7 Top Restaurants in Zurich for Business Lunches
Zurich is known for luxury - stores, hotels…and restaurants as well.
But not every location is suited for real business - the kind that takes hours over a well-choreographed meal. The kind that will lead directly to the multi-million dollar deal.
These seven restaurants, however, are well-suited for exactly that.
1. Kronenhalle
Few restaurants anywhere in the world carry quite the mythology of the Kronenhalle. In 1924, Hulda and Gottlieb Zumsteg took over a derelict hotel on Zurich's Bellevue Square and reopened it as the restaurant Kronenhalle.
Under the stewardship of Hulda and her son Gustav, the locale soon became a meeting spot for writers, artists and members of high society, such as James Joyce, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Chagall, Federico Fellini, Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Carl Zuckmayer.
What makes the Kronenhalle truly singular is its art collection.
Some of the famous regulars used to pay with artwork, which is why guests today can gaze at genuine works by Chagall, Picasso, and Miró while dining.
More recently, actress Tilda Swinton had her picture taken there, chess legend Garry Kasparov dined there, and the Rolling Stones ate at the Kronenhalle after their last concert in Zurich in 2017.
The food is rooted in the classics. The Kronenhalle Geschnetzeltes — veal seared on high heat with mushrooms puréed in a creamy sauce — has not changed at all from its original preparation.
The restaurant also serves seasonal Swiss and Mediterranean dishes. Situated steps from the Zurich Opera House and the Kunsthaus museum, it remains the definitive power-lunch address in the city.
2. Zunfthaus zur Waag
The Zunfthaus zur Waag was the guild house of the Zunft zur Waag, completed in 1315. It is one of the many historically valuable buildings in the city's Lindenhof quarter, situated on the northwestern side of Münsterhof, the largest public square in Zurich.
Already by 1636, the Zunfthaus zur Waag was established and from then on, meetings and dinners were held in its current rooms.
The building's link to the guild of wool and linen weavers gives it an authenticity that no amount of interior design can replicate. In the elegant bourgeois parlor on the second floor, guests enjoy traditional Zurich flair and top-class gastronomy.
From April to September, the summer terrace on the car-free Münsterhof — overlooking the Fraumünster church — is one of the most sought-after lunch spots in the city.
Three halls are available for all kinds of festive events at this guild house, which is one of Zurich's leading gastronomical establishments.
The Zunftstube and Waagstübli rooms are ideal for smaller, discreet business lunches, while the grand Zunftsaal caters to larger groups.
3. Baur's at the Baur au Lac
Since its opening in 1844, the Baur au Lac's historic "Le Hall" has been a silent witness to uncounted conversations and kept many secrets.
The hotel itself has long been Zurich's most prestigious address, welcoming heads of state, royalty, and the global business elite for nearly two centuries.
The main dining destination is now Baur's, a brasserie-style restaurant designed by the New York-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, occupying the space formerly known as Rive Gauche. It reimagines the classic brasserie with a modern vibe, featuring a decorative lacquered ceiling, Murano glass chandeliers, and a top-notch art collection.
Baur's celebrates the classics of European cuisine, but fans of vegetarian and vegan cuisine will also find what they are looking for on the colourful menu. Only fresh and seasonal products of the highest quality are used.
The wine cellar is among the finest in the city. With a separate entrance off the shopping promenade of Bahnhofstrasse, Baur's draws a local crowd as well as hotel guests — meaning you're just as likely to be seated next to a private banker as a visiting CEO.
4. CLOUDS at the Prime Tower
For a business lunch that literally commands attention, CLOUDS is in a category of its own. Located at the heart of Zurich's Kreis 5, the restaurant on the 35th floor of the Prime Tower boasts stunning views across the entire city, Lake Zurich, and the Alps at sunset.
The mouth-watering classic dishes and menu specials served in the CLOUDS Kitchen change weekly. Guests can enjoy a business lunch at midday or the fine dining experience with an à la carte menu in the evening.
The cuisine draws inspiration from the Mediterranean and Catalonia, served from an open kitchen where the cooking is part of the spectacle.
For private and exclusive events, the CLOUDS Privé offers an intimate, exclusive atmosphere — a stylish living-room-like space perfect for impressing business partners.
CLOUDS is located in Kreis 5 — the creative, tech-forward western district of Zurich — making it popular with both the finance crowd and the city's newer wave of entrepreneurs and media professionals. The CLOUDS Bar has won a Falstaff award as one of the best bars in Switzerland, and the venue even distils its own signature gin.
5. Lindenhofkeller
The Lindenhofkeller dates from 1860 and is known far beyond Zurich's city borders. Zurich Tucked under the ancient Lindenhof hill in the Old Town, this is the kind of place that well-connected locals keep to themselves. Since 1993, the Hofer family has been hosting the restaurant with great culinary skills, attracting business people, tourists and wine lovers to the cosy Lindenhof cellar.
Today, the kitchen is led by Bavarian chef Sebastian Rösch, who established his name at Restaurant Mesa and created a place where guests can experience what he calls his "home cuisine" — Bavarian classics refined and brought to a chic level.
Signature dishes include Spätzle with Périgord truffles and the long-celebrated Swiss prime saddle of veal, for which many guests have been regularly returning for years.
The wine offering is extraordinary: with over 600 types of wine, it is sometimes difficult to choose — but the well-trained staff are always pleased to help.
In summer, the hidden courtyard terrace transforms a business lunch into a genuine escape from the city. Situated in Pfalzgasse, just a few steps from the Lindenhof square, it is one of Zurich's most charming addresses.
6. Aura
Located near Paradeplatz in the old stock exchange building, AURA is a stylishly urban restaurant, a top-flight events venue, a lounge and a club — above all, the place to be for lovers of modern crossover cuisine with a weakness for grilled food.
Few venues in Zurich pack so much into a single address.
On over 2,000 square metres, AURA offers guests a unique experience: a grill restaurant, bar and smoker's lounge, a multifunctional event hall, and a club.
The centrepiece is the 800° Grill — the AURA Grill Restaurant inspires with innovative specialties prepared on an open fire directly in front of the guests.
Signature dishes include prime cuts of beef and grilled tuna, and the kitchen blends European and international influences with genuine flair.
The restaurant's strategic location in Zurich's financial district makes it perfect for business lunches, romantic dinners, and special celebrations.
Aura lies in the upper price bracket, but guests will not be disappointed — as Tagblatt Zurich noted, the combination of food, service and setting is hard to match.
The multifunctional event hall sets new standards in flexibility, with state-of-the-art technical infrastructure — making AURA equally suited to an intimate two-person working lunch or a large corporate reception.
7. Restaurant Bärengasse
Right in the nerve centre of Swiss finance, Restaurant Bärengasse occupies an unusually glamorous position. The Restaurant Bärengasse is located in the heart of Zurich in the colonnaded atrium of the bank building on Paradeplatz. Zürich It is owned and overseen by Dieter Meier — the Swiss multimedia artist, vintner, and cattle rancher perhaps best known internationally as one half of electronic duo Yello.
The modern brasserie focuses on beef and wine from Argentina — specifically from the farm "OJO DE AGUA," which Meier owns. Baerengasse The result is an unusually direct farm-to-fork proposition: the Argentinian Black Angus beef and the Malbec in your glass both come from the same Mendoza estate.
Guests should not expect tango ambience or gaucho romanticism, but rather Swiss tastefulness with white tablecloths and red leather seating. Smart Travelling
The lunchtime crowd is a who's who of Zurich's banking and financial services world, drawn by the central location and the reliably excellent beef tartare and steak cuts.
For those entertaining clients from abroad, a meal here carries an irresistible story: a Swiss celebrity, a South American farm, and a prime address on one of the most famous banking squares in the world.