Zurich Food Guide: Rösti, Fondue & the Swiss Kitchen

Zurich's food scene is more exciting than its (undeserved) reputation for blandness and expense suggests — a city where Swiss comfort food classics coexist with some of the most innovative contemporary restaurants in German-speaking Europe, driven by a population with high disposable income and genuinely discerning taste. Zürich Geschnetzeltes — thin-sliced veal in a cream and white wine sauce with mushrooms, served over rösti (the Swiss national potato cake) — is the dish to order at least once; Kronenhalle restaurant has served it since 1924, with original Picasso and Miró works on the walls. Fondue and raclette are winter rituals: the Restaurant Swiss Chuchi in the Old Town serves both with religious seriousness. The Langstrasse neighbourhood (the former red-light district turned creative quarter) has the city's most interesting new restaurants. Street food is rare in Zurich — the weekly farmers markets at Bürkliplatz (Tuesday/Friday) and Helvetiaplatz (Saturday) compensate. Budget: Zurich is one of Europe's most expensive cities — budget CHF 20–30 for a casual lunch, CHF 50–80 for dinner.