Zurich suggestions?

[purplescout]

I'll be in Zurich for business the week of January 29. Any suggestions for interesting places to have a meal in the city? Although I'm traveling for business and have a reasonable expense account, it's not huge so I'm interested in moderate restaurants not big splurges. Thanks.

[ChewFun]

You go to a Movenpick. They are a pretty good chain. For street food I suggest a St. Galler Bratwurst from a street vendor.

[chrisinroch]

You can eat very well at the large fancy hotels closer to the lake, but I prefer to walk around the old town and just look at menus on the wall til I find a place. As a bonus, many places offer outside seating. You'll find varied cuisine, but don't leave town without at least sampling some wurst and roesti.

[spaetzle]

I had a memorable meal at Le Dezalay last January. Best spaetzle I have ever eaten imho. Also shared an interesting fondue with morel mushrooms. I found the prices to be reasonable- I think it was less than 20 swiss francs a person, if I remember correctly. http://www.le-dezaley.ch/intro.htm

For a quick bite at a chain restaurant, I would recommend Nordsee at the train station. Nice marinated seafood salads, open-faced shrimp or smoked salmon sandwiches, etc.

[chrisinroch]

yeah, it's really bizarre as an american to think of getting good fresh food at train stations and truck stops, but in europe, I've had very good meals at both. In fact the best roesti that I had in switzerland was at a cafe outside of a train station near zurich. (can't think of the town but it had a smallish casino) When I commented, the server said that the chef took particular pride in making it from a family recipe.

[purplescout]

Thanks for all the tips! I'll let you know how it goes after my trip at the end of January.

[mintchip]

I actually just got back from Zurich last night. The top meal I had was at "CULT". which is on Quellenstrasse 49 (044-272 9300), I believe it was on Tram 9.

The meal wasn't cheap, but for Zurich, I would say it was moderately priced (this isn't a cheap city!). I had a lovely pistachio crusted mini crown of lamb, served with vanilla risotto and a camelized balsamic reduction. Service was attentive. Order the house wine.

I also recommend any Swiss specialty - which include rosti (w/ umlauts over the o), any noodle dishes such as Spaetzle or Pizockels are always delish! and most definately hearty.

Have a great trip, it is a wonderful city.

[purplescout]

Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try next week and report back.

[creekbound]

I travel to Zurich twice a year, and have two suggestions, well within an expense account:
Zeughauskeller, just off Bahnhofstrasse, across from the Paradeplatz Tram station. See http://www.zeughauskeller.ch/ Great local place – always crowded, but worth a short wait. Ask for English menu. Specialty is Veal Zurich Style, and various sausage dishes.

Also Johanitter Restaurant, in Old Town, just down the street from the Central tram station. See http://www.johanniter.com/index.htm Like above, but smaller. Great Rosti (hashbrowns), with various meats and sausages. Regular menu includes English.
Both restaurants are very casual, comfortable, and popular with the locals.

And FORGET the diet! Lots of rich, heavy food.

[purplescout]

I've had a hectic week in Zurich, but did manage to enjoy a few good meals.

Dinner at Zeughauskeller was really fun. We enjoyed the Swiss atmosphere and the food was great, too. I had the Veal Zurich style, which was delicious, along with barley soup and a "natural" beer. It was great fun to see what others were having to eat. At a table near ours, a man was eating what looked like a huge knuckle of some beast and an ENORMOUS glass goblet of beer. I would definitely recommend this place to visitors. Thanks for the suggestion!

Even better was the dinner we had at Hotel Adler. The speciality there is fondue. They offer a wide variety of cheesy choices. We had the house special and it was so yummy that we were scraping the crusty stuff from the bottom of the pot at the end of our meal. The fondue was served with a little burlap sack filled with tiny brown-skinned potatoes and a large basket full of bread. We dipped the potatoes and the cubes of bread into the cheese and then, as demonstrated by our waiter, into a little puddle of pepper that we would freshly grind onto our plates. We also enjoyed some nice schnapps for dessert. Quite a memorable meal and definitely worth a return visit someday!
http://www.hotel-adler.ch/content-n50...

I picked up a load of chocolate at the Migros supermarket. This was also a great resource for hot or cold lunch to-go. The store was pristinely clean and it was great fun just to walk around and observe the Swiss culture as reflected in the products for sale (I love visiting grocery stores around the world).

Thanks again for the tips!

[ChewFun]

I worked for Migros when I was in college and loved the company. Their chocolate brand (Frey) is once again available in the U.S., at Target. In the mid-80s they were available at the Safeways in Marin County (for some reason). Frey's products are comparable to Lindt's.