I had to put a quick list together of my commonly visited restaurants in Zurich for some swiss friends. So here's a copy. I've not put down other restaurants like Hiltl, Cheyennes/Iroqois, Chässtube Rehalp (posted here before) because if I sit here and think of all restaurants, I'd never leave.





Casual Asian places:

Beyond – this is Sichuan /Chinese food where the staff from the Chinese Embassy go to eat. They have two menus – one is normal “trendy” menu where they also have Thai stuff, but they have another menu …. And the food is quite different. This is just across the road from the Hbf, on the Landesmuseum side.
Restaurant Beyond (http://www.restaurant-beyond.ch)
Zollstr. 20
8005 Zürich
New number: 043 366 83 45

Tiffins – great trendy thai food. Very crowded after 7:30pm on most days but very quick service. http://www.tiffins.ch/start.html

Peking Duck and some other chinese dishes - Entehuus, Alfred Escher-Str. 11 8002 Zürich, T 01/2014490. Went there for Peking Duck and were surprised at how inexpensive it was.

Brunch:

Bohemia – has good food normally but also great Sunday brunch including English breakfast or American style pancakes. This is on Kreuzplatz (Tram 11) http://www.bohemia.ch/bohemia/

Creperie Güntal – has great Crepes. I had the one with Salami, leek (lauch), olives, chilli and Mark had the smoked trout with crème fraise. Also has sweet crepes. Open ‘till late. In Wipkingen, near Escher-Wyss Platz

GRÜNTAL CREPERIE
BREITENSTEINSTR. 21
8037 ZÜRICH
SCHWEIZ
Tel. +41 (0) 43 366 85 02
(this place has moved - I'm leaving it here until I find out its new address)


Thai

(Added 30/8/2007) Ah Hua - My current favourite Thai place. Booking is necessary. There are two restaurants due to demand and they're mostly booked out during meal times. Plenty of locals, atmosphere is very casual and price is good. There's no website but I'm adding a link to a german review:
http://www.myzuri.ch/artikel/278.php
Ah Hua - Brauerstr 9, 8004 Zurich (044 241 3937)
P/s: Spicy is spicy - I actually got a chilli rush with the Lab Gai

Roi Et – Really good Thai place. It’s not “trendy” but there are plenty of delicate flavours in the food. Very extensive menu for such a small place. Bus Stop: 31/32 Militairestrasse, off Langstrasse.
Roi-Et. Schöneggstrasse 30, 8004

Blue Monkey – Another good restaurant in Niederdorf. Trendy setup. Don’t go upstairs – it’s just same food for more price. Stay down, in the restaurant/café. www.bluemonkey.ch


Bang Song Thai – Good but booking essential. Also in the Niederdorf
Bang Song Thai.
Kirchgasse 6,
Zürich,
Phone:, +41 (44) 252 3331

Indian

Kings Kurry – probably the indian restaurant with the best reputation in Zurich. Service can sometimes be a bit slow but food is good. Near Bhf Wiedikon. http://www.kingskurry.ch/

Spice Route – very good place, as loved by many. Opposite Letzigrund Stadium. http://www.spiceroute.ch/index.html

Kerala – Very good south indian food. I can recommend their buffet on Wednesdays and Sundays. A good place to try south Indian food.
http://www.keralarestaurant.ch/


Ravi’s – this is in Wipkingen and they have different things. Also good but perhaps not as good as the top restaurants - but different cook, different tastes. http://www.ravis.ch

Just recently tried Handi in Oerlikon and quite liked it. Service was a little slow, but hey, one has to relax with indian food. http://www.handi-restaurant.ch


Restaurants for Special Occassions

Romantik Hotel Florhof Restaurant - This is our favourite restaurant. It’s French and the food is always good. The chef lives in Colmar and goes home on the weekends. But you have to check if its open on weekends because it sometimes is. I can really recommend this place for a great cosy meal. Don’t really need to dress up but you can. We would go in normal jeans. If you have a birthday, let them know. The chef will make a cake. http://www.florhof.ch/ We’ve never been disappointed.


(Added 16/2/07)Rigiblick Restaurant - A great restaurant with really good creative food and wonderful ingredients. The location is quiet - just at the Rigiblick stop. You can take the Seilbahn up from Seilbahn Rigiblick stop (trams 9/10 bus 33). If you have a birthday, let them know. The chef made us a cake. More info: http://www.restaurantrigiblick.ch/ There is also a Bistro that I've not tried.


Japanese

I don't know much about Japanese food but Ginger on Seefeldstrasse is nice (across the road from Tiffins) but expensive. The chef prepares all dishes in the center (sushi/sashimis) and places it on a conveyor belt. The restaurant is very small and you can chat with chef and watch the preparation. It’s a bit pricey but the quality is good. I don’t like fish, but I always find something to eat because they also do stuff with beef and eggs and vegetarian.

(Added 16/2/07) Just recently discovered Samurai which is great. It's a small place that is almost always booked out, so it pays to book well in advance. More info: http://www.samurai7.ch/

(Added 04/07/07) Excellent and copious sushi near Stauffacher. Beautiful setting - http://www.ishi.ch



Misc

Heuguemper – is pretty good. In die Altstadt. Worth a try. http://www.restaurantheuguemper.ch


Il Golosone – behind jelmoli carpark has very good pizzas. Very fresh ingredients. Always crowded on the weekends so either book or go early. Currently, our favourite pizza place but place is tied with Don Leone (see below).
Il Golosone
Uraniastrasse 20
8001 Zürich

Bindella - Another really good Italian place. Currently they have really good piemontese truffles. http://www.bindella.ch/

Don Leone – Friends have checked out this place and it passed their inspection too. Service can sometimes be slow though. Sort of place you go to take your time. So I wouldn’t recommend going there before a movie eventhough it’s around the corner from Stauffacher’s Metropole cinema. http://donleone.ch/home.html
Owner also owns Franco's Pizza in Oerlikon. I know some italian friends who work nearby and go there for lunch everyday.



Lebanese (Added 2/3/06)

This has always been a good option for a mixed group of vegetarians and meat-eaters. Le Cedre http://www.libanesisch.ch/ is probably the most well known in Zurich. Booking is usually required on weekends unless you're really lucky. We’ve never been disappointed. Mezzeh has always been yummy. Belly Dancers on some days. Unfortunately, this means that all discussions cease while extremely loud music is played while she goes from table to table.

Another option is Arabesque http://http://www.arabesque.li/. The food is also good and the mezzeh is slightly different to Le Cedre's. Also has Belly Dancers on some days. Same deal with the loud music. Would recommend booking on weekends.



Special Places Link (Added 7/2/08)


I just came across this link for the best fifty restaurants in Zurich. I am a bit sceptical if that is the top 50 - but the site is laid out with restaurant photos and link ... so if you're looking for the special place, it might be a good starting point.

Hi Nanda,

Thanks for posting this - a good start and hopefully others can start posting their restaurant reviews as well. It looks like you have a little bit of formatting and checking of links to do on that post though :-)

Just a question - I noticed you listed Bohemia for brunch - I used to go since it was only one of the few places I knew in Zürich to get breakfast on a weekend. However, after being constantly disappointed with luke warm food and really poor service I eventually resolved to stop going. How has your experience been and have you been more than once? I'd go again if the situation has changed.

Another question - anyone know a decent place to get breakfast in Zurich? Maybe things have changed and it is now possible? Please don't suggest anything that involves paying CHF50 for some sort of buffet breakfast. I only want to do what I could do in many other countries - go out, sit down and choose my breakfast from a menu. My requirements aren't complicated or special... Oh and breakfast doesn't mean a piece of bread and a coffee.. at least not to me anyway :-)

Mark

OOopppsss... really sorry about the formatting. I did this list on my last day of work for my ex-colleagues and there were plenty of cutting and pasting involved. I used the same base for this post and missed the "preview post" option.

I've been to Bohemia a few times and have never had anything to complain about except for the really hot summers day when there were too many flies buzzing around. We always go with friends and so far everyone's been pleased enough to return.

I have heard of another place that was posted on the expats-in-zurich yahoo group - described as 'best place to have brunch in zurich', by the poster is the Imagine Restaurant, which is downtown and when I asked Fred how it compared to Bohemia or Iroqois, his reply was:
"Yes, it compares well with other places. Chef on board to make omlets like you want it, pancakes and syrup, salmon, etc.
Price 29 CHF."

Guess that fits in your Sfr50 max menu.

If you like Crepes, check out the creperie I mentioned. It's more than just sweet crepes. I can certainly have a good brunch there.

~ nanda.
Ps: Anyone going to the wineships - the seafood risotto at the trattoria is really, really good. Now I just hope there's only one trattoria so I can go back again.

Movie Restaurant on the side of ABC does a fashionably crowded breakfast

Italian:
Il Golosone is The Daddy of Italian in Zurich - there is place on the 4 tram line between Limmatplatz and Escher-Wyzplatz opposite a Spanish place that used to be good [the best] but was frankly not last time I went (1 year last Valentine's Day).... and there's a little cute place called Piccola-Trattoria-Gaetano [Bertastrasse 16] run by Gaetano who's frankly so insanely friendly its untrue.

Sale & Pepe at Im Tiergarten is famously good too; no pizza mind you. And another couple of haunts - Grottino 77 and Mezzo.

During lunch I came across this place whilst browsing through the current issue of Salt & Pepper: http://www.wi-s.ch/ (Asian Fusion Cafe) .


Anyone tried it? The review was good but this is my first time reading this magazine. Looked like they have an interesting menu though.


~ Nanda.

Had the best dim sums I've ever had in Zurich last night. Okay, not
much competition there, but definitely worth checking out if you miss
them.

Suan Long restaurant at Enge Bhf has them I think from wednesday night
to saturday or sunday. It's about Sfr5-8 for each serve. They have a
range from the usual dumplings to duck's tongue and chicken feet to
custard steamed buns.


Will definitely be going back.

Hi Nanda,

Excellent tip thank you - I've been looking for yum cha in Zurich ever since I got here five years ago. I often asked Chinese people and they either shake their heads or laugh that I should suggest that such a thing could be had here.

I was always a big fan, and would often go for the traditional yum cha Sunday brunch, something I sorely miss.

I shall go this Sunday and check it out. The prices sound a bit steep - but as you said - no competition. I guess expecting trolley service would be too much? (to be fair I only know 1 place in London that does it with trolleys).

For American readers you may be assuming that I have somehow made a mistake because I haven't called it "dim sum" like you do. "dim sum" are the dishes which are eaten at "yum cha" which is the meal itself. If you are Swiss you are probably puzzled, since you probably have no idea what we are talking about. You can find a description of the term yum cha here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yum_cha

Here's a picture of my favourite dish:



Mark

That restaurant is in a chain that also includes the Hot Pot on Birmensdorferstrasse near Goldbrunnenplatz - in fact, the waitress and chef have been "stolen back" to Enge.

Good prices too.

Mark - you're right, trolley service is too much to expect. You order from a list and wait for about 15-20mins. It arrives quite hot - be warned.

Your favourite dimsum is the steamed bread and is actually called pau/pao/bao depending on which chinese dialect but you can ask for it in most restaurants. Beyond has it too or used to have it.

There are many many types of filling and in this place we had the bbq pork (gebratene schwein) which was really good. Though you can also buy this from this take away in the bahnhof. Cheaper at yum cha though. They also have it in custard.

If you get to an asian grocery store you can buy this in the frozen food section. Most are from some asian countries but you can also get some locally made ones (they're the ones in the plain packet). Steam for 10 -15 mins and bob's your uncle. My absolute favourite is the red bean one but it has to be good red bean preferably malaysian style. The others tend to be just too sweet.

Have fun on Sunday. We do German class every wednesday night around the corner from there, so we might make it there regularly.
BTW - I can recommend the rice roll or noodles done in hawker style on the first page. It's the only thing done "strasse art" or something similar.



~ Nanda.

Hi Nanda,

I tried making the BBQ pork buns myself from the grocery store - but the result wasn't good - not like the real thing :-)

You are right - though they come in many different flavours (as you know) and the "bau" would be pork (since there isn't an official way to Romanise the characters I guess we can spell them however we want). Thankfully I haven't had "gau" yet - but I have heard a rumour that there are a few restaurants (not Chinese) that serve "gau" illegally. (shudder). A bit cryptic I know...

15-20 mins - What are they doing? Killing the thing first? I guess I'll have to take a good book... Well I suppose that the real yum cha is supposed to take place over several hours, but I've never done it like that.....

Keep those tips coming (don't be afraid to post different subjects in different threads - for example different types of restaurants). I saw the post you did on expats in Zurich about why you were going to post here - ouch. But I agree with your sentiments!

Mark

I can't find any bbq-pork pau's from the grocery store. I'd be happy with just the bbq-pork (char siew) without the pau.

I have had some other pork ones from the grocery storebut their fillines were a little dubious (maybe even gau?) But anyway, the other non-meaty, sweet ones are still okay - lotus, kaya for example. But try the ones in Suan Long.


I'm guessing that they only steam them when you order .. that's why you wait. There's not a rush for these so it's probably not worth their while for them to pre-steam. Pick a table near the fish, that would help.

BTW - the grocery stop near Bezirksgebaude tram stop actually do stock frozen dim sums from a restaurant in Geneva. Good tasting ones too and different to normal ones you get everywhere else. I'll see if I can dig up the address.

Here it is:

New Asia Market
Feldstrasse 24
+41 44 241 80 00


It's the biggest I know in Zurich.

Hey Guys!

Last Saturday we have been at Anthony's kitchen, Nordstrasse 199, 8037 Zürich Wipkingen.
The food is amazing! A mix between Mediterr&Asian. Great Chillout Sound. Good Prices. There is no Menulist existing, Chef Anthony is just cooking every day fresh dishes. Also Sushi & Sashimi available. Try it yourself or Take out. Cheers Carla

Just thought it was time for some more or longer reviews

Last week, we tried the Bluemonkey. Thanks for the tip, Nanda. The food was excellent and the service very good. The number of people changed back and forth, and they just smiled and said "no problem". We sat in the yard outside, which was just lovely.

I also like the Mishio - great Asian food, apart from their tofu which I find too watery. Very reasonable prices, also take away (you can order their whole menu for take away by internet). Centrally located in the Hotel Seidenhof near Jelmoli, they also have a garden to sit outside. Closed on Sundays. Web address www.mishio.ch

For a nice glass of Spanish wine and good food, I would also recommend the Barrique in Niederdorf. In summer, you can sit outsire, as well. Web address http://www.barrique-wineandbar.ch/mainpage.htm

Tonight, we will try the Ristorantie Italia. I will let you know the outcome.

Have a great Sunday
Britta

There is mention of Tiffins above, I used to live around there and they are good, consistently so, the duck in orange is very good. Kings Kurry is good, but not always, I have been disappointed on two occasions and they are expensive. They also made their take out menu as expensive as the a la carte menu, which means the take out is a blatant rip-off (and stodgy, bad bad Kings Kurry)

There is a great Asian market off Helvezia Platz that do great, authentic lunch curries and take away, double to food from Kings, twice as good and half the price.

Do you mean Aggarwal's? They're just off Helvetia Platz but they're a asian grocery store with "fresh" asian fishes and veggies. More info under the groceries thread.

With Aggarwal's you have to get there before lunch time on Saturdays or its all gone.

After 2-3 years, I went back to the pie shop this afternoon, thanks to an EF event (Grumpy grapefruit's cheese and pie do) and I must say that it's vastly improved.

It's changed completely from when it first opened and the pies are normal, traditional pies like one would expect.

The chicken was really good. I was told that they roast the chickens for 2 hours with prunes. I also got a taste of the pork and apple ... they're both worth trying.

Thank goodness we finally get good pies here!

Woohoo! Are you reading this Litespeed? Might be time for you to visit Zurich. (We were both pie-craving out on a cycle last Friday).

I'll have to try this place out. But for an example of how it should be done :-)
http://www.mrsmacs.com.au/
http://www.jesters.com.au/site/index...id=2&Itemid=76

One way to get the aussies out of the wood work I guess ...

did anyone try any of the restaurants with lake views ? i have some friends visiting for the weekend, they are after a place with a nice lake view but not too formal ( terrace, if we manage to get some sunshine in this city !!) .. i have been to Blu and found it too corporate ...Seerose was a bit better .. any other options?

also would love to hear your recommendations for places to hang out after dinner

PS: They are Irish and English, very laid back, if it is going to impact any of the recommendations :-)