What to eat in Zurich and Switzerland
Swiss food is shaped by mountains, dairy and four language regions. Here are the dishes worth trying, what they are, and where they come from. Written by the chef-led food tour team at Farang Guide in Zurich.
Essential Swiss dishes
Zürcher Geschnetzeltes · Zurich
Thin strips of veal in a cream and white-wine sauce, usually served with Rösti. The classic Zurich dish.
Rösti · Swiss-German regions
Grated potato fried in butter until crisp outside and soft inside. The informal language border between German- and French-speaking Switzerland is called the Röstigraben after it.
Cheese fondue · Throughout Switzerland
Melted cheese, white wine and kirsch, eaten with bread from a shared pot. A cold-season dish for sharing.
Raclette · Valais and beyond
Melted cheese scraped over boiled potatoes with pickles and onions.
Birchermüesli · Zurich
Created around 1900 by Zurich physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner: oats, apple, nuts and yoghurt or cream.
Cervelat · Throughout Switzerland
The sausage often called the national sausage, typically grilled and eaten with bread and mustard.
Älplermagronen · Central Switzerland
Pasta, potatoes, cheese and onions, usually served with apple sauce.
Bündnerfleisch · Graubünden
Air-dried beef sliced very thin, a mountain-region speciality.
Nusstorte · Engadine
A pastry filled with caramelised walnuts.
Swiss cheese worth tasting
- Gruyère. Hard, nutty and complex; taste a younger and an older wheel to understand the difference.
- Appenzeller. Herbal washed-rind cheese with a recipe the producers keep secret.
- Emmentaler. The cheese with the big holes, milder and sweeter than most people expect.
- Tête de Moine. Shaved into rosettes with a special tool.
Swiss chocolate
Milk chocolate was developed in Switzerland by Daniel Peter in 1875. Zurich has several well-known chocolatiers, so a side-by-side tasting is an easy way to learn the difference between brands, cocoa origins and textures.
Eating out in Zurich: practical tips
- Prices are high. A main course in a normal restaurant often costs well above what visitors expect, so check menus before sitting down.
- Lunch menus are usually better value than dinner.
- Service is included. Rounding up the bill is a friendly gesture.
- Book popular restaurants ahead, especially on weekends.
- Much Swiss wine is drunk inside Switzerland, so it is worth trying local wine instead of only imports.
Taste it with a chef
Our Signature Walk (CHF 69) includes local snacks, cheese, chocolate and a surprise treat, and the Swiss Atelier (CHF 200) teaches you to cook four Swiss dishes. See also things to do in Zurich.