With sizzling open kitchens, gooey cheese fondues and bold wine lists that make good use of surrounding vineyards, the Zürich dining scene is already tempting enough, but here are three recently opened restaurants that make it even more enticing.
Located on Langstrasse, centre of Zürich’s former red-light district, SO Pizza is a stylish all-you-can-eat pizzeria with exposed brickwork and a Wes Anderson abundance of colour found upon the ceiling, chairs, cushions and tablecloths.
The concept here is simple: you pay a set price and then wait for a waiter to pass your table with a tray of thin, crispy pizza. If the toppings appeal, you take a slice. If not, you wait for the next round. The set price includes salad, and customers are allowed to stay as long as they want. The restaurant has already proved so popular that a second branch has now opened across the other side of town on Limmatquai; the concept remains the same.
Another hot opening in Zürich is street food outlet Tenz, who have just secured their first permanent premises near Langstrasse. Having previously sold their tasty Tibetan momos (filled dumplings) at music festivals and football matches, their new restaurant offers a daily selection of steamed buns (one meat, one vegetarian and one vegan) dished up in the industrial surrounds of an old bierhalle (beer hall). Traditional sides such as homemade chilli sauce, a spicy cucumber and peanut salad, and butter tea make this Tibetan restaurant even more authentic – the late-night DJs not so much.
Pic-Chic, located inside a newly renovated space just around the corner from Bahnhofstrasse, gives the food hall concept a makeover. This award-winning venue offers a range of international street food (from Japanese sushi and Mexican tacos to Chinese dumplings), which are then eaten at one of the tables in the middle of the building.
It’s an easygoing spot for a quick lunch but works just as well for evening drinks turning into dinner and cocktails. The main bar is well stocked and serves many adventurous signature cocktails, including its own Margeribaldi (Campari, tequila and orange juice with a dash of lime, some rhubarb bitters and a touch of lychee syrup).
