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

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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

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

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

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

I have always had a love-hate relation to jazz. I understand nothing about it. I cannot name any artists or tell it apart from soul, blues etc. And all jazz sounds the same to me.

But I love jazz bars. Many years ago I discovered the “Gig”, a small hot smoky jazz club in the Müllerstrasse. The artists were not internationally famous (probably) but little bands, sometimes local ones (luckily, because I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference). Then the Gig moved to a new location in the Fraumünsterstrasse; from the red light district to the business district. Same faces, same concept: no entrance fee, no overpriced drinks, just voluntary tipping.

Guests could order from the Italian restaurant next door and consume while listening to music. And then, a couple of years later, the Gig closed; a sign was pointing to the Trattoria & Soul in Seefeld, a going-out district.

Trattoria and Soul brings me back (mentally) to the Gig. The environment has evolved: it is more bourgeois than underground and a bit more luminous but is very pleasant anyway. Live music plays only on Thursday and Friday from October to May; for a couple of hours starting at 21:00. There is a rich artist repertoire that changes weekly. You can enjoy the music with bar-food or just a drink and/or a cigar from the humidor.

At other times you are in a very nice Italian restaurant. In the summer there are tables outside.

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Trattoria & Soul | Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian)
Seefeldstrasse 5 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442525212
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat 17:00 – 02:00, Sun 17:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

An island in the city: beyond the lake and the river, Zurich offers this attraction too. It just feels different to be surrounded by water from every side (trust me, I am Greek). Ok, the island in question is reachable through pedestrian bridges.

The Werdinsel is located in the river Limmat in the city quarter called Höngg and appeals to different people and tastes. The island is, naturally, most popular in the summer.

The upper (eastern) side offers supervised river bathing for the mainstream. Families would appreciate the natural shade of the trees (if desired) and the little pool and playground for the offspring.

The lower side is a popular nudist area (officially illegal since 1983) that is divided into two parts: the major part is primarily gay. The smallest part, separated from the rest by a shallow water canal, attracts a more mixed public. On both parts you may run across some quite creative body art. The gay part attracts also a lot of (dressed) barbecue visitors of all ages.

There is a summer festival (Inselfäscht) in July.

But the island is also ideal for walking, jogging and cycling during other seasons, especially during the autumn. The crowds are away and visitors can enjoy the exhilarating melancholy of the fallen leaves: ideal for a conversation or just self-reflection.

I have also heard of senior citizens bathing in the ice-cold river water during the winter (brrrr).

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Werdinsel | Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Badeplatz Au-Höngg | Kreis 9 Altstetten | +41443417193
24 hours daily

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Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

Pur pur is a place with two faces. In the warm season you chill out on the terrace outside. At other times, you can relax in the oriental setting inside during the early hours but as the evening progresses, the venue turns into a night club with beautiful people and loud music (see photos).

The terrace has two sections. The front side, along Seefeldstrasse, is the “see and be seen” area where seeing really means “(people) watching”: something like the after-work drink for the professional crowds in their thirties.

If you are lucky you get to sit on the little sofa at the edge. The side terrace feels quieter: a place for focusing on the person you are with. The tables are decorated with nice red candlelight.

During major football events, there are two TV screens outside, one in the front terrace and one in the back. During the Euro 2008, the former had a visible region of dead pixels (which probably means the crowd didn’t really care about football).

Inside the venue you get to sit on pillows and smoke the hookah to get in some “1000+1 nights” mood. The first thing you notice when you find a nice free spot to sit is the little paper note telling from which time the spot is reserved for others. But there is usually enough time to enjoy an evening drink.

From the snacks, try the tartar. From the non-alcoholic cocktails I like the frullato.

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Pur Pur | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | Non-alcoholic drink CHF 12
Seefeldstr.9 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41444192066
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 02:00, Fri 11:00 – 04:00, Sat 14:00 – 04:00, Sun 14:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

Are you looking for a restaurant combining quality, quantity, a good atmosphere, all at a reasonable price? In Zurich? For me, the Mexican Restaurant Desperado pops up high on the list; in the last 9 years, it has never disappointed me.

There are actually two Desperados in Zurich, one in Höngg and one in Wiedikon. I am a regular of the former.

The menu usually puts me in a dilemma because too many of its dishes appeal to my taste. But most often the winner is: fajitas a discrecion. This meal requires a minimum of two persons and implies unlimited rounds of chicken, beef and shrimp. To enjoy, follow the following strategy: leave out the chicken (nothing special) and concentrate on the beef and the shrimp which are superb. Reduce the proportion of carbohydrates: roll generous quantities of meat and shrimp in the tortillas and leave out rice, beans etc. And don’t order any appetizer before the fajitas.

Some of the deserts are masterpieces: I love the “helado de crema catalana”, yamm! A cigar from the humidor and/or an espresso can be the triumphant epilogue to the entire ritual.

The music is in cultural harmony with the rest of the venue.

If you take your friends to Desperado for your birthday party and tell them, preferably in advance, you eat for free.

The service is excellent; some waiters have been working there for many years.

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Desperado | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Mexican) | Fajitas à discrecion CHF 42.50
Limmattalstrasse 215 | Kreis 10 Wipkingen | +41443417040
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 00:00, Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat 16:00 – 02:00, Sun 17:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich