Zurich, Dining Costs
 

I am reading that the current cost of dining out in Zurich, and indeed throughout Switzerland is outrageous, at least compared with costs in the U.S. Can fellow budget travelers please recommend budget cost eateries (the equivalent of $15. U.S. for a main dish) in Zurich with very good food? Is there such a thing?

Dining in Switzerland is expensive. On recent trips I have found is distinctly more than New York for the same type/level of food. Didn;t see anything in that price range, althouhg I'm sure there must be- but I would expect it to be quite casuale.

I can't remember the name, but about 4 years ago, ate in an excellent self service vege, mostly Indian place, that was excellent value and the food was very good. You select your food and then they weigh the plate to work out how much you pay. I went there with a Swiss friend who lives in Baden

I think my last meal(9-10-10) at McDonald's in Zurich was about $11 for one person. We were about to catch a connecting train to the airport, so not much time. I don't remember seeing any budget restaurants. You can go to the Coop and get take away things. While we were in Wengen, we did take half pension, dinner every night at our hotel. It was only 20 CHF per person not inc. drinks. Well worth the money and delicious food. So if your hotel offers half pension, you may consider it.

USD 15 may well buy you 1.5 sandwiches in a take-away shop (bakery).
Even a simple plate of pasta at Vapiano (self-serve Italian) will set you back at least CHF 14.50 (USD 15.00) not including drinks. It could be an option, though. It's a German chain of upscale self-service Italian restaurants by now with a worldwide presence. Fresh pasta is made on site and the sauces are cooked to order. Their Zurich branch is just outside the Sihl City shopping mall - about a 10 min tram ride from Paradeplatz in the city centre.
See their Swiss Pasta menu here:
http://www.vapiano.de/frame.php?sect...=ch&sub=pasta#

alihutch, I think the restaurant you are referring to is Hiltl.

You can cut down on expenses by going to the Coop (near the Bahnhof) in Zurich and purchasing things for a picnic lunch or dinner. My husband and I enjoyed our picnics along the promenade of Lake Zurich at the end of the Bahnhofstrasse.

Liz

scatcat, did you dine at Hotel Schonegg in Wengen?

The chef, Hubert Mayer, is a food god. I dream about my meals at the Schonegg.

Liz

Very good food for $15.00 in Zürich just isn't going to happen. Seriously, MacDonald's can easily cost that, or a sausage on a roll from a snackbar. Going to the Coop is probably the best idea, or maybe Chinese take-out.

Hate to be a downer, but it is probably more expensive than you have been led to believe. Dining in Zurich is pretty grim. High prices, often without the quality to match. Virtually nothing will be available for $15, save McDonald's and kebabs (I do like kebabs, though). Even shopping at COOP will induce sticker shock. Sorry.

Tears_of_Tearney, I stayed at Hotel Baeren. It is a very small hotel, but the food, both breakfast and dinner is wonderful. Can't wait to go back for the third time next September. I will be in Europe in April and June, but I think it may still be a little cool for me. I have heard that the Hotel Schonegg has great food.

You can get a hot meal (bratwurst, onion sauce and potato salad) at Zeughauskeller for under 20 ChF. Its located at Paradeplatz. But don't order a drink or eat a roll on the table.
http://www.trymarket.ch/zeughauskeller/index.htm

If you are careful, you can also get a hot meal of the day at the top floor restaurant (self serve) of the Manor store on Bahnhofstr. for under 20 Chf.

If you do a take away sandwich, Sprungli has the best. And they are under 15 ChF. Kleiner and Marinellos also have good sandwiches - much better than COOP, and all are in the Hauptbahnhof.

You can also get cheap chinese at Longs in the HBH and at the Stadelhofen BH but its not very good.

I also remember Tiffins on Seefeldtstr serving fairly inexpensive Thai food that was pretty good.

We were in Zurich just a few weeks ago. It was the final stop of our 2-week Swiss trip. Even though we have gotten used to Swiss restaurant prices during the entire 2 weeks, we were still SHOCKED by the even-higher prices in Zurich.

Some options such as the Coop supermarket for take-out, or take-out stands near Hauptbahnhof are good ideas.

I think there's a NORDSEE in Zurich, not sure what its prices but certainly more affordable than regular restaurants.

We ate lunch at a Chinese Dim Sum take-out stand outside of Hauptbahnhof. It has a few benches on the sidewalk. A plate of rice dish w/chicken was 15 CHF.

Finally, for sit-down restaurants, you may see cheaper prices at restaurants in the Niederdorf area. There are quite a number of bars that serve hot food that may fit your budget (though not necessarily "very good food"). Most of them post their menus outside, so you can certainly check the prices before going in.

Believe me, it isn't just in Zurich that food prices are high. We recently were in a very small restaurant...more like a bar/cafe in Lausanne and they wanted about $19.00 for a hamburger..I suspect MacDonald's might have actually been cheaper. Needless to say we spent plenty of time in the local markets buying things to eat.

scatcat, what a small world. Fred and I went to the Baeren for Sunday dinner, but they were closed. A woman at Mary's Cafe told us that the Baeren had good "rustic" food. Boy, were we disappointed when we went by and saw the hotel restaurant is closed on Sunday.

Isn't Wengen just the most fantastic place?

Did you go to the Swiss Made Shop on Main Street? The English lady who runs the place is a living doll. What nice people we always meet in the BO.

Liz

Sunday is the only night that the Baeren restaurant is closed. We left on a Friday, so we had four nights of waaay too much food. Yes, I absolutely love Wengen. I visited that shop a couple of times. Everyone there was friendly. The lady at the camera shop was nice also. I had to buy a battery there for my clock. She installed it for me. I was shocked at the low price. I think it was less than 7 CHF. Course, I have no clue what the cost is here. My husband buys all the batteries.

We returned from Switzerland two weeks ago and our most expensive dinner was in Zurich - about 90 chf for two entrees, a drink, and a water. The food was OK but not great. We also stayed in Luzern, Lauterbrunnen, Montreux,and Zermatt, and entrees generally started at about 25 chf and went up into the 30's and 40's at what I would call inexpensive to moderate restaurants. We splurged on a few more expensive meals and saved money other meals by splitting a pizza (usually $19-25 chf for what I would call a medium in the US). The Italian restaurant (Atrio) at the Zurich Rail City actually had very good pizza for around 20 chf. We also bought bread, cheese, and takeaway sandwiches at Coop or other shops.