Dining in Zurich: some of our favorites
Champagne, Restaurant Opéra, Zurich
A few food and drink suggestions
Want to walk in the footsteps of the intellectual, political and the social elite? Would you like to dine in a Viennese-style coffee house with grand chandeliers and marble walls? The Art Nouveau Odeon is a café, restaurant, and bar that teems with a history and goes back to the origins of Dadaism. Einstein met with students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology here. Lenin, Mussolini, and Trotsky were among the regulars.
Odeon, Zurich
Vegetarian? Haus Hiltl, the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, is known for its buffet. It was founded by Ambrosius Hiltl who had rheumatoid arthritis and was told to avoid meat.
Hiltl Restaurant, Zurich
Looking for a hidden gem? You will need a reservation for a table on the terrace of Grieder Bar, the café upstairs in Grieder, the exclusive department store known for luxury fashion. Try the Fruchtwähen, a fruit dessert traditionally eaten on meatless Fridays.
Look up to see a hidden gem of a restaurant on the terrace of the luxury department store, Grieder.
Like to immerse yourself in history? Zunfthaus zur Waag was the guild house of the linen weavers, wool weavers and hatters when the city was governed by the trade guilds and nobility.
Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich
It’s a good place to savor a Zurich specialty like Kalbsgeschnetzelte (veal in cream sauce) with Butterrösti (a grated potato dish)
Kalbsgeschnetzelte, Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich
There is a view of Fraumünster church and Münsterhof Square through the colorful stained glass windows.
stained glass window depicting linen workers, Zunfthaus zur Waag
Want to try for beer on the house?
Oepfelchammer, Zurich
You will have to crawl between beam and ceiling in the upstairs front room at Oepfelchammer.
Oepfelchammer beam, Zurich
It is fun to read the inscriptions carved into the walls and tables in this 200 year old building in the Old Town.
Oepfelchammer, Zurich
Want to help support people trying to return to the work force? Schipfe 16 is a restaurant that offers job training in this former soup kitchen. It is in the old Roman part of the city on a narrow riverside street that is known for its artisans.
Schipfe 16, Zurich
Tram and river taxi, Limmat River, Zurich
Seeking award-winning seafood? Restaurant Opera is decorated in surrealistic baroque images of the opera world. It has been awarded Gault Millau points and the Golden Fish for their specialties and is MSC certified.
Restaurant Opera_ Hotel Ambassador a l’Opera Zurich