Zurich often gets an undeserved reputation as a staid business capital. Yes, it is one of the most important financial hubs in Europe but it only generates a third of the wealth and a quarter of the jobs in the city.
Zurich has a larger creative industry, it is a popular student town and with such an influx of investment it is, perhaps, unsurprising that the culinary scene is thriving. In this article, we’ll look at why you should make Zurich your number one choice in Switzerland to visit for all discerning foodies.
Historic stores
Being a historic city dating back to Roman times, you wouldn’t be surprised to find that most of the food outlets are steeped in tradition. The first place to visit is H. Schwarzenbach, it has been a specialist shop for tea, coffee and chocolate since 1864. They have coffee beans from all over the world and over 300 artisan chocolates, if you can’t find it here, it’s probably not worth purchasing.
If you are looking for traditional praline and pastries, then head to Confiserie Honold, which has been around since 1905. It’s a fourth-generation family business and its classics include Pain de Gênes – a delectable almond sponge cake made from an old family recipe.
Michelin Star
Housed in the renowned Baur au Lac hotel is one of the finest restaurants in town, Pavillon. The hotel has been around since 1844 and you don’t get more historic than having had Richard Wagner debut the first act of his masterpiece ‘Die Walküre’ in the hotel itself.
The restaurant has been lauded endlessly and has received many awards, from 18 points in Gault&Millau to two Michelin Stars. You feel a sense of the occasion the moment you step into the dining area with its statement floral displays, a dramatic chandelier and a view of the serene lawns of the hotel.
The food from head chef Laurent Eperon dazzles with inventiveness and class. A melon and tomato gazpacho with 36 months aged serrano exemplify the quality of their produce. You simply could not source such a sweet melon even if you are prepared to pay over the odds.
Interestingly there is a whole page on their menu listing the provenance of every piece of produce on the menu. Every dish is faultless, from the firm, sweet flavours of the Dublin Bay prawn from South Africa to the meaty monkfish topped with irresistible bouillabaisse wine. Best of all? They offer wine pairing with superb Swiss wines and you know that’s a real treat when the Swiss only ever export about 1% of their wine.
Local cuisine
Some other places I recommend dining out at include Restaurant Markthalle, where you can enjoy comforting food like bone marrow with Fleur de Sel. Plus there are dozens of very trendy gourmet shops in the same building such as Berg und Tal. If you walk along the railway arches of IM VIADUKT, you will discover countless independent design and fashion stores local to Zurich.
Cheese lovers should make a beeline for Stadtkäserei, the menu is filled with dairy delights like beetroot panna cotta with blue kiwi cheese and small veal cordon bleu. The highlight? They run a cheese production workshop on selected Saturdays.
Chocolate
You can’t visit Zurich without sampling their national treasure, chocolate, and there’s a whole spectrum on offer from artisanal chocolate makers like La Flor to big beasts like Lindt.
Both offer tours of their facilities and I was particularly impressed with La Flor, given the bespoke nature of their business. Their tours are free of charge and bookable from their website. You get to try their whole range of chocolates and go behind the scenes to witness that their chocolate is indeed handcrafted. They are a complete open book and more than happy to share all their chocolate knowledge with you.
Lindt Home of Chocolate museum is just what you would imagine if Willy Wonka existed in real life. You have the world’s largest chocolate fountain at 30 feet tall and 1,500 litres of real chocolate pouring down into a giant Lindor. It has the world’s biggest chocolate shop and you can get a Lindt Master Chocolatier to create a bar that fits your taste. Above all, the museum is all about the history of chocolate and it’s never a hard sell about Lindt.
Food Festival
Yearly culinary festival, FOOD ZURICH just finished their seventh edition recently and the event is going from strength to strength. They attract top chefs from Switzerland as well as across the globe and had over 100 events focused on different themes like farm-to-table and plant-based.
Visitors get to have extraordinary dining experiences in unusual locations, there are kitchen battles and foodie tours around Zurich. The great thing is it’s embraced by countless partners including the local tourism board, hence you feel a community vibe when the event takes place. With a new festival director for 2023, expect even more thrilling events next year.
Where to stay
We’ve mentioned the wonderful Baur au Lac above, but another to consider is Hotel Seidenhof. The old-fashioned exterior is rather deceptive and gives way to a charming, modern, boutique-style interior, with the hotel’s location being right in the heart of the action. You can visit the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant opposite at Hiltl, which is much-loved even by non-vegetarians. And the two most popular department stores in town: Globus and Jelmoli have food halls that are the envy of the world. Just make sure you bring an empty stomach and your wallet.
