eMagSOut&About - Restaurants & Bars
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Welcome to eMagSOut&About! Switzerlands first totally independent and honest guide to restaurants, bars and other fun stuff!
Resturants and Bars
First out in eMagSOut&About Section is the Restaurant and Bar Guide. Planned is also Sparetime Guide with skiing resorts and other locations to enjoy your sparetime.
The Trustworthy Rating
eMagS specialist panel with MagS as chairman takes pride in being totally independent an honest! All locations mentioned in the Guide has have to be visited personally by MagS. As a man with great apetite for food and good living you can always trust his judgements. But be beware: MagS has a very personal taste and what's good for him might not be good for you...
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The restaurants and bars are evaluated after four criteria:
- Price
- Service
- Taste
- Overall Impression and atmosphere
For a top MagS rating the balance between the four must be right. This means a really cheap restaurant or even a Kebab stand can get a great rating. I personally tend to put a higher value on service and taste than on price.
The grades are:
The eMagS Eating Panel
Click to meet them!
- Fabulous!
- Very Good
- Absolutely OK
- OK
- Bad
- It Sucks!!!
What the heck! - I rather go skiing, take me direct to the Ski Resorts Guide!
Rember that MagS is one hungry fellow and that he spend his entire stay as well as paycheck eating and drinking trough Switzerland - You can't find a better judge than that!
Oh no! - It is raining!
Better visit a museum! Take me to the Museum Guide!
Iroquis, Seefeldstrasse, ZH
Tip of the Week
Category: Bar and restaurant, Mexican and American food
Gitano Mexicano, Niederdorf, ZH
Category: Mexican Restaurant
Rating: Good
Price: Medium to High
Service: Very Good
Taste: Sure tastes Mexican, Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: The interior is so tacky that it is worth a visit just because of it.
Rating: It Sucks!!!
Price: Medium
Service: Non existent
Taste: OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Dirty, messy but surprisingly often packed with people.
I feel hyper active!!
Take me direct to the
Sport Club Guide!
Comment:
Owned by Senor Tony Navarro who also runs the Vinothek where I live. A nice guy with several well renowned restaurants in ZH. This one is noisy, hectic, with spicy food and musicians attacking you when you are eating. Actually one of the friendliest and nicest "simple" restaurants in ZH. Tip, don't ask for the "Toilet". Here they follow international standard so they have only a "restroom" or "bathroom". I have seen them tease Swiss people rather bad by letting them know that they don't have a "toilet", leaving the Swiss in total confusion....
Comment:
This restaurant used to be good. Suddenly everything changed. I think it was because the owner opened a new restaurant at Kreuzplatz, "Bohemia". Australian Claudia with the best guys from the crew went there and left Iroquis with Switzerlands worst service, which is a performance in it self!
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The only reason to visit this place is to meet people. Not always the friendliest of people but the bar is always crowded, the music is loud and a lot of beer is being consumed. One can go here to see young, yuppie men and once in a while a female guest
Zic-Zac, Niederdorf (and Letzigrund), ZH
Navajo, Meilen, ZH
Category: Bar and restaurant, Hard Rock Cafe copy
Category: Bar and restaurant, Mexican and American food
Rating: Very Good
Price: Medium
Service: Absolutely OK
Taste: Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Nicely situated at the Lake of Zürich with wonderful outdoor veranda in the summer season.
Rating: OK!!!
Price: Medium
Service: OK
Taste: Lunch is Absolutely OK, Evenings - OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Dirty, messy and surprisingly often packed with people, loud music.
Comment:
This is the Swiss copy of Hard Rock Cafe; they even stole the slogan from them. Well, as copy it is OK and the one in Niederdorf is the place to go for classic rock music, drunken guests and bartenders dancing on the bar desk. It is rather large and has often hundreds of completely drunk guests. Well I suppose no one really needs a copy, but when the original is not present...?
Comment:
Same owner as Iroquis and Bohemia but better kept and with far better kitchen even if the menus look similar. well worth a visit in the summer just to sit at the veranda and look at the view and the bikers coming and leaving.
Bohemia, Kreuzplatz, ZH
Category: Bar and restaurant, Cross-culture Kitchen
Rating: Absolutely OK
Price: Medium
Service: Daytime excellent when the "Aussie" Claudia is there, at nights rather bad
Taste: Very Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Messy and smoky almost as Iroquis but the guests are better and the food as well.
Palavrion Mövenpick, Stockerstrasse, ZH
Category: Bar and restaurant, Mövenpick food
Rating: Absolutely OK!!!
Price: Above medium
Service: Better than OK
Taste: OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Messy and extremely packed with people on Thursdays
Comment:
The food is actually great here. The restaurant is fresher than for instance Iroqius since it is newer. You better book in advance if you want to eat. The restaurant part is larger than it seems since there are hidden rooms in the back of the restaurant. The bar is not worth an extra trip, it's just another Swiss bar with pretty lousy service.
Comment:
This is one of the few places to visit on a Thursday. Hip guests, yuppies, and drunken women. Not that nice but hectic and loud. Astonishing amounts of alcohol are being consumed in a very short time by all the guests and then it ends around midnight. For other days it is not a recommendation, only Thursdays, and only to look at other people. One can possibly not have a conversation with ones friends due to the loud music.
Gelateria Rosso di Maranello, Stauffacher, ZH
Category: Cafe and Ice-cream bar
Rating: Fabulous!!!
Price: Medium
Service: Best in Switzerland (Ok, I know it's an easy one -but these guys are reaching normal European levels)
Taste: Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Newly opened, small, friendly and with good small cups of coffe served with a big smile
Oliver Twist, Niederdorf, ZH
Category: Pub
Rating: OK
Price: Medium
Service: Better than average, lots of British and Aussies in the staff
Taste: Like beer....
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Not really a very good pub but better than many others mostly because there are a lot of foreigners among the gusts as well as in the staff.
Comment:
Simple but good. Perfect for a quick espresso or an ice-cream.
Comment:
Just another Irish pub, but a little bit better
Spaghetti Factory, three locations in ZH
Category: Spaghetti restaurant
Rating: Absolutely OK!!!
Price: Medium
Service: OK
Taste: Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Standardized spaghetti dishes, really a "factory" close to fast food but better and not really that fast
Enjoy American Farmer Style Partying?
Visit ZicZac in Niederdorf!
Shuan Long, Stadelhofen, ZH
Category: Chinese Fast Food
Rating: Absolutely OK!!!
Price: Below medium
Service: Chinese
Taste: Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Fast, good taste and well worth the money
Comment:
Hungry? Well, you can always find something here as long as you like spaghetti. It's a pity that they don't use fresh pasta but the taste experience is still higher than the price and that is good.
Comment:
Chinese fast food. No further comments necessary.
Outback, Stadelhofen, ZH
Category: Bar and restaurant, Australian food and drinks
Rating: OK
Price: Medium
Service: OK
Taste: OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Sometimes strange guests.
Want a taste of Germany 1941? Visit Krops Bierhalle,
Krops, Near Paradeplatz, ZH
Category: Bierhalle, traditional Swissgerman food
Comment:
The only attraction of this joint are the exotic dishes. Crocodile, kangaroo and other interesting creatures are on the menu. But to be honest it tastes just like another standard burger.
Rating: Absolutely OK!!! If you like Blood Sausage!
Price: Above Medium
Service: Old Beer Ladies
Taste: OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Large hall with sounds, smells and views reminding of Germany 1944
Comment:
You should see it once, but once is probably enough if you want to keep an eye on your waist line!
Velvet Bar, Niederdorf, ZH
Category: Bar
Rating: It Sucks!!!
Price: Above Medium
Service: Non existent
Taste: OK
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Dirty, messy and gusts and staff younger than 18 years of age, meeting point for musicians without audience
Blue Note, Stockerstrasse, ZH
Category: Bar and simple restaurant
Rating: OK
Price: Medium
Service: Bad
Taste: Have not tried the food
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Nothing special but very popular
Comment:
No comment
Comment:
They have some sushi dishes and other foods but it is small and most of the guest are there for the after work drinks and then leaves for other places.
Azzuro, Schlachthof, ZH Letzigrund
Category: Italian Restaurant
Rating: Fabulous
Price: Above Medium
Service: Good Swift Italian Service with a lot of compassion
Taste: Very Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Clean, noisy, Italian
Papa Joe's, Schiffländer, ZH
Category: American Style Restaurant
Rating: Good
Price: Medium
Service: Good
Taste: Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Another American style restaurant. This one not so much of a bar, better air-conditioning and not so sloppy as for instance Zic-Zac.
Comment:
Said to have the best pizza in Zürich. I am prepared to agree but also the other dishes are delicious. I have been eating not only my servings but also my colleagues there several times.
Comment:
The menu is nether especially inventinve nor extensive.This does not matter at all since it tastes good and the food arrives rather fast at your table. This speed factor must not be underestimated when dining with MagS..
Sushi Bar, Stockerstrasse, ZH
Category: Sushi Bar, with revolving band
Rating: Very Good
Price: Expensive
Service: Good
Taste: Very good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Clean and friendly but rather expensive
Strozzi's, Paradeplatz and Seefeldstrasse, ZH
Category: Italian Fast Food and Sandwiches
Comment:
I have to spend about 50 SFr to get satisfied here. Once in a while it is worth it espescially when I have my "sushi-attacks" which tends to occur about once or twice a month. Not recommended for everyday lunch if you are an hungry person like me.
Rating: OK
Price: Medium
Service: Less than OK
Taste: OK (-)
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Highly over-recommended but not bad
Comment:
OK for a quick lunch or a snack at the outdoor cafe in the summer
Found a Great Restaurant?
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10 Drowning Street, Oerlikon BH, Oerlikon
Ban Song Thai, Niederdorf, ZH
Category: Thai Food
Category: English Pub with Pub kitchen
Rating: Absolutely OK
Price: Medium
Service: Good
Taste: Very good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: English Pub with OK food.
Rating: Good
Price: Medium
Service: OK
Taste: Very Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Small and hectic, book in advance
Comment:
Perfect for a quick bit of food and a beer before visiting for instance a concert or game at Hallenstadion. Make sure to look at the owners lothes. Or rather, you can't miss it. They are a part of the interior...
Comment:
Lunch buffet is great! All you can eat for 24.50 SFr. Book well in advance. It is always packed with people.
Shanghai, Helvetiaplatz, ZH
Category: Chinese Food
Rating: Very Good
Price: Low, considering what you get
Service: Very Good
Taste: Very Good
Overall Impression and atmosphere: Very good for lunch, Very chinese.
Comment:
Lunch is fabulous! Salad, soup or spring roll and main course for 19SFr. Generous servings.
(c) eMagS & Magnus Svensson 2000