City guide
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.
Where to drink
Zurich's most unpretentious bar street runs through the fourth district and operates with a democratic energy that the upmarket old town bars lack entirely. Langstrasse proper and the connecting streets hold a dense mix
The former industrial district west of Langstrasse has transformed into Zurich's most design-conscious bar neighbourhood. The Viadukt arches under the elevated railway line hold a string of boutique shops, restaurants, a
The old town on both banks of the Limmat river holds Zurich's most prestigious bar addresses. The Niederdorf area on the east bank runs a mix of tourist-facing bars and genuinely excellent establishments that occupy medi
The lake-facing district east of the city centre holds a bar scene that skews upmarket and design-conscious. The streets around Seefeldstrasse are where Zurich's finance and media professionals drink after work. Several
The converted Hürlimann brewery complex in Wiedikon holds one of Zurich's most impressive bar developments. The thermal bath complex within the former brewery includes a rooftop pool bar that operates as one of the city'
The northern districts around Oerlikon represent Zurich's most functional bar offer. The neighbourhood serves a large residential and business population with reliable after-work bars and weekend locals that have no inte
Explore →Every bar in this guide was visited in person by a barsforKings editor. No bar is listed without a visit within the past 18 months, and every ranked bar is visited at least twice, on different nights, before it earns a place. This city is re-reviewed every 90 days, and each entry is approved by a named editor — never an algorithm and never a paid placement. Read our full methodology and editorial standards, or meet the editors behind the reviews.