I had heard a lot about the Tearoom in the Langstrasse neighborhood of Zurich, a locale quite popular for an after work-chillout.

The Tearoom, officially called Maison Blunt, is a copy of a Moroccan restaurant in Fez. It is located in the new in-quarter of Zurich, an area whose previous dubious reputation is rapidly giving place to trendy bars, restaurants and highly desired apartments.

The Tearoom offers a unique combination of original atmosphere with intense flavors. The left side offers a more typical restaurant setup with tables that can be reserved; the other side is dominated by sofas and low round tables for relaxing and letting time go (see photos). Food is served on both sides.

During the warm season there are tables in the backyard so you can sit in the open air (until 22:00) and smoke the narghile. In fact, you can smoke during the winter; for that purpose, there are a few tables outside by the front entrance.

The food is tasteful. A most attractive part of Arabic cuisine is its appetizers (mezes). I recommend the chicken and meat versions (something like kebab) as well as the humus. Different types of bread are automatically served.

The Tearoom caters primarily to a young public and has a distinct bohemian character. The place is packed on weekends and is quite full during the week. You are likely to sit close to or even share a table or sofa with another party, possibly making new acquaintances.

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Maison Blunt | Snacks, Restaurants (Morocan) | Humus (Appetizer) CHF 9.50
Gasometerstrasse 5 | Kreis 4 Aussersihl | +41432110033
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 23:00

This former garage most certainly won’t appeal to fans of sleek and decluttered interior spaces. Les Halles is a wacky, noisy affair, packed to the rafters with posters and mirrors, bicycles hanging off the ceiling, bric-a-brac, old, mismatched furniture – and punters.

Its popularity most certainly has something to do with Les Halles’ many different disguises. It’s a bar, a restaurant and take-away, it’s got a football table and a great little deli stocking, among other Italian goodies, a vast selection of quality pasta. The small restaurant menu usually consists of moules & frites, a pasta dish, antipasti and salads, with prices staying on the decent side of things.

Tucked away between Pfingstweidstrasse and Schiffbau, Les Halles isn’t the easiest place to find. Your best bet is to start underneath Hardbrücke, walk down Pfingstweidstrasse on the right-hand side and you’ll Les Halles’ unassuming front entrance after about a one-minute walk.

Les Halles provides an excellent starting point if you’re off exploring Zurich West’s nightlife, or a destination in its own right. It will seem like you’ve gone to at least three different places even though you never left the premises.

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Les Halles | Bars, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants | Glass of beer CHF 5.00
Pfingstweidstrasse 6 | Kreis 5 Industrie
Sun – Wed 11:00 – 00:00, Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00

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

Café Bar Plüsch is a Zurich veteran. Plüsch means plush, which describes how this venue’s interior looked years back when I’d just moved to Zurich. It opened its doors 13 years ago and I’ve had many good times in there, but it was about time that a new lick of paint and polish was given to the old girl. 

This bar has become one of my most frequented locales over the last years, as I live nearby. It offers great breakfast and coffee (best decaf in town!), tasty lunches (salads, quiche, sanwiches) and snacks, and is a nice place for a drink in the eve as well. So with this venue you’re taken care of all around.

In the morning, most seats are taken up by individuals who are reading the newspaper or enjoying a cup of coffee before work. During the day its clientele mostly consists of small groups but in the evening it can get really packed.

The sandwiches and fresh salads are also available for take-away.

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Plüsch | Bars, Restaurants (Intern.) | Large salad CHF 10.00
Aemtlerstrasse 16 | Kreis 3 Wiedikon | +41438101626
Mon – Wed 07:30 – 00:00, Thu – Fri 07:30 – 01:00, Sat 09:00 – 01:00, Sun 10:00 – 17:00

Rosso? No, Bar Basso! The new venue at Sihlstrasse – slightly hidden but just next to City Hallenbad – is the younger sister of the renowned Rosso Restaurant next to Hardbrücke. They seem to have a knack for finding locations which you don’t spot at first sight. But while it’s almost impossible to get a seat at Rosso short time, your chances are much better at Bar Basso.

Once inside you find industrial chic, turned into a comfortable, cosy environment. Simple but wonderful meals and a lovely staff await you. It’s not cheap, but going out for dinner in Zurich never is. And if you like pizza – Rosso is known for serving the best pizza in Zurich. If you like it to be thin and crispy give it a go at Bar Basso. It’s the same recipe.

I’ve only been there twice so far, as it just opened, but I’m sure I’ll become one of the regular.

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Bar Basso | Restaurants (Swiss/Italian) | Lunch incl. salad CHF 25
Sihlstrasse 59 | Kreis 1 City | +41434972528
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 00:30, Sun 10:00 – 18:00

A typical lunch at Planet 5: A burger, served with high concentration with coleslaw and fries or home made pies served with a small salad. The food at Planet 5 is homely and so is the project. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and trains young people who couldn’t find an apprenticeship. Once in a while this means, that there is more staff than guests but they are attentive and lovely.

Usually the meals are simple but tasty. Last time I went there the chef served meatballs made after her grandmother’s recipe. Slightly adapted over three generations. Perfect!

I like this locale, because the food is good, it’s open on Mondays and the location is wonderful, Especially in the summer, when you can sit right at the river Limmat. Sihlquai (the address) doesn’t have the best image, as its known for street prostitution. But during the day, I never felt uncomfortable in that area.

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Planet 5 | Restaurants (Swiss) | Lunch CHF 20
Sihlquai 240 | Kreis 5 Industrie | +41442781066
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 14:30

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