The 0815 bar in Seefeld opened in October 2008 and is the younger brother of the 0815 bar near the train station which is about 5 years older. Like all brothers that are not identical twins, the 0815 bars have their similarities and their differences.

The similarities:

A mix of architectural design, electronic music, snacks and drinks. I have tried the tapas but my favorite is the beefsteak tartar. My special wish, lots of toasted bread, was impeccably fulfilled.

The differences:

Think about the spot near the train station as somewhat crowded and noisy, the type of crowd having an after-work drink. A bit of pretension? Unavoidably. And there might be difficulty finding a seat (so choose the most interesting crows and squeeze in diplomatically).

Now leave the urban center and move towards the lake. Time to relax. After a swim in Bad Utoquai during the summer or a dip in the frozen lake after a sauna in the winter, 0815 in the Kreuzstrasse is a very valid continuation. It is less crowded than the older brother but busy, less pretentious but still cool and the crowds are no less handsome than near the train station.

In the Summer, there are tables outside. And every other summer, there is football: world cup or European cup. Two big screen TVs with different orientations are located inside. But you can follow the games comfortably even if you are sitting outside.

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0815 | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Orange Juice CHF 5.00
Kreuzstrasse 26 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442420815
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat 09:00 – 02:00

The first thing that stands out about My Place is the furniture – all designer and vintage fare from the 1960s onwards, and all for sale. Perhaps you are awash with cash, in which case you can purchase a piece of furniture there and then.

Most people, including the writer of this humble piece, will have to make do with the food and drink on offer, and it’s by no means a hard lot. The coffee at My Place is proper strong, and they offer a great selection of snacks such as tartelettes, ciabattas, salads and birchermüesli. They also serve a Swiss beer called Appenzeller on tap, you ought to give it a try.

My Place makes for a pleasant stopover if you’re in the area. It offers welcome respite from all the art at Kunsthaus Zürich and is handy for a tipple before watching a play at Schauspielhaus around the corner. During the day My Place is popular with students from the nearby schools and universities, while evenings are a more quiet affair.

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My Place | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Toast Hawaii CHF 7.50
Hottingerstr. 4 | Kreis 6/7 Fluntern
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat 10:00 – 00:00

This cozy café bar next to Fritschiwiese is the only place of its kind in this very corner of town and as a result it’s usually crowded with locals. Despite the crowds, the place is bright and airy, and the pretty (1960s?) ceiling lights are a highlight (almost literally).

For me, the main draw is Z am Park’s weekend brunch. There’s three or four dishes to choose from, and as a nice touch, they carry the same female names as some of the nearby streets. Gertrud, with eggs, bacon, bread and salad and washed down with a cup of their excellent coffee, is a personal favorite. As a bonus the brunch options aren’t as pricey as they are elsewhere in Zurich.

The good people at Z am Park also serve lunch during the week, and you can check out the daily specials on the website. In the evening they offer snacks to go with your beer and wine.

As a visitor in Zurich you’re unlikely to spend much time in the area, but if you like a spot off the beaten track, this one is well worth seeking out.

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Z am Park | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Brunch from CHF 9.50
Zurlindenstrasse 275 | Kreis 3 Wiedikon
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 00:00

I have to admit I was sceptical when Dini Mueter opened its doors in October 2010. “Just another venue with a slightly alternative concept”, I thought. But ever since, I keep returning to the restaurant / café / bar. Suggesting it myself as a place to meet for business lunch, social coffees or an after work beer until I realized, I really like it here. And I don’t feel awkward sitting in this place on my own.

The venue is not very spacious, but comfortable and cosy without trying too hard. Similar to how it would be when visiting your mom (which is what the name means) but without the fuss. And it’s the place in the city that feeds you with a Sunday roast. The staff is friendly, the served dishes tasty and seasonal and the menu changes regularly.

If you go there in the evening, check the programme before getting too comfortable. Events take place regularly, and if it happens that you don’t like the act – the space isn’t large enough to avoid it!

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Dini Mueter | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Seasonal Swiss cuisine) | Beer CHF 5
Langstrasse 10 | Kreis 4 Aussersihl
Mon – Thu 07:30 – 23:00, Fri 07:30 – 02:00, Sat 08.00 – 02:00, Sun 09:00 – 18:00

In 2009, the Wohnzimmerbar opened its doors just next to cinema RiffRaff. As the name suggests (Wohnzimmer means “living room”), it’s small and pleasant and the atmosphere familiar, filled with comfy chairs, small tables and a chaise longue.

The area in the back normally sports one large table but can also be booked for a party up to 10 people for a customized dinner. For all other empty stomachs there are tapas plates available as well as various spreads with bread. Starting this November, they host an Indian buffet every Tuesday (all you can eat) for 25 francs per person.

Once in a while, the bar hosts concerts and djs and you’ll be amazed how many people can fit into such a small space. But the bar’s days are numbered. Their lease is up soon and a new project is in planning. Nothing I can share with you yet, bu I’ll keep you posted.

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Wohnzimmerbar | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Tapas from CHF 9.00
Neugasse 75 | Kreis 5 Industrie | +41762104880
Mon – Sat 18.00 – 00:00

Zum Guten Glück (which is German for “fortunately” or literally “to the good fortune”) is open daily and offers a tasty range of sweet and savoury pancakes, waffles and freshly made ice-cream. If you’re in a hurry there is also a take-away service. The pancakes are wonderful! Unfortunately they took my favourite – with Bolognese – from the menu so please ask for it to get it back (thank you!).

The venue – a café during the day and a bar at night – is separated into two rooms. When you enter, a huge bar made of pure tin, handcrafted by a local artist, will catch your eye. Since the smoking ban, both rooms are non-smoking. The locale also offers five stylish rooms for a good price.

Zum Guten Glück is situated right at Weststrasse which used to be the motorway connection through the city – so a lot of traffic! Since May 2009, there is now a motorway that leads the traffic around the city and finally, in autumn 2011, the street was turned into a residential road with a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h.

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Zum Guten Glück | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Pancakes) | Food CHF 9.00
Stationsstrasse 7 | Kreis 3 Wiedikon | +41435407299
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 00:00, Sun 09:00 – 20:00

Of course it’s unfair that Oerlikon is slagged off by locals as the suburbs – it’s been a district of Zurich since 1934. But it just hasn’t much to offer and seems far away from the city. But I like not guilty, a restaurant that I discovered while working in this area.

The mostly organic salads, sandwiches and soups on offer have no additives or any “bad” stuff, but taste great. My favourite is the Tandoori Chicken Salad, with aromatic chicken, cucumber, sugar peas, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes and coriander. If you don’t like one of the ingredients (in my case coriander), just ask them to not include it, as they mix the salads right on spot and fry the meat after your order is in.

You can either order take away or eat in the restaurant. The interior is simple and stylish and outdoor you find big tables which are right next to the beautiful MFO Park (which is actually worth a trip to Oerlikon itself). In August 2010 they opened a second branch at Thurgauerstrasse 40, just next to the tram stop Leutschenbach, so it’s right on the new tram line connecting the airport to the city.

Ps. It’s non smoking, cash only and has free wireless access.

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Not guilty | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Soup & salads) | Salad +/- CHF 15.00
Emil-Oprecht-Strasse 1 | Kreis 11 Oerlikon | +41443103505
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 16:00

Kafischnaps is a café during the day and a bar in the evening. While many bars in Zurich close their doors early on Sunday, this venue is open until midnight and is also open every day of the week (a big plus in my books).

The beautifully tiled space harks back to its former life as a butcher’s at the turn of the last century. Exuding warmth and calm and a welcoming atmosphere. Besides the usual list of drinks, you get a variety of alcoholic coffees and a vast selection of specialty fruit schnapps (hence the name). Another great feature is that they serve breakfast until 16:00 every day. However, they do have to close the bar at midnight every day as they’re in a residential area.

Upstairs, Kafischnaps also has five rooms to rent (B&B) – for a bargain by Zurich standards.

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Kafischnaps | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Rooms from CHF 44.00
Kornhausstrasse 57 | Kreis 6/7 Fluntern | +41442154040
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 00:00

The bar and restaurant Nordbrücke, open since May 2008, is just beside the local train station Wipkingen and is great for Saturday afternoons. Buy your fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers at the nearby stall and then spend the rest of your time enjoying a beer or a coffee in the former train station buffet, while you watch people pass by. It’s a place to go for drinks or coffee, but also a good address to get some food, especially over lunch.Combining old (they simply varnished the nicotine-stained walls, kept the tables and chairs, and added comfort with Biedermeier sofas) with new (a blue/green fitted bar and new lighting system), the venue still has an air of train station buffet, but with a contemporary feel. But when the sun is shinning you’ll be on one of the two terraces anyway.

The big windows are great for people spotting and have recently been unveiled after a lifetime behind net curtains. The result of the gentle makeover is a charming and comfortable bar in which you immediately feel at home. It’s a place where you sense the past, making it feel somehow more real than many of today’s cloned modern, trendy bars.

Nordbrücke also offers a flat to rent, if you intend to extend your stay in Zurich.

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Nordbrücke | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Swiss) | Lunch from CHF 17
Dammstrasse 58 | Kreis 10 Wipkingen | +41442710177
Mon 16.00 – 01:00, Tue – Thu 07:30 – 01:00, Fri 07:30 – 02:00, Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun 09:00 – 00:00

Tucked away at the quiet end of bustling Ankerstrasse is Si o No, quite possibly my favorite drinking den in Zurich. What makes it so great, or indeed better, than many of the other fine bars in this city?

For one, its interior is a lovely, much-copied-but-never-quite-emulated mix of quirky furniture, beautiful floor tiles, clever lighting and intriguing room layout. For another, whether you turn up in the middle of the day for coffee or in the wee hours for a nightcap, you can be sure that Si o No delivers.

The place is always pleasantly lively and yet never too crowded. It attracts a diverse bunch of locals, students and office workers so nobody feels out of place here. Furthermore, Si o No offers a decent selection of reasonably-priced drinks and bar snacks, including tasty quiches and salads for lunch. Its latest offering is a so-called Katerfrühstück, breakfast for the hung-over, from 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. This means weekend mornings where you have a craving for a Bloody Mary are now catered for too.

Lastly, the bar staff is friendly and efficient, making for a nice change from some of the trendier Zurich spots.

All this taken together goes some way to explaining why it’s always a Si! where Si o No is concerned.

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Si o No | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Glass of wine CHF 6.00
Ankerstrasse 6 | Kreis 4 Aussersihl
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 02:00