Snacks

If the sun is out and you’re wandering around this trendy part of town in search of something to keep you fuelled long enough to negotiate the rest of Josefstrasse, then Chiang Mai is your port of call. From the outside it appears to be a Thai food shop and, well,  that’s because it is. The place isn’t exactly a restaurant and yet it offers the tastiest Thai food I’ve had in Zurich.

Forget the fancy fusion joints that offer modern decour and funky ice teas – this place will fill you up and satisfy your itch to go to Thailand (actually, it could also make you want to go even more…) for only 15 CHF. That’s 15 CHF for a box of curry so big that I often have to ration it over two lunches.

The choice isn’t very extensive, usually two curries and a soup, but I’d much rather be told to choose from 3 sublime dishes than have to navigate around a list of 50 iffy sounding dishes.

One thing you need to bear in mind is that if you eat in it’s an extra 3 CHF per dish and you’ll be sitting on a tiny stool. I suggest you take out and sit in the sun with everyone else.

Don’t forget to take cash, realizing you don’t have any once you get to the till (like I once did) will end in a wild goose chase for an ATM. The nearest one is at the main station, by the way.

Since moving to Zurich I find that rather than sticking 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 four bakeries near my house, two of which are 200m closer than Artos, 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 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!

Due to such high demand I’ve noticed the prices have hiked up a wee bit, so you should enter knowing that you’re paying for the quality before you gawp at the figure on the till.

What was formerly an Alpine-style ski hut (don’t ask…) now houses El Luchador, a Mexican-themed bar and restaurant. El Luchador is the brainchild of Patrick (also at the helm at La Catrina, check out the article!), who had spent his formative years in Mexico and felt it was time to offer authentic food from that part of the world in Zurich. Hence a distinct lack of Tex-Mex fare: El Luchador is all about tacos and a décor boasting masked wrestlers (or luchadores, as they are known in Spanish).

While I cannot comment on the food’s authenticity (having never made it to Mexico), if the throngs of homesick Latin Americans visiting El Luchador are anything to go by, this is the real thing. More importantly, everything I’ve eaten there has been delicious, especially the fresh, slightly spicy guacamole and the meaty tacos al pastor (with pork).

The absolute highlight is the ceviche, raw seafood marinated in lemon juice. The fish is sustainably sourced and MSC-certified, which somehow makes it taste even better.

Evenings are usually busy, so you’re advised to book or pop in at lunchtime for El Luchador’s special taco deal (starting from CHF 17.50). Their occasional film nights are worth looking out for.

You’re still curious about the ski hut? All I can say is that the transformation from mountain abode to Latin cantina has been thorough, bar for the toilets that have retained an authentically Swiss alpine feel. There’s nothing quite like staying true to your roots.

From the outside, the Zähringer looks pretty inconspicuous. There’s not much that indicates that this is not quite an ordinary Café. But this is not quite an ordinary café. Beginning with the ownership: The Zähringer is self-governing, which means everyone who works there is partly owner and has a say in everything that happens. So the girl who serves you coffee there is basically part of the executive board.

The Zähringer is a good place to drink coffee, but also to eat lunch or dinner. If you care about the environment, you’ll like this: All the food is freshly prepared and most of it organic. Most of it because the Zähringer-Collective favors regional products (even if not organic) over products that have traveled around the whole globe. Normally you can choose between a yummy vegetarian, a vegan and a carnivoric (yes, that’s how they call it) meal.

And it’s not just food, there’s culture too. The place originated in the heated eighties and had a lot going on: Concerts, readings, exhibitions and so on. Nowadays it’s a little calmer, but there are still cultural events several times a month. Interested? Stop by, have a homemade ice tea and check out the programme.

I don’t know what it’s like in your hometown, but here most bigger bookshops have a Café where you can sit down and rest from the tiring bookshopping. Now I’ve even seen Starbucks built in Bookstore. That’s just… well, I won’t go there now.

Anyway, the Spheres is kind of like this – except it’s different. Because the Spheres is not a Bookshop with a Café in it, it’s a Café with a Bookshop in it. Or at least both equally. So if you want to have a coffee in an inspiring atmosphere, go to the spheres, order something to drink and take a book to skim through – if you speak German. Unfortunately, you won’t find English books there.

Something I haven’t told you yet: The Café and Bookshop, that’s not all. From time to time, at least once a week, one part of this place turns into a stage for book-readings or discussions where people are invited to take part in. For example in winter there’s a monthly event called “Science Bar” where top-scientists answer burning questions about modern science. No, not a lecture, but an unforced discussion with the guest.