Kreis 8 Seefeld Zurich – All our local tips

I first visited a Japanese restaurant as a student in Boston. The invitation mentioned a Japanese steakhouse with Samurai like performance cooking: sounded great for a fan of Asian food. No mention of the fact that not all Japanese food is served cooked. And so came sushi and wasabi: this first unexpected contact with a new pleasure had it all: you know there is something in it you like but hesitate about fully letting go. You know the second time would taste better. You know you will do it for the rest of your life.

21 years later Japanese food is commonplace in Europe. But now the point is originality. Which are the most Japanese of the Japanese restaurants? Consider the following criteria: (i) the personnel are Japanese and prefer to speak English rather than the local language (ii) you don’t understand much of the menu and it needs to be explained to you (iii) it gets full of Japanese visitors who apparently don’t speak the local language and order spectacular stuff (iv) service is slow (v) it is expensive.

Welcome to Bimi in Zurich-Seefeld: a simple and unpretentious environment; luxury lies in the flavor. The sushi is on the salty side. For a main course I recommend the beef filet: eat it slowly with the vegetables because the portion is Spartan. Finally: don’t be afraid of the red beans on the ice cream if you haven’t tried them before: they are good; let go on the first time.

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BIMI | Restaurants (Japanese) | Dinner for two CHF 220
Seefeldstrasse 25 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41432437777
Mon, Sat 18:00 – 23:00 , Tue – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 23:00

Zurich’s opera house, located centrally near the lake, has enjoyed rising reputation since Alexander Pereira became director in 1991. The present building was inaugurated in 1891 with a production of Wagner’s Lohengrin.

Famous names like Agnes Baltsa, Cecilia Bartoli and Thomas Hampson sing in Zurich.

Count with at least 2-3 Verdi operas per season as well as several more exotic pieces of work.

And of course: a taste of Wagner every year.

The current director was originally no fan of subtitles and a thorough study of the libretto was mandatory before a visit. A few years ago he was finally convinced and now there are German subtitles even for German operas.

The prices vary erratically depending primarily on the seat category. There are very good seats going for CHF 38.00 (twice the price of a cinema ticket). Reserve in advance and save 90% off the most expensive seats without sacrificing artistic pleasure. Chances are good that you would move to a more expensive empty seat once the lights go down.

After a première you can enjoy an informal banquet at the central stage and mingle with artists and members of the national government.

The dress code is informal: you can go with jeans.

My tip for the current season (2009-10): Salome of Richard Strauss

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Opernhaus Zürich | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from CHF 15.00
Falkenstrasse 1 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442686400
Opening times depending on the particular production

If Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse gets the lion share of human traffic when it comes to shopping, then Utoquai, the eastern side of the lake, is popular for just strolling along the waterfront. It is where crowds celebrate a sunny Sunday afternoon in the winter or every day of the summer. My wife always compares it to the Greek island of Spetses.

Strolling is nice but a place to sit and eat is also necessary. Restaurant Grill Pumpstation is located at the ideal “latitude”: close enough to Bellevueplatz to go by walk, far enough to feel like Spetses.

A great location is good for a restaurant; a great location with good food even better. I have not tried many items of the menu because I practically stuck with the first thing I tried: Pumpisspiess, a beef skewer whose taste won my loyalty. The portion goes for CHF 18.50 but comes without a side dish. So ordering French fries would add another CHF 7.50 to the bill.

At around 18:00 or 19:00 in the evening it may get very hard to find a table, especially on the side closer to the lake. I personally recommend taking a swim at that time and coming to the restaurant after 20:00 to enjoy the late evening mood including the sunset (photos).

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Pumpstation | Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Grill) | Chicken breast CHF 17.50
Utoquai 10 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442609669
Morning – 22:00 daily (when warm enough & not raining)

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

Wellness is quite popular in central Europe. A two-hour sauna visit is considered equivalent to a day of vacation. Switzerland, with most of its big cities located by lakes or rivers (or both) offers several possibilities.

Sauna Utoquai is housed at the southern end of the public baths called Bad Utoquai (known as the “Badi” among its regulars). Sauna Utoquai is a members-only club but membership is open to all. The minimum membership period is 3 months and includes unlimited entrance to the facilities: the sauna, the steam bath and the hot tub at the edge of the lake.

The privileged members can enter the lake and relax in the open air throughout the year regardless of weather. From late September to May, members have the entire ground of the “Badi” at their disposal. During the summer they have exclusive use of a separate terrace but can also mingle with the crowds in the Badi.

Outdoor relaxation can take several forms: sunbathing during a nice sunny afternoon or gazing at the sunset or the moonlight from the comfort of the 37 degrees of the hot tub.

Moving to Zurich permanently or for a period of at least three months? The option to take vacation during lunch break, after work or during the weekend exists. In the beginning it is just relaxation; then it gradually becomes lifestyle.

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Sauna Utoquai | Relaxing | Annual subscription fee CHF 1250.00
Utoquai 49 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442528085
09:00 – 22:00 daily

I had never been a fan of vegetarian restaurants. Somehow, it felt unjustifiable to pay and not eat fish, meat or at least a warm pasta plate. Vegetables were always meant to be a side dish.

Times change and people change too. I recently became increasingly health aware so the dilemma vegetarian or non-vegetarian switched to vegetarian or nothing at all. So Tibits was there for me. I became a customer many years ago and visit, irregularly but certainly ever since.

Tibits is located in Seefeld near some of my other favorite spots, for example Bad Utoquai (check the Bad Utoquai article). So I pass by very often. In the summer the tables outside are always full. The interior is also quite well occupied and lively during all seasons.

The core offering is the salad buffet with cold and warm delicacies. One of the advantages of not serving meat, fish etc. is that the salad menu becomes quite creative. Ah yes, these tomatoes with tofu, …slurp…

There are also fruit and desert dishes in the same area. Sandwiches and ice cream are also available.

If you think that vegetarian means budget, you are wrong; to take care of a big hunger through the salad buffet, you end up paying the price of a typical meal in any restaurant. But it is worth it.

I have the vague impression that women outnumber men in Tibits. And in Zurich women are quite beautiful and elegant (not a vague impression but a fact).

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Tibits | Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Salad Buffet (100 g) CHF 4.10
Seefeldstrasse 2 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442603222
Mon – Fri 06:30 – 00:00, Sat 08:00 – 00:00, Sun 09:00 – 00.00

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, Relaxing, 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