The Best Coffee in Zurich
Coffee culture is taken extremely seriously in Zurich, and the city’s best coffee shops reflect this. Long summer afternoons are well spent sat out on the cobblestone Niederdorf sampling Café Henrici’s Brazilian coffee beans, or overlooking the Limmat River with an exquisite espresso from Grande. When the winter chill hits Zurich, snuggle with a loved one in the red velvet booths of Teecafé Schwarzenbach, or defrost your fingertips at the stand-up espresso counter.
33 Neugasse
Strictly locals convene at this shoebox-sized café with herringbone floors, a vintage sofa, and seven tiny tables steps from Josefstrasse’s funky boutiques. Coffee geeks will feel right at home—beans are roasted just two doors down, there’s a Dalla Corte espresso machine in the corner, and all sorts of intriguing paraphernalia are for sale (think Japanese siphons and mills). Still, the quirky non-caffeinated beverage selection shouldn’t be missed; there are Traktor smoothies, Thomas Henry sodas and mini bottles of Prosecco.
Kappelergasse 16, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Über restaurateur Michel Péclard made waves in Zurich when he took over the iconic Café Schober in the Niederdorf a few years ago. In 2012, Péclard set his eyes on another classic establishment, Milchbar, which had sat tucked away in a quiet square off of Paradeplatz for over three decades. Now in its new incarnation near the Zurich Opera House, the café is as alluring as ever with Edison bulbs hung from the ceiling, long wooden communal tables, single origin coffee and super smooth espresso made with an exclusive blend by Fresh Coffee in Rüschlikon.
Hardturmstrasse 66, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland
By day, this café and bookshop is a lovely place to enjoy an espresso prepared with beans purchased and roasted by H. Schwarzenbach, the Altstadt coffee institution. Come evening, it transforms into a popular bar among the creative types in the neighborhood. The best place to enjoy a beer or two from the nearby TurbinenBräu brewery is under the glass-roofed annex—full of lush plants, tables and chairs in faded primary colors, and a view of the Limmat River.
