When you think about food in Switzerland, boutique chocolatiers come to mind right away, along with high-quality Swiss cheeses.

Besides these delicacies, Swiss food isn’t particularly famous.

The only dish that really became famous worldwide and symbolizes the Swiss cuisine is the fondue {especially cheese fondue} which was a hit in the 70’s and 80’s and kind of disappeared since then.

Personally, I don’t really enjoy traditional Swiss food.

Most of their food fits in well with the cold weather that characterizes Switzerland most of the year. They serve a lot of creamy dishes and potatoes, like the Rushti dish {a giant potato fritter along with crazy extras like a lot of melted cheese} and the Raklet {a dish made of baked potatos, with a ton of melted Raklet cheese on top}.

I don’t really enjoy creamy dishes, especially not during the warm summer months when all I want is to eat lighter food.

That’s why we decided to try the less traditional restaurants during our last visit to Zurich.

Before our flight, I did some research to check which restaurants were the most recommended, and honestly, most of the restaurants I found didn’t appeal to me.

Turns out that Zurich isn’t the most amazing culinary city and along with the high prices, sometimes eating out can be quite disappointing.

That’s exactly the reason why I decided to share a list with you of the five restaurants I enjoyed most during my stay in Zurich

I enjoyed coffee and cake in Sprüngli

Sprüngli is known when it comes to high-quality Swiss chocolate, and I must admit that there wasn’t a day I didn’t go into one of their stores and I always left with a small bag filled with delightful pralines and truffles.

But Sprüngli has much more to offer besides their amazing chocolates

In the main square of Bahnhofstrasse Street, Paradeplatz Square, is the chain’s main branch, where they have a store and also a café-restaurant.

I recommend sitting outside of the café*, on the sidewalk of the main street, to enjoy the atmosphere and sip some coffee along with one of their amazing cakes you can choose from their display case that’s loaded with goodies.

If sweets don’t tempt you, the restaurant offers salty dishes on their breakfast and lunch menu, which seemed just as appetizing.

* You may have to wait for a table to sit outdoors – but it’s totally worth the wait!

Address : Bahnhofstrasse 21, 8001 Zurich

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I started my day off with an organic meal at Juicery 21

If you’re into the hot trend of smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, don’t skip a healthy breakfast or brunch atJuicery 21’s small garden.

At Juicery 21 you can find juice, smoothies and warm drinks alongside bowls of acai, muffins, bagels and cereals that will help you begin your morning on the right foot.

If you’re up to it, you can go downstairs and see how they make the juice on a daily basis using a special method called “cold pressed” which saves the nutritional values of fruits and vegetables in the best way.

Like the rest of Zurich, the prices aren’t cheap {a cup of juice will cost 10 Swiss Francs}, but at least you’ll enjoy excellent organic products and great service.

The small coffee shop is in the quiet Selnau area, which is a short walk away from Bahnhofstrasse Street.

Address : Sihlstrasse 93, 8001 Zurich

I enjoyed the view at Quai 61 Bar & Deck

During the pleasant spring and summer days, Quai 61 Bar & Deck  is the place to eat brunch or lunch along with a cool drinks in a place with a relaxing and cool atmosphere.

Even though the prices are high, even compared to Zurich, the beautiful view of the luxurious yachts on the blue water and the gentle breeze from the lake are worth the extra investment.

The restaurant has a rich menu offering a variety of salads {excellent}, sausages, pastas, hamburgers {too compressed in my opinion} and desserts.

On Sundays {from the beginning of spring and until September} there’s a cool line for young people called “SUNDAYZ” on the restaurant’s rooftop combining good music, drinks, food and even nargilas!

Address : Mythenquai 61, 8002 Zurich

I ate legendary bratwurst at Sternen Grill

If you already read my article about our trip to Brussels, then you know that bratwurst {German sausage in a bun} is my favorite street food!

Daniel, who already visited Zurich 3 times before this trip, couldn’t stop talking about the legendary bratwurst at Sternen Grill – so it’s not a surprise that the first thing we went to eat when we got to Zurich was the city’s famous sausage.

In Zurich they don’t eat bratwurst in the common way – they eat the sausage next to the bun {a small one} instead of inside the bun.

It may sound weird, but it works 😉

What makes this great dish special at Sternen Grill is their super spicy mustard they serve with the dish – if you’re not careful with amount you use, you can really feel the sharp spicy taste jump straight up your nose and right to your brain #truestory

If you’re there, you should definitely get a few jars of this amazing mustard and take them back home with you {because who said you can only bring chocolate as a gift back from Switzerland?? }.

Address : Theaterstrasse 22, 8001 Zürich

I scalded a steak at Rolli’s Steakhouse

From outside, Rolli's Steakhouse looks like a typical touristy and not so great restaurant {one look at the colorful menu printed and placed in a folder can completely make you want to skip the restaurant}.

Luckily, Daniel ate at this restaurant a few times and was very enthusiastic about it – so I had to give it a shot.

It’s true, it’s not a fancy restaurant – the menu is ugly and most of the serving dishes were very basic, but if you like high-quality steaks, don’t you dare skip this restaurant.

All of the meat dishes were served on special wooden platters, and included 3 small sauce dishes, a plate for the side-dish {fries or potatoes baked in the oven}, and the cherry on top : 2 stone pallets – one cold and one hot.

If you’re wondering why they served it in this strange way, you’ll be happy to find out that the steak served to the table was only ready on the outside and the rest of the roasting process is done by you during the meal.

Why is this amazing ?

1. You can enjoy a steak made EXACTLY according to your taste.
2. You can eat slowly without worrying about the steak getting cold – you just cut bites from the piece on the cold pallet and warm it up on the hot one according to your pace.

Pro-Tip * – Don’t be shy to ask to switch the hot pallet when you feel like it’s not doing the job anymore. The waiters are well-trained and will take care of it quickly and professionally.

It’s recommended to book a table in advance.

Address : the restaurant has 3 branches in the city.

I ate at the food market in Restaurant Markthalle

Behind the food market in Zurich, under the viaduct bridge, there’s a small restaurant with simple food that isn’t sophisticated but very good, made from excellent ingredients from the nearby market.

Restaurant Markthalle has a menu that changes on a daily basis and the atmosphere in the restaurant’s garden is wonderful. You can tell that most of the restaurant’s clients are locals since they don’t even have one English menu, so the kind waiter had a challenge to explain every dish on the menu 😉

The only downside of the place was that the service was very slow even though the place was almost empty when we got there {the quiet time between lunch and dinner}.

If you plan on going there in the evening, you should make a reservation in advance, since all of the tables around us were marked as “reserved” for dinner.

Address : Limmatstrasse 231‬, 8005,  Zurich

The perfect dinner at Baltho Kitchen & Bar

We enjoyed the delicious food and drinks at Baltho Kitchen & Bar on my second vacation in Zurich. We started the meal with two great cocktails that immediately opened our appetite – Daniel ordered a gin-based cocktail called Summer G&T and I ordered another gin-based cocktail specially made for me by the nice bartender {who even came to us after to make sure I enjoyed the drink 🙂 }.

For the appetizers we ordered steak tartare, served with wonderful burrata cheese, tomato chutney, hot red chili pepper and great pesto, and a tomato tart with mozzarella cheese, Roquette salad and basil oil. The steak tartare was very seasoned and not as traditionally served, but I loved their interpretation of the dish. The tart was simple and tasty, a very successful combination of flavors. For the main course, Daniel ordered American-style pork chops, served with barbeque sauce, crispy hot country fries and grilled corn on the cob. As an avid fan of American food, Daniel devoured the dish with pleasure, but I on the other hand don’t love the genre and I preferred to focus on my main course – entrecote steak alongside an excellent green salad. The steak was delicious and juicy, and the roasted vegetables served with the steak were great. However, at the beginning of the week, I managed to eat again at the famous “Rolli's Steakhouse” restaurant and there’s no doubt that steak served on a hot stone will always beat steak served on a plate, no matter how good it is. On second thought, maybe I should have ordered another dish from the menu… 🙂 We ended the meal with the homiest apple pie that came along with super high-quality vanilla ice cream. Just as I thought, dinner at the restaurant was also one of the best we ever had in Zurich.

Adress : Marktgasse 17, 8001 Zürich

Colorful pizzas at Stripped Pizza

Small self catering restaurant that serves perfect pizzas and salads, which are based on healthy and natural ingredients and free of additives. The menu includes a variety of special pizzas {if you wonder, the pink one is with beet sauce!}, but you can also make your own pizza from a variety of fresh doughs, sauces and toppings. Highly recommended!!

Adress : Seefeldstrasse 88, 8008 Zürich

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