Life in Zurich
Published on July 12, 2017
Comments 2

Where to eat in Zürich

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Italian dinner in Zurich outdoor patio

I thought, why not ask locals to share their favorite food places in the city and put them together into a list? And so here they are – tasty restaurants in Zürich, organized by area, and tested by locals or by me.  This is one to bookmark 🙂

KREIS 1

  • Hiltl 
    Oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe, highly recommended by everyone.
    https://www.hiltl.ch/en/
    My note: I tried the buffet – yep, it’s delicious and the amount of choice is insane. It’s amazing what talented chefs can do with just vegetables. The buffet is self-service and you can sit both indoors and outdoors. Upstairs there is an a la carte restaurant. Little tip for the buffet – you will be super tempted to try 10 different things, but I would recommend choosing maximum 3-4 that go well together, otherwise, you feel like you tried a bit of everything but didn’t really get a full meal. 
  • Sprüngli
    Swiss confectionery founded in 1836, known for its macarons called “Luxemburgerli”.
    https://www.spruengli.ch/cms/en/
    My note: I haven’t been to the cafe, it’s on my list, but I’ve tried a lot of chocolate cakes from the confiserie and ohh.. you just can’t go wrong. I mean, I don’t think I need to sell anyone on Swiss chocolate anyway. This place is top notch.
  • Milchbar
    Cafe with inner courtyard
    http://www.milchbar.ch/
    My note: I was there on a cold spring day and the little indoor space is super cosy, the baristas are friendly and the coffee was great. I’d love to come back to sit in the courtyard. This place is right near Paradeplatz, but it’s so well tucked in that it takes a while to find. 

KREIS 2

  • Ona Poke
    http://onapoke.com/
    It’s like a superbowl of goodness
    My note: Went here for lunch with the corporate crowd, got the salmon and black rice with avocado and mango… probably one of the healthiest lunches I’ve ever had. Tip: you think you’ll eat the big bowl.. but the small one is big enough 🙂

KREIS 3

  • Kafi Dihei
    Brunch spot not far from Idaplatz
    https://www.kafidihei.ch/https://www.kafidihei.ch/
    My note: Adorable little patio tucked away on a cute street in Kreis 3 (inside it also looked cute). We went on a Saturday morning and ordered omelets, müsli, tea – everything was delicious. It’s a perfect place for brunch and it’s a 100% local spot.

KREIS 4

  • L’Osteria Mamma Leone
    Italian restaurant
    http://www.losteriamammaleone.ch/
    My note: We got lucky one Friday night strolling through Kreis 4 and scored an outdoor table at 8pm. This place has a great atmoshphere. The staff are friendly and smiley, joking with each other in Italian, but they are also very helpful and polite. The portions are quite big and the prices are ok by Zürich standards. We liked it for the overall experience of food + ambiance. 
  • BEBEK
    Middle Eastern food
    http://www.bebek.ch/
    My note: yesssss, I’d wanted to go to this place forever and we finally tried it several weeks ago. Great quality food, fresh and super tasty, and I loved sitting outside under the lights. 
  • Le Cèdre
    Traditional meze & grilled meats in lively eatery, with Arabian ‘starry sky’ mural & belly dancing.
    http://www.libanesisch.ch/en/
  • La Baracca
    One of the many Italian restaurants in this area, more on the upscale end
    http://www.ristorante-labaracca.ch/
    My note: I still haven’t been there though I’ve walked by a ton times. To be honest, reviews are mixed on this place. Some say it’s incredible, others say it’s meh, but I can tell you it’s always packed. So they must be doing something right.

KREIS 5

  • CLOUDS
    From their page: Panoramic city views from slick European restaurant in a tower, plus informal bistro & cocktail bar.
    http://clouds.ch/en/
  • Maison Blunt
    From their page: Moroccan couscous & tagine dishes served in a laid-back venue with a leafy terrace & ornate tearoom.
    http://www.maison-blunt.ch/
  • JOSEF
    Photo-covered, wood-paneled dining room, serving small plates of creative Med/European dishes.
    http://www.josef.ch/

KREIS 8

  • Tibits
    Bright, airy venue with a pay-by-weight buffet for hot & cold vegetarian & vegan dishes, & takeaway.
    http://www.tibits.ch/

OUTSIDE ZURICH CORE

  • Restaurant Die Waid
    Swiss- & Asian-inspired fare with wok-fried dishes & big windows & terrace for city/mountain views.
    http://diewaid.ch/?lang=en
  • Daizy restaurant
    If you google for the pictures of interior and food, it looks stunning and delicious
    http://daizy.ch/

 

Thanks to everyone who shared their favorites with me! This is by no means an exhaustive list, it’s maybe like a popular 1%. I just thought it would be useful for other newbies to the city to have a local’s list as a starting point 🙂 And please feel free to submit more great spots, I will add them here.

Also, for reviews and more background story on different restaurants, my favorite local resources are @visitzurich and @harrysding 🙂

Guete!

2 Comments

  1. Silvana Finestra says

    Hey 🙂 Loved your restaurant suggestions. I also just recently move to Zürich and I’m loving it. I tried an app called Mealseaty where you can get discounts in restaurants an found an amazing Korean restaurant called Misoga, you should try it 🙂 keep posting!

    Reply

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