Image by Christine Syrad

Since moving to Zurich I find that rather than stick a slice of bread in the toaster I am willing to go the extra mile on the weekends and venture over to a bakery to buy myself some freshly baked gipfeli (the Swiss German word for croissants).

There are three bakeries near my house, the other two being 200m closer to me but I always make a point of going the extra (1/8 of a) mile to this place. The gipfelis are astoundingly good – they’re buttery and extra crispy, which I’m pretty sure has got to be a hard combination to perfect! In addition, since it’s a Greek bakery, they offer an amazing array of Mediterranean looking sweets.

You have to go early though or hope that when you get there they’ve just pulled their latest batch out of the oven because these babies sell out fast!

I have to say, I always used to walk past this place without giving it a second thought as there are bakeries galore in Zurich. It wasn’t until we were out of bread on a Sunday that I discovered it and I’ve never looked back. Yes, that’s right, it’s actually open on a Sunday!

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Artos | Snacks
Bremgartnerstrasse 66 | Kreis 3 Wiedikon
Mon – Fri 06:30 – 18:30, Sat 06:30 – 13:00, Sun 07:00 – 12:00

Image by Ajuni

Fog, rain, freezing temperatures and the occasional snow are frequent Zurich visitors in winter. And have I mentioned the gray, foggy days that prevail for much of the season? There simply is no better cure for the Zurich winter blues than a steaming hot, hearty pot of soup, and Petit Saigon serves a particularly tasty version.

Vietnamese cuisine probably isn’t quite as well-known as its cousins from China, Thailand and Japan but in Zurich Petit Saigon has gone some way to rectifying this. You can choose from a wide range of curries, spring and summer rolls, rice and noodle dishes to eat in or take away.

I would like to be able to tell you whether the other dishes at Petit Saigon are any good, but unfortunately I have never managed to get past their beef noodle soup. At 19.50 it ain’t cheap, but it’s a perfectly filling large pot of delicious homemade broth, filled to the brink with meat and veg. You get Thai basil, bean sprouts and a lime on a separate plate to add to the soup, and may help yourself to chillies and condiments at your own discretion to suit your palate (and heat tolerance).

You’ll leave Petit Saigon feeling all toasty, full and ready to face whatever the Zurich winter might throw at you next – how about a few dreary days of thick fog?

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Petit Saigon | Snacks, Restaurants (Vietnamese) | Beef noodle soup CHF 19.50
Birmensdorferstrasse 126 | Kreis 3 Wiedikon
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 23:00

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

I had received several invitations for after work parties at the roof terrace of the Helvetia hotel which opens around mid-May (weather permitting). The saying goes, the terrace offers a spectacular view. True. I finally got there on the last day of June 2010. 10 days of real summer in Zurich made it a must.

But unfortunately, in Zurich we have four seasons. Fortunately, they can all be enjoyed in different ways.

Here is where the bar inside with its imposing wooden design comes into play. The bar goes under the name “Helvti”. In the 80s it was the meeting point of journalists from the leftist newspaper “Tages Anzeiger” and other “rebels-without-a-cause” elements. Today it is the ideal meeting point not only for bohemians but also for petites-bourgeois fans of capitalism and globalization like me (who rebel only when their bonus is in danger) who just like to take a break and chat.

The perimeter is a sofa and the chairs for the table have left me the memory of worn-out leather. It is quite cosy and doesn’t feel loud. And now that smoking is prohibited, the pleasure factor has increased.

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Helvetia Hotel Restaurant | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Swiss) | Orange juice CHF 4.80
Stauffacherquai 1 | Kreis 4 Aussersihl | +41442979999
Bar: Mon – Thu 08:00 – 00:00 , Fri 08:00 – 02:00, Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 23:00

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

Even today I still come across people who think of Zurich as a sterile city of bankers and merchants selling expensive watches (to the bankers). But we, who are neither bankers nor merchants, have made Zurich one of the best addresses on earth. We have created our little special scenes all over the city.

So we took the beautiful pedestrian walk along the eastern side of the lake and made a scene out of it.

Of course, from all seasons, the summer wins. Not so much because we can have a meal or drink watching the lake or visit a Badi for a swim. But rather because we can express our “life is good” attitude. We are street performers, jugglers, youngsters listening to rap on a battery powered stereo, petites bourgoises eating take-away sushi or just a family with a kid hanging around. We love and photograph again and again the deep red sky of the dusk. And we don’t mind the occasional smell of cannabis.

We like the melancholy of the autumn for the colors of the trees. And in the spring (maybe as early as February), we’d lie next to the water to absorb solar radiation in anticipation of the summer.

However, I, personally, love that Saturday afternoon in the winter; when the sky is grey and there’s plenty of snow on the ground. I’d be alone and feel like I own the place. Moments later, I’d be jumping into the ice cold water of the lake (check the Sauna Utoguai article).

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Utoquai Promenade | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants
Utoquai | Kreis 8 Seefeld
24 hours daily

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

I approached the entrance of the bar and looked up the stairs. She was nearby; alone and smoking her cigarette; well dressed, good looking, a bit older than me, indifferent and bored? The textbook opportunity for making contact: “what would you tell me about the Goethe Bar?” I asked. “The bar is good, the restaurant would not be my first choice” she replied (restaurant and bar are separated). “The public tends to be upper class”.

We chatted a bit more about the bar and then the gentleman (noticeably older than me) came near the stairs and looked at her from up inside. “I am coming” she answered and went up hastily.

So one more spot in Seefeld to write about? You know what they say: one spot leads to another. I first noticed it from the tram station on the opposite side of the Seefeldstrasse. About two years ago when it opened. The bar is elevated so, once inside, guests see the human traffic outside especially when they sit along the big glass window facing the street (my preference). The crowd is a bit on the well-dressed side, not the student or teenager type with the sneakers; well dressed maybe because they just come from work. Or maybe because they are going out for the evening and this is the first station.

During the summer there is a more casual option: the few tables outside which often receive plenty of Zurich’s deep red evening light.

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Goethe Bar | Bars, Snacks | Orange Juice CHF 7.50
Goethestrasse 10 | Kreis 1 City | +41442222030
Mon – Thu 07:00 – 00:00, Sat 09:00 – 02:00 , Sun 09:00 – 00:00