Zurich station - lunch?

A snowHead

Off to St Anton in a couple of weeks, and flying into Zurich. I've booked a train at 14:40 from the main station in Zurich, but we actually get in at 1140, so I'm thinking we'll get an earlier train in from the airport and have a couple of hours to grab some lunch. The Swiss rail website suggests there's lots of options to eat at the station, but does anyone have anywhere either at the station or nearby they'd suggest that's good to pass a couple of hours eating and drinking?

A snowHead

It really depends what you're looking for. Zürich is a great city and can cater to any taste/budget. I haven't been for a couple of years but the vegetation place Hiltl sticks in my mind - I'm a certified carnivor so it must be pretty good.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Big metropolitan city, lots of options. Any particular taste?

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Just thinking close to the station and good for a bunch of blokes - so carb-heavy, beery would do. Initial indications suggest Brasserie Federal might be as good as anywhere.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@andy from embsay, yep, would work. There is another restaurant in the station, but federal will satisfy on beer, bratwurst and rösti fronts Happy

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One................ Never bank on your flight arrival being precisely on time. You might v. well arrive on time, you might not. You could be late. Or early. That said, even if you are on time consider the shuffle - your time spent at Kloten after the flight arrives, getting your stuff, getting to your transfer, etc., etc. By the time you arrive at ye olde Bahnhof you've done a lot of shuffle and you'll still want/need to momentarily lodge (later unlodge) your stuff at the station in order to take your break, a lunch. In all you'll be somewhat spent and you'll realistically have no more than 90 minutes at best which goes by quite fast before boarding the Arlberg. In all candor the main restaurant (street level) at the station that has been around for decades that I first saw as a child is more than fine, classic, old school, and relaxing, too. There are others at the station, both street level and below. Taking off from the station and seeking a place nearby isn't a problem, it simply consumes valuable time in addition to your running - shuffling around.

Have a great, memorable time. That's a beautiful region (St. Anton et al.) for many things, not just skiing.

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@equinoxranch, thanks - having nearly (and on one memorable occasion actually) missed connections at Schipol despite touching down on time, I always allow substantial shuffling time - hence there being three hours between arrival and train. I was thinking of somewhere either in or imnediately adjacent to the station, so it sounds like Federal will be spot on.

Really looking forward to the whole shebang, actually - non-low-cost flight, posh train right to resort, and somewhere I've only skied a couple of late-season days in.

After all it is free

@andy from embsay, you'll enjoy it, it's an awesome place Andy. Let me know if you want any off piste hints, places to go etc. like others have said above transfer from airport to main Zurich Bahnhof can take a while, we've spent ages in the past sat about in the station, plenty of food/ drink options, no need to go far.

Thanks @Markymark29, any tips gratefully accepted. We're a group of six blokes, experience varies from competent piste skiers (and one boarder) to moderate off/near piste (Grand Montets/PdS etc). We're probably going to do a day with pistetopowder, but any other safe-ish options would be great. I carry avi gear but not sure if anyone else will (I'm working on them!).

And obviously drinking/eating options too!

I had a stupendous morning up at Rendl a couple of years ago just parping about between pistes.

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Outside Across the street.

2 choices.

Lowend McDonalds
High End Hotel Schweizerhof

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Sounds like Federal's the place then @stanton!

Cheers

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@andy from embsay, I'll PM you this evening....

I'm flying into Zurich on the 10th Jan, then catching the 12.40 to St Anton. We usually walk through from the airport towards the train station and eat in the large eating area there (2 floors up from the station), then catch one of the multitude of trains over to HBF about 40 minutes before train time.

You know it makes sense.

@andy from embsay, one thing @andy from embsay, I know you say you personally carry avi but you must ALL have a I gear on and know how to use it.....I wouldn't recommend going anywhere off piste without it. Your pals can hire it from Jennwein, P2P will need you to have it to go with them. I'll post you some routes later on which will all be easily accessed from lifts but even with these you need to be very careful and assess conditions on the day. My suggestion would be to do a day or 2 on piste and doing a bit of tge slack near tge pistes, then a day with P2P then 2-3 on your own.....but be careful on your own guys!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Markymark29 - we're only there three skiing days, so the plan is a day on/very near piste, then a day with P2P and then see how the land lies on day 3. I'm hoping my mates catch the off-piste bug and get some of their own clobber, as me wearing a transceiver's not much good if nobody else has one (though these days I take my old Ortovox and get one of them to carry it).

I took one of them down some fun stuff in the PdS last year in safe conditions and he loved it, so he's keen to get some instruction.

@xscreamer, what time does your flight get in to Zurich? We're timetabled for 1140 so I thought it was too tight to get a train an hour later, so went for the 1440.

A snowHead

Had a good lunch in the main station restaurant. It seems a bit posh and stuffy but is actually quite a nice place.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Ah, gotcha @xscreamer, I assumed we'd be a bit too tight getting the 1240, so we'll have a leisurely lunch/beer, then be into town at 5pm in time for lift passes and stuff.

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@andy from embsay, can't see any reason for either late arrival into ZRH nor difficult luggage retrieval, etc. I'd normally budget 40 mins max from wheels down to the airport station, so you should be into central station by 12:51.

Loads of time for lunch.

Not understanding where the hassle might come from. Zurich is a very easy and well organised airport.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@under a new name - we're in at 1140 though, so we'd have exactly one hour from touchdown to the train, so it could be a touch tight. To be honest we might as well have a beer in Zurich as in St Anton - we're not going to ski that day whether we get there at 3pm or 5pm. I think the St Anton trains are every two hours at 40 minutes past the hour.

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@andy from embsay, Walkd down Bahnhofstrasse and take the third turning on the left. Casa Mia is about 10 yards on your left. Three minute walk from the station. V nice Italian and prices are pretty sensible (for Zurich). Much better than staying within the station.

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Thanks @foxtrotzulu - will get it on the list!

Help!!

Zurich station - lunch?

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