Image by Blinde Kuh

There are a few imitations of this concept in major cities around the world, but what makes this one special is that it was the first of its kind – this is where people first flocked to with the desire to attempt to not-so-dexterously lift their forks to their mouths in pitch darkness. It is also where I first succumbed to poking a finger in my glass as I poured my water to ensure I didn’t spill it everywhere and where I hope eating with my fingers will be confined to unless I travel to a country in which it is considered standard.

I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone by outlining it all here seeing as the mystery of it all was what made it so fun, but there are some highlights I have to share to entice you into going. The image you see above shows how your evening will start. Once you’ve taken a look at the menu you’ll be escorted to your table conga style by the blind waiter or waitress who will be actively involved in your dining experience.

If you’re lucky, you’ll end up next to some people who haven’t realised that just because they can’t see, it doesn’t mean people around you can’t hear you. The couple next to us were on a first date and it’s thanks to the setting of this particular restaurant that we got to observe a hilariously cringeworthy exchange of sweet nothings.

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Blinde Kuh | Art & culture, Restaurants (European) | Whole experience CHF 80
Mühlebachstrasse 148 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41444215050
Lunch Wed – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 | Dinner Mon – Thu 18:30 – 23:00 Fri – Sun 18:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

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

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

Image by Miltiadis Sarakinos

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

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

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

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 1350.00
Utoquai 49 | Kreis 8 Seefeld | +41442528085
09:00 – 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Zurich

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 pretention? 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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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