Zurich offers a wealth of places to
eat cheaply , with
Manora
, Bahnhofstrasse 75, offering best
value. The train station, in
addition to the good-value
Nordsee
seafood bar opposite the tourist
office, hides
Suan Long on
the lower shopping-level, which does
filling stir-fries for Sfr13-15
(stand-up only).
Mensa
Polyterrasse , on Künstlergasse
at the university, is a student
cafeteria open to all. A wander
through Niederdorf will turn up
dozens of falafel, sausage, noodle
and french-fry stalls, plus beer
halls serving up daily specials for
about Sfr13;
Schlauch ,
upstairs at Münstergasse 20, serves
health food in a quiet atmosphere;
Zähringer
, on Zähringerplatz, is a
co-operative-run café/bar with an
alternative-minded clientele;
Pinte
Vaudoise , Kruggasse 4, serves
what's been voted the best fondue in
Zurich;
Bodega Española , Münstergasse
15, is an unmissable, deeply
atmospheric tapas bar and paella
restaurant; and frothy
Café
Schober , Napfgasse 4, could
bring out the little old lady in
anyone - don't leave Zurich without
sampling their
hot chocolate
. On the west bank,
Hiltl ,
Sihlstrasse 28, is a top-quality
buffet vegetarian, with budget
prices for takeaway. Of Niederdorf's
innumerable
bars ,
Pigalle
, Marktgasse 14, is a popular
hangout;
Wüste ,
Oberdorfstrasse 7, is mellow and
comfortable;
Babalu ,
Schmidgasse 6, chic and black-lit.
Lenin once watched the world go by
from the big-windowed
Odeon ,
Limmatquai 2; and legend has it that
if you can swing up and wriggle your
way through the gap between beam and
ceiling at the
Oepfelchammer
, Rindermarkt 12, then your beers
are on the house.
Rheinfelder
Bierhalle , Niederdorfstrasse
76, is choice of the hearty beer
halls. On the west bank,
James
Joyce , Pelikanstrasse 8,
comprises an original
nineteenth-century bar interior,
transported here piece by piece from
Dublin; and
Nelson ,
Beatengasse 11, and
Noble
Dubliner , Talstrasse 82, are
English-style pubs.
Barfüsser
, Spitalgasse 14, is Europe's
longest-running gay bar, and
Venus
, Badenerstrasse 219, is women-only.
Supplementing its lively music
venues, Zurich's club scene
has skyrocketed recently, and you'll
find dance floors heaving. The
deeply hip quarter around
Langstrasse, west of the centre, is
full of DJ-bars, and the industrial
quarter to the northwest is where
the best underground clubs hide
themselves; check flyers on
Langstrasse or at Zap Records, Zähringerstrasse
47. Rote Fabrik , Seestrasse
395 ( www.rotefabrik.ch ), is
a former squat venue with live bands
and big-name DJs (as well as
excellent cheap food); Abart
, Manessestrasse 170, has good live
music; Casa Bar , Münstergasse
20, and Moods ,
Sihlamtstrasse 5, focus on jazz; Dynamo
, Wasserwerkstrasse 21, hosts
alternative, punkish bands and dance
nights; Labyrinth ,
Pfingstweidstrasse 70, plays house
(mixed gay/straight); and Oxa
, Andreasstrasse 70, is famous for
its after-hours parties (Sat &
Sun 5-11am). Early August sees the Street
Parade ( www.street-parade.ch
), a hedonistic weekend of techno
street-dancing second only to
Berlin's Love Parade. Listings
are in ZüriTipp , Friday
supplement to Tages Anzeiger
newspaper.
