Top Picks This Week
Frau Gerolds Garten
The outdoor container bar complex in Zurich West is the most inventive use of urban space in the city. Built from repurposed shipping containers on a former industrial site, Frau Gerolds Garten fills every evening from May to September with the city's creative class. Natural wine, Swiss craft beer, and a rotating food market operate across a sprawling terrace. Come early on Friday evening to secure a table. The atmosphere continues regardless of light rain. Closes in October and disappears until spring.
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Jules Verne Panoramabar
Built into the elevated railway viaduct above the city centre, Jules Verne delivers a perspective on Zurich that ground-level bars cannot match. The 360-degree panorama takes in Lake Zurich, the Uetliberg hill, and the old town's Grossmunster and Fraumunster spires. The cocktail programme is serious and the wine list draws on Swiss cantons that rarely appear outside the country. Reserve a window table for groups of three or more. The venue is small, the views are outsized.
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Kronenhalle Bar
James Joyce drank here. Picasso, Chagall, and Miro left paintings on the walls in lieu of payment. The Kronenhalle has operated at this address since 1924 and the bar room has changed little in that time. The martinis are prepared with the precision that the room demands. This is Zurich's most expensive bar experience and worth every franc for a single late-evening drink. The service is formal and attentive. Jacket recommended though not enforced. Reservations essential on weekends.
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