Kreis 11 Oerlikon Zurich – All our local tips

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).

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

It is summer. Occasionally, I want to take a break from lake Zurich. One of the alternatives is a small lake located at the northeastern end of the city: the Katzensee. The origin of the lake’s name is not cat (Katze is cat in German) but originates from Hatto, a German guy who gave his name to the lake sometime around the 7th century A.D.

If Katzensee were a company then it would formulate its USP (Unique Selling Proposition) with respect to its competitors (Zürisee, Greifensee) as follows:

1) So close to the city and so far away from it: the walk from the bus stop to the lake is very idyllic; you traverse a beautiful forest.

2) Extreme temperature variations: the lake is small (800 m length, 400 m width, maximum depth 8 m). The water gets warm enough for swimming earlier than the water of competitors. It can also freeze in the winter. In January 2009, ice skating was permitted exactly during one weekend.

3) A place for all: arriving to the lake from the side of Zurich, head right to arrive to a children’s playground. Going in the other direction, you see the average age rise; it reaches its peak value at the official nudist section.

Some additional features: (i) a small restaurant (ii) possibility for barbecue grilling (iii) natural shade from trees at least until late afternoon (iv) sunset.

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Seebad Katzensee | Relaxing, Snacks
Katzenseestrasse | Kreis 11 Oerlikon | +41443710890
May – Sep 09:00 – 20:00