Schipfe

In search of a place to relax after a long and busy day touring in Zurich, my friend and I were crossing the Rudolf Brun Bridge when we first saw the patio seating area of Schipfe 16. We didn't realize we could enter the restaurant from Schipfe Street so we wound our way toward it through the narrow riverside docks. This circutions route turned out to be totally unnecessary, but we felt like triumphant adventurers when we finally arrived and were seated at a table :-) Once seated we were delighted by the attentive, helpful servers and we very much enjoyed some splendid refreshments as we sat at our table overlooked the water, which lapped just a few feet below us. The people walking by on the opposite shore added to the idlyic restaurant scene, which was optimized by the exceptional food and welcoming ambiance. Highly recommended!

We walked to Restaurant Schipfe 16 from our hotel in Zurich, about a 5 minute walk. They're right on the river - it was a cool night so we sat inside, which is a very cozy dining room with seating for perhaps 24 to 30 diners. There's a larger outside dining area if the weather is warmer. The service was very friendly- the waiter did speak English, but not fluently. It wasn't a problem, just took some rephrasing to get the info we were asking about. They do have English language menus, so ordering was easy for us (I did have one semester of German, but that was more than 40 years ago so it did us no good). The menu consists of 4 appetizers, 4 entrees, and a few desserts. There's also a healthy wine & beer list. While the choices are somewhat limited, everything we tried was perfectly cooked & seasoned. I started with the Vegetarian ravioli; wonderful cream sauce! I had a local Amboss blonde lager, and my wife had a glass of Pinot Noir Rosé, also local (I didn't get the vintner) and both were excellent. I had the beer-battered Perch, and my wife had the Thai red curry. Both were magnificent - the Thai curry was full of flavor but not at all "hot" like in USA. For dessert, I had a light-as-air coffee mousse, served on vanilla ice cream with pitted cherries. Delicious! My wife had the Vegan chocolate ice cream, which is packaged- but excellent. The coffee and espresso with dessert topped off the meal wonderfully. Cost is moderate; even with wine, beer, appetizer, and dessert only about CHF 120 (about USD 144 right now). I've paid far more for much worse food and service. Schipfe 16 is a gem; well worth a visit.

Wish I could give it zero stars. Too many nice lake side restaurants to deal with the rudeness and slowness of this restaurant. The manager (ponytailed short dude) didn't even have the courtesy to apologize for the slowness. The waiter had his hand all over my straw in Covid times, how do they deal with things in the kitchen? I paid for the water and left.

Saw this little restaurant as we walked down the waterfront. Decided to stop and eat a bite. Food was amazing, view is superb! Would definitely recommend for a quick stop!

Tasty food, great service, fantastic views. Food - 4 stars Fantastic pepper steak and frites (fries). Good crisp fresh salad to go with it as well. One thing to mention is that their lunch menu is limited by American standard. I think there were less than 5 main course items to choose from. Service - 4 stars Very friendly service, spoke good English and was very patient in trying to explain the different menu items. Atmosphere - 4 stars A lunch in the summer outside by the water, it's great. Price - 3 stars Everything in Zurich is expensive, and by Zurich's standard this restaurant is average. Lunch for two set us back $70. Overall, if you are in Zurich by the water on a nice warm day, I highly recommend you consider stopping here for lunch or snack.