of the most popular brunches,
with an Moroccan oriental touch, brunch daily 08:00 -
16:00 (p. 30).
Hiltl, a splendid, spicy vegetarian buffet brunch, only
Sun 09:30 - 14:30 (p. 32).
Sprüngli, one of Zurich’s most traditional cafés,
breakfast and brunch every day (p. 33).
October - November 2012
33