Restaurants in Zurich A - Z

Alpenrose; Fabrikstrasse 12, 8005 Zurich; 044 271 39 19; Swiss
A bistro-style local beiz for Swiss specialties you probably won't find anywhere else. The menu changes daily, depending on what's fresh on the market, and is heavy on mouth-watering old recipes from the canton of Graubünden. Excellent. No credit cards.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 23 - 41

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

Casa Aurelio; Langstrasse 209, 8005 Zurich; 022 272 77 44; www.casaaurelio.ch ; Spanish
Heavenly, garlic-laden tapas, loup de mer in a salt crust, crema catalana: this is why we go here. And its trompe l'oeil murals of Spanish castles, its huge gilded mirrors and cheesy portraits of 17th C dignitaries are just too good to be true. The ambiance is loud and family-friendly.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 22 - 55

Ban Song Thai; Kirchgasse 6, 8001 Zurich; 044 252 33 31; www.bansongthai.ch ; Thai
The place for Thai food, no matter what anyone else says. You'll have to dig deeper in your pockets than usual, but it's definitely worth it. Claustrophobes beware: the room is so small, you may have to go outside to scream every 15 minutes. The upside: there's outdoor seating in warm weather.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 23 - 44

Barfüsser; Spitalgasse 14, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 4064; www.barfuesser.ch ; Sushi
Gay bar, sushi restaurant, all guests welcome: this is the modern world. The interior is cool with footage of fish darting around underwater projected onto its smooth stucco walls. Outside, elegant hipsters lounge in funky seating areas that border onto the no-frills hippie-alternative Café Zähringer next door. We like to sit and watch the two crowds interact. Oh, and the sushi is great.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 35 - 46

Bauernschänke
Rindermarkt 24, 8001 Zurich; 044 262 41 30; www.bauernschaenke.ch; Swiss
Swiss restaurant with a stübli atmosphere on one of the Niederdorf's side streets, with tables outside in warm weather. Not as pricey as the guild houses, but with a similar menu, cheaper prices and food that's almost as good.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 19 - 37

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

Bindella; In Gassen 6, 8001 Zurich; 044 221 25 46; www.bindella.ch ; Italian
For excellent, if somewhat hoity-toity Italian food. Waiters in white shirts and black bow ties, marble, leather, walnut wainscoting: the décor is straight out of every Scorsese Mafia movie.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 18 - 58

Blindekuh; Mühlebachstrasse 148, 8008 Zurich; 044 421 5050; www.blindekuh.ch ; Swiss, International Fusion
Local seasonal ingredients make the difference here - that and the fact you'll be eating in the pitch-dark. Run by a foundation established by blind and sight-impaired members. Wait-staff help the sighted to their tables and are always just a shout away. Rumoured to be frequented by celebrities who are looking for anonymity. Don't go with someone you've just met - we went with a good friend's mother and ended up talking about how weird it was to eat in the dark instead of getting to know her properly.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 25 - 43

Bodega Espagnola; Münstergasse 15, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 23 10; Span
They serve a wonderful selection of tapas in the ground floor bar. Upstairs is more formal and offers paella and other more complicated but tasty Spanish dishes.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 19 - 49

Bohemia; Klosbachstrasse 2, 8032 Zurich; 044 383 70 60; www.bohemia.ch ; Bar & grill
Nicely grilled steaks and a great place for brunch, American or otherwise. Lots of outside seating in summer, although at a busy intersection.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 19 - 62

Brasserie Lipp; Uraniastrasse 9, 8001 Zurich; 043 888 66 66; www.brasserie-lipp.ch; French
For that wonderfully sniffy Parisian experience: If you're looking for a tiny but perfect café de Paris steak with frites for way too much money, a tower of shellfish, choucroute with sausages, or a to-die-for chocolate mousse, here you are. The décor is taken directly from the Parisian handbook, complete with miniscule tables.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 27 - 47

Beyond; Zollstrasse 20, 8005 Zurich; 043 366 83 45; www.restaurant-beyond.ch ; Thai, Chinese
A decent and friendly place, especially for lunch, since you'll be sharing a long table with others. The location behind the Zurich's central train station is a bit charmless, but inside it's all Modern Asia, with paper lanterns and wall screens. Foodwise, it's the usual suspects - from things in black bean sauce to pad thai - but done up very nicely.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 16 - 27

Casa Ferlin; Stampfenbachstrasse 38, 8006 Zurich; 044 362 3509; www.casaferlin.ch ; Italian
Arguably the best homemade pasta in town. A bit stuffy and heavy on the good-old-boys in expensive suits, with interior decoration by Pavarotti, 30 years ago. But we're still dreaming about the wafer-thin ravioli in butter, because we can't get it to go like that at home.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 38 - 105

Cèdre; Badenerstrasse 78, 8004 Zurich; 044 241 42 72; www.libanesisch.ch ; Lebanese
Exceptionally good mezzes, surprisingly good Lebanese wine (surprising to us cultureless dolts because we didn't know they make good wine in Lebanon) and some nimble and nifty belly-dancing. We tried not to stare. They also do take-out and have another restaurant - with outdoor seating - near Bellevue: Schifflände 5, 8001 Zurich; 044 252 83.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 - 65

Didis Frieden; Stampfenbachstrasse 32, 8006 Zurich; 044 253 18 10; www.didisfrieden.ch ; Swiss-Italian
Another one of those market fresh places, and again it's worth it. Loved by business people at lunch and the hip crowd at dinner - reservations are essential. There's a cute outdoor patio with tables in warm weather.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 27-56

Le Dézaley; Römergasse 7, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 61 29; www.le-dezaley.ch ; Swiss
This is where we take guests looking for fondue (because we hate making it at home). It's also where the locals go, and they give it rave reviews. We can't say more than that, because actually, we hate fondue altogether.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 16 - 34

Giesserei Oerlikon; Birchstrasse 108, 8050 Zurich; 043 205 10 10; www.diegiesserei.ch ; Swiss, Fusion
A very cool ambience done in early 20th C industrial chic, housed in an old foundry, with top-notch, market-fresh Mediterranean specialties. We especially like the fact that the company that owns it is called Fidel Gastro AG.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 28 - 44

Ginger; Seefeldstrasse 62, 8008 Zurich; 044 422 95 09; www.shinsen.ch ; Sushi
The other guests may tend towards the over-designed, but when we have an extra few bucks in our wallets, the exquisite sushi creations are too much of an temptation to resist. The staff is very friendly and glad to help out with the selection.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 - 50

Globus am Bellevue; Theaterstrasse 12, 8001 Zurich; 044 266 16 30; www.globus.ch ; International
Zurich's food fair for the rich and beautiful is also a good place to hang out and people-watch. Or pick up a bored debutante. The sushi selection is better than most places in town.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 15 - 40

Il Golosone; Uraniastrasse 20, 8001 Zurich; 044 212 40 08; Italian
We almost don't want to tell you about this one, because it's already hard to get a seat. But here goes: for the best thin-crust pizza in town, bar none.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 19 - 43

Hard One; Heinrichstrasse 269, 8005 Zurich; 044 444 10 00; www.hardone.ch ; International
Ok, we get it: it's off Hardstrasse. But still... It's all about the cool bar, the stylish people and - most of all - the fabulous view.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 23 - 42

Haus zum Rüden; Limmatquai 62, 8001 Zurich; 044 261 95 66; www.hauszumrueden.ch ; Swiss
The best of the guild house restaurants. The main restaurant is housed in a magnificent gothic hall with a vaulted ceiling, intricate parquet floors, lead-glass windows and medieval crests. Light, market fresh versions of traditional Swiss dishes makes us glad that Mother wants to take us here every time she visits.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 48 - 95

Helvti Diner; Kasernenstrasse 2, 8004 Zurich; 043 322 0424; www.helvti-diner.ch ; American diner
Someone in Zurich finally gets the burger right. There's three kinds: with wagyu, angus or Swiss prime beef - one for each wallet size. It's best to go off-peak times, as the small venue is usually packed at lunch and after work.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 16 - 32

Hiltl; Sihlstrasse 28 , 8001 Zurich, 044 227 7000; www.hiltl.ch ; Vegetarian
Whenever we realize we've been eating too much meat again, we do some time at a veggie place. Here though, the penance is sweet: the Hiltl family have been doing things to vegetables since 1898, so they're definitely experts. Veggie versions of Swiss dishes, including dessert, are excellent. The Indian-flavoured buffet draws a big crowd.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 - 38

Hirschberg; Seilergraben 9, 8001 Zurich; 044 262 63 63; Mediterranean
A fabulous place for Italian-Mediterranean delicacies, although the prices are a bit much - but we keep getting invited here by friends and family, so who cares? The antipasti are to die for. Reserve in advance: apparently everyone just loves to get fleeced here.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 49 - 60

Jules Verne Panorama Bar; Uraniastrasse 9, 8001 Zurich; www.brasserie-lipp.ch ; French
The top of Zurich's observatory offers a 360-degree view of the old town, but little seating, so come early. Saturday afternoon, just after most stores close (these days between 4-5pm) or early evening is when the most crowds appear. Enter on the street level through the Brasserie Lipp (where the food comes from) and take the elevator to the top.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 27 - 47

Kaufleuten; Pelikanplatz, 8001 Zurich; 044 225 33 33; www.kaufleuten.com ; International
The Mecca of Zurich's "shickey-mickey" crowd since the 1980's, Kaufleuten is our secret pleasure. Not really for the food, but for the room's design, the fact that it's open very late/early - and a great place to people-watch.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 25 - 58

Kronenhalle; Rämistrasse 4, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 66 69; www.kronenhalle.com ; Swiss
We won't list all the famous people that actually come here, that would be tacky. And besides, they always put us upstairs, away from the fun. Just once we want to sit downstairs with everyone else, under all those wonderful impressionist paintings. But we mustn't whine. Oh yeah, and the food is ok, too.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 - 61

Bierhalle Kropf; In Gassen 16, 8001 Zurich; 044 221 18 05; Swiss
Another one of those "What were they thinking?" kind of places, décor-wise. But fun: big fat - and badly drawn - cherubs hang out on a ceiling that may be trying for (we refuse to say "going for") baroque. This, mixed with jugendstil stucco trim and dark wood wainscoting, gives the overall affect of Mad King Ludwig's hunting lodge. Swiss specialties include a variety of sausages, cutlets, etc., with rösti, potatoes and salad. Snazzy bankers rub elbows with everyday locals.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 21 - 43

La Salle; Schiffbaustrasse 4, 8005 Zurich; 044 258 70 71; www.lasalle-restaurant.ch ; Western European
Inventive cuisine in the buffed-up industrial setting of the former shipyards, with one of the Stadttheater's stages next door. Unusually for Zurich, tables are set well apart, giving you enough space to relax for a change. 100 points for making the tackiest of all enormous Murano glass chandeliers look decidedly elegant.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 26 - 49

Les Halles; Pfingstweidstrasse 6, 8005 Zurich; 044 273 11 25; www.les-halles.ch ; French, Mediterranean
When in season, the place for truly affordable moules frites. The furnishings are slap-dash and acquired from the local Brockenhaus; the clientele mixed but casual. There's a health food store inside where you can buy many of the ingredients used by the restaurant, and then some.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 14 - 24

Mère Catherine; Nägelihof 3, 8001 Zurich; 044 250 59 40; www.commercio.ch ; Mediterranean
In summer, we like to sit outside in the square, surrounded by medieval townhouses. There's a fountain, potted plants, and the occasional Spanish guitarists come by to serenade us. Muy romantico. The food is a decent mix of Mediterranean favourites and local standards.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 20 - 42

Mesa; Weinbergstrasse 75, 8006 Zurich; 043 321 75 75; www.mesa-restaurant.ch ; International
For special occasions and romantic evenings. Ingredients are market fresh, which makes a big difference: the food is exquisite. Tables are spaced well apart, the service is professional and heartfelt, and girls get a little stool next to them to put their purses on. In the evenings there's a set 4-to 7 course tasting menu (CHF 170 - 300), but items can be mixed and matched to suit your taste.

Napoli da Gerardo; Sandstrasse 7, 8003 Zurich; 044 462 07 64; www.ristorante-napoli.ch ; Italian
Based on the premise that a bare wall is a boring wall - never mind the ceiling - the owners have covered every possible square inch of space with paintings, drawings, and etchings by Swiss artists. This is a very popular place - we always get a little claustrophobic. The homemade pasta is divine.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 24 - 88

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

New Point; Langstrasse 206, 8005 Zurich; 044 272 03 54; www.newpoints.ch; other locations throughout the city. Turkish
The New Point people have brought a new concept to Zurich: Turkish fast-food made well and darn tasty, with fresh veggies and well-spiced meat. A guilty pleasure.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 8 - 15

Nooba; Kreuzplatz 5, 8032 Zurich; 043 243 60 06; www.nooba.ch ; East Asian
The Asian noodle experience, from Korea through to Thailand. The funky décor always has us boppin' just a little as we slurp our noodles off our chopsticks. Ask for an iPad if you forgot your book: they have three to loan out to guests.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 15 - 25

Odeon; Limmatquai 2, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 16 50; www.odeon.ch ; Swiss, International
A Zurich institution, this jugendstil coffee house and bar has been around since 1911. The former meeting place of intellectuals is these days more of a see-and-be-seen locale (in warm weather, dare to walk the outdoor gauntlet of critical gazes from the excruciatingly hip and you'll see what we mean). The atmosphere gets gayer - and livelier - as the evening wears on.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 14 - 25

Outback Lodge; Stadelhofer Passage, Stadelhoferstr. 18, 8001 Zurich; www.outback-lodge.ch ; Australian
We went here once, curious as to how crocodile tastes; now we know (a bit like a chicken-fish). Attracts lots of Aussies and their friends - an ex-pat favourite - the pub food has a titillating degree of weirdness (chicken wings, but also kangaroo, croc, emu, etc.) for those from the Northern Hemisphere. Wonderful fries.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 18 - 36

Parkhuus, Beethovenstrasse 21, 8002 Zurich; 043 883 1234; www.parkhuus.ch ; Swiss, International fish
We got to go to a tasting when it opened: munched our way through mini-portions of almost the entire menu, and we've been hooked ever since. The concept is largely based on market fresh ingredients, which makes a huge difference. The glass and steel exterior of the hotel makes for an enormous, airy room with ceilings three stories high. There's also a private room that can be reserved for special events.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 22 - 65

Purpur; Seefeldstrasse 9, 8008 Zurich; 044 419 20 66; www.purpurzurich.ch ; Oriental & Mediterranean snacks
Lie back in a bed of Oriental cushions and munch on snacks while the music supplied by live DJs thumpa-thumpas around you.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 15 - 33

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

Sala of Tokyo; Limmatstrasse 29, 8005 Zurich; 044 271 52 90; www.sala-of-tokyo.ch ; Japanese
One of the very few places in town where Japanese doesn't just mean sushi, it's also the oldest, dating back to 1981. Exquisitely made and elegantly presented food demands a fat wallet or empty credit card. Cheaper than a ticket to Japan, though. There's also a takeout service: order ahead and pick it up yourself.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 29 - 125

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

Confiserie Sprüngli; Bahnhofstrasse 21, Paradeplatz, 8001 Zurich; 044 224 46 46; www.spruengli.ch ; Swiss café
You've heard of it already because of the chocolate, but did you know it's also a great place to have breakfast? - The Swiss kind, with croissants, jam, Birchermüesli, etc., with omelettes and eggs, too. There's also a decent lunch menu.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 13 - 30

Sternen Grill; Theaterstrasse 22, Bellevue, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 49 49; www.vorderer-sternen.ch ; Swiss grill specialties
Currently located in an Airstream trailer on the Sächsilüüte-Wiese while the old building gets torn down & rebuilt. We go here when we need a fix of Zurich's fist-food - a bratwurst or cervelat with a crusty bun - definitely the best in town. Apparently Tina Turner comes here too, but we've never seen her - she's obviously avoiding us.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 5 - 12

Talacker 41; Talackerstrasse 41, 8001 Zurich; 044 211 20 50; www.talacker41.ch ; Pan-Asian
A lunch restaurant only with decent curries, fun furniture and, for no reason at all, a huge picture of a dog on the wall.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF17 - 24

Terrasse; Limmatquai 3, 8001 Zurich; 044 251 10 74; www.cafe-terrasse.ch ; Swiss, Italian
The service tends towards the sniffy and most dishes are slightly overpriced, but we can't get enough of the main circular room with its cupola ceiling. There is outdoor seating in summer on a nice triangular gravelled spot with views of the Limmat.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 29 - 55

Tre Fratelli; Nordstrasse 182; 8037 Zurich; 044 363 33 03; www.trefratelli.ch ; Italian
No ready-mades here: everything here is prepared to order, so we have learned to be patient. Of course it's worth it. We also like the relaxed atmosphere, especially in the garden outside in warm weather, which makes you feel like you're at an Italian wedding. Don't tell too many people.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 25 - 50

Totò, Seefeldstrasse 124, 8008 Zurich; 043 443 00 80; www.ristorante-toto.ch ; Italian
We come here in summer after a day at the lake, have a bit of pasta or some antipasti with our wine. A lively neighbourhood spot that is easy to get to from anywhere - the tram stops right next to it.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 23 - 48

L'Ulivo, Seefeldstrasse 269, 8008 Zurich; 044 381 14 46; www.ristorante-bar-lulivo.ch ; Italian
Homemade pasta and excellent service in a quiet street as yet undiscovered by the hip crowd, thank Lucullus. Close enough to the lake for an after-swim dinner.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 18 - 48

Urania Tapas Bar; Uraniastrasse 7, 8001 Zurich; 044 210 28 08; www.uraniatapasbar.ch ; Spanish
Even though it's not on the menu, the kitchen always makes us up a variety of tapas for however many people we happen to be. Add a nice wine and we're in heaven. The restaurant room is light and airy, with a high ceiling and mirrors to enhance the effect. We don't recommend sitting outside, you might choke to death on traffic fumes.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 30 - 69

Zeughauskeller; Bahnhofstrasse 28a, 8001 Zurich; 044 211 26 90; www.zeughauskeller.ch ; Swiss
Don't be put off by the fact that the menu comes in 9 languages - the food is good enough for locals to appreciate it, too. You'll find all the traditions here, from sausages, liver and veal to rösti potatoes - and mayonnaise dressing on green salad. We like sitting outside in warm weather; inside can be a bit hectic.
Main dish prices range from/to: CHF 16 - 40