Outdoor Restaurants in Zurich

Alter Tobelhof; Tobelhofstrasse 236, 8044 Zurich; 044 251 11 93; www.tobelhof.ch; Swiss
Family-friendly place for outings with the whole clan. The food is very good, with the usual Swiss stuff, from g'schnätzlets with rösti to veal cordon bleu. There's a small playground so you can get the kids out of your hair in warm weather while you order another bottle of wine.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 23 - 40

Restaurant B
Bäckeranlage, Hohlstrasse 67, 8005 Zurich, 043 243 87 43, www.baeckeranlage.ch; Swiss
A child-friendly atmosphere in a city park in one of Zurich least snooty areas. Simple but good food at low prices; BBQ after 4 in when it's warm out.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 7-23

Bauschänzli; Stadthausquai 2, 8001 Zurich; 044 212 49 19; www.bauschaenzli.ch; Swiss, open May through September
It's all about sitting outside in the sun, watching the boats go by, pretending you're a tourist again. The self-serve part is cheaper but heavily fend-for yourself, while the white tablecloth part is elegant and well-staffed. The downside/the cool part - depending on your mood: in summer there are often ländler concerts with dancing. Zurich's Oktoberfest is held here at the end of September.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 15 - 49

Belvoir Park, Seestrasse 141, 8002 Zurich; 044 286 88 11; www.belvoirpark.ch; Swiss, French.
5-star food at 4-star prices in a 12-star setting: in the garden of one of Zurich's finest 19th C villas, which now houses a hotel school where students serve newly learned creations.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20-55

Da Angela, Hohlstrasse 449, 8048 Zurich; 044 492 29 31; www.daangela.ch; Italian.
One of Zurich’s best Italian restaurants, with gravel-lined outdoor seating under chestnut trees. Somewhat off the beaten path – (far enough) past the city's slaughterhouse on Hohlstrasse.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 25-54

Florhof, Florhofgasse 4, 8001 Zurich; 044 250 2626; www.florhof.ch; French
The romantic outdoor terrace is surrounded by 18th century villas in a quiet neighbourhood just above the Niederdorf. Patrons are très moneyed and chic. Wish it were open on Sunday.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 29-56

Neumarkt; Neumarkt 7, 8001 Zurich; 044 252 79 39; www.wirtschaft-neumarkt.ch; Swiss, Italian
Inside is nice, but the whole point here is the outdoor seating in summer, right smack dab in the middle of the Niederdorf, under the shade of chestnut trees, with gravel underfoot and those romantic dark green tables and chairs. We recommend the fish.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 18 – 41

Rigiblick; Germaniastrasse 99, 8006 Zurich; 043 255 15 70; www.restaurantrigiblick.ch; International
Just to confuse things, the Restaurant Rigiblick is made up of two venues: upstairs is Spice, a formal, full-menu restaurant with an exquisite outdoor terrace; and on the ground floor Quadrino, a limited menu bar with outdoor lounge chairs and tables. Reservations are essential, especially on sunny afternoons, when we have been known to close up shop early and sneak up there to catch a few rays.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 – 58

Seerose; Seestrasse 493, 8038 Zurich-Wolishofen; 044 481 63 83; www.dinning.ch; Swiss, International
That website name is unfortunately not a typo, but never mind, the location is breathtaking: a lily pad dock sticks out onto the lake and holds a glass-enclosed main structure surrounded by a deck furnished with a bar, a lounge with comfy deckchairs and a linen-covered formal "dinning" area. The food is a decent mix of Swiss, Mediterranean and Asian. Those with their own boat make an entrance by tying directly up to the dock.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 36 - 62

Tao’s, Augustinerstrasse 4, 8001 Zurich; 044 448 11 22; www.taos-lounge.ch; Pan-Asian
Southeast Asian style garden with lots of bamboo and stylish banker types. An oasis in the middle of the stuffy Bahnhofstrasse district.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 28-55

Die Waid, Waidbadstrasse 45, 8037 Zurich, 044 422 08 08; www.diewaid.ch; Swiss, Asian-inspired
Outdoor terrace with a gorgeous view of the city and the Alps beyond, a "chestnut garden" (think gravel underfoot, chestnut trees for shade), a playground for the kiddies, and it's close to wooded paths for walking off the cholesterol.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 18-55