Eating quality food with a mini-budget (ca. 15 CHF) is possible in Zurich – This post will bring you closer 5 food places in town – vegetarians included

Living in Switzerland makes you creative when it comes to dining out and keeping your costs under control. Especially in Zurich! I took the mission to find places where to get quality food for a small budget (under 15 CHF). I love to go out for dinner or lunch and I don’t love to limit myself in my food selection. Of course, for a special occasion, it can be a more sophisticated restaurant but sometimes it’s perfect to get something small for a convenient price. That is why I came up with this blogpost. By the way, get inspired for suggestions on my Zurich restaurant guide, here.
These suggestions include warm and cold menus.

5 places to get quality food under 15 CHF

Put put Japanese takeaway

This small takeaway offers good quality and price. All menus are prepared fresh. My suggestion at putput is their Gyudon or their  Japanese veggie curry. It is located in Kreis 4,  Stauffacherstrasse 101 (side street of  Langstrasse). 

Costs: start with CHF 11.5o to CHF15.50

Opening hours: Monday: 11:30 – 14:00, Tuesday – Friday: 11:30- 14:30 / 17:30 – 21:00, Saturday: 14:00 – 21:00

Palestine Grill – Lebanese Sandwich

Palestine Grill is perfect for a late-night snack after or before heading to dance at Langstrasse or for lunch if you are walking around that area. It’s located in Kreis 4 at Langstrasse 92. My absolute favourite sandwich here is the Sabich. It’s vegetarian and comes with fried eggplants, egg, and hummus if wished with french fries! The pita bread is super fresh.

Costs: start with CHF 11.5o for a Sabich.

Opening hours: Monday & Tuesday: 11:30 – 19:00, Wednesday:11:30 – 21:45, Thursday – Saturday: 11:30 – 22:00, Sunday closed

Piadina Bar in the old town of Niederdorf

Obviously, an Italian Food Spot can’t miss on my list. Piadina Bar is located in the heart of the Niederdorf. It is my favourite dish when it comes to authentic Italian delicacies for a fast lunch. It is a type of traditional flatbread found in Italy/Emilia Romagna usually. The bread is a thin dough prepared fresh at the counter. You can select of different vegetarian and meat products to stuff it. My favourite one is with eggplants, rucola and stracchino cream cheese. Get more of the location here in my review.

Costs: start with CHF 10.50

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday: 11:30 – 23:00, Sunday: 15:00 – 19:00

Il Pentagramma – Classic Italian Panino with Mortadella or more!

If you are into the food you perfectly know the difference between a piadina and a panino. I love this place because the owner transmits many Italian vibes. All ingredients she offers for the panini remind me of my childhood holidays in Italy. The one I absolutely recommend is with grilled veggies and mortadella. The panino is huge, so be hungry! The Pentagramma is practically located in a side street close to the mains station in Zurich at Josefstrasse 28.

Costs: start with 10.50 CHF

Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 15:00

Bridge Zurich- Pizz al taglio, a salad, some fresh cheese and a baguette?

Bridge Zurich is a spot in Europaallee where to find many local handcrafted products! There are many products for the small budget, too. I love to go there for a fresh Siri baguette and some cheese from their counter, either ricotta or even a delicious ham! Find some fresh pizza from Flour & Water on the upper floor. Their pizza base is easy to digest and prepared in the traditional artisanal way using fresh, healthy local ingredients.  For a tasty dessert go for vegan ice cream or some here.

Costs: Products from Migros and many Swiss brands for every budget.

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 09:00 to 22:00, Sunday closed

My personal highlight: Developing my coffee taste thanks to premium quality beans Nikos and his staff serve

Bean Bank Coffee is the address you have to mark big on your specialty coffee list in Zurich. Nikos knowledge of coffee is incredible. And believe me or not, the coffee you drink here is served in excellent quality, meaning; you can choose from a  diversity of coffee flavors, have a flat white or filter coffee and enjoy high-quality ingredients, best brewing recipes, and consistency. There are several options for vegans, too to drink and eat.

Their big selection of premium specialty coffee various from some of the best roasters in the world as The Naughty Dog from the Czech Republic, taf coffee from Athens, Greece, or Friedhats from Amsterdam, Hollandwell. I love the nice pottery and all the coffee equipment to brew coffee at home they sell in the shop, too!

Bean Bank Coffee is located in Europaallee at Lagerstrasse 18c, 8004 Zürich.

Opening Hours

Monday thru Friday 7.30 am to 6 pm, Saturday 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Sunday it’s closed.

www.beanbank.coffee

In the mood for some restaurant suggestions in Zurich? Find them here!

My personal highlight: Traditional Neapolitan Pizza – I am happy I have found you crispy & wood fired

Living in Zurich is absolutely a privilege. The choice of international food is diverse, you don’t get annoyed so fast. Nevertheless, it took me a while to find a pizza place, that makes the pizza according to my desire and demand.

How a pizza should be if you ask my opinion

The pizza bottom thin and crispy, but slightly chewy on top, the tomato sauce fresh, ideally with San Marzano tomatoes grown in the rich volcanic soil. The cheese only premium Italian Quality Fior di Latte. It’s a second variant of mozzarella created using fresh cow’s milk. The alternative that can be used is Mozzarella di Bufala from the Campania region. This is made by using the fresh milk of water buffalos. Other cheeses do not belong on top of a pizza!

How to recognize the difference: the mozzarella melts and the Fior di Latte forms a string,

I have found a pizza following my requirements at Ristorante Più located at Kasernenstrasse 95 / Europaallee in the old Sihlpost. The restaurant belongs to the well-known family Bindella offering traditional Italian cuisine in several restaurant in Switzerland.

Talking to one of their Managers Davide Di Salvo made me immediately understand, that important ingredients are passion and care in the selection of every single ingredient. He shares with me the secret of the Fior di Latte used on their pizza. I prefer Fior di Latte on the pizza, since it is less fat than typical mozzarella and makes my stomach not fill full after the meal. The dough they prepare at Più gets enough time to rest, at least 48 hours, this makes the dough ideal to digest.

Did you know, that the art of Neapolitan pizza making has joined UNESCO’s list of “intangible heritage”?

The Pizzaiolo team is from South Italy of course, I feel home sharing stories about food and observing them creating the magic that comes in a approx. 400 degrees heated wood fired oven. After only 3 minutes the pizza is crispy and ready for me. The ambience at Più is typical Italian. The building is spacious, stylish and with true Italian vibes. I feel happy here!

Choose between two basic pizza and create your individual one!

In the mood to choose by yourself what comes on your pizza? Try this concept at Più: order between the Marinara pizza (tomato sauce, garlic, oregano) and the Margherita (tomato sauce, fior di latte, basil) as the base. Get toppings to share with your friends. Grilled vegetables, parmesan cheese slices, bresaola, fresh tuna or rucola for example.

Try their antipasto with the burrata and the pane carasau. It is a unique, very thin crispy bread you would only get 1000 Km far away on a Sardinian Island! An absolute must. The matching aperitivo is the Apertas, it has some Aperol, lime juice and a cortese cedrata made of a very special Italian Lemon sort.

Do you like to enjoy a quality pizza to go, try their area next to the main restaurant. The pizza is smaller of course, costs start as of 9 CHF (marinara). In the main restaurant Pizza start as of 22 CHF (Pizza dello Chef with ham and champignons)

Soon I will be exploring their other branch at Schiffbau that has been recommended to me to be a unique place for other true Italian dishes.

Address: Kasernenstrasse 95, 8004 Zürich

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday:  11.30–14.30 / 17.30–23.30 uhr , Friday: 11.30–14.30 / 17.30–24 .00,  Saturday: 11.30–24.00, Sunday: 11.30–23.00

In the mood of more restaurants in Zurich? Get inspiration on my food guide here.

www.piu-ristorante.ch