Zürich

Cafés in Zurich a Kafi crème and a Gipfeli

Luxemburgerli at Sprüngli on Paradeplatz, hot chocolate in the 1842 Conditorei on Napfgasse, and filter coffee from roasters on Brauerstrasse and Stauffacherstrasse.

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288Cafés listed
8Open by 6am
39Open past 10pm
5Specialty & roasters

Zurich has kept its old coffee rooms. Café & Conditorei 1842 on Napfgasse began that year as a sweets shop opened by the baker Johann Georg Eberle; in 1874 his son sold it to a family friend, and its present owners, the Arbeitskette Foundation, gave it the founding year as a name in 2019.1 Sprüngli's refreshment room on Paradeplatz was where Zurich society met for coffee and cake in the afternoon, and older regulars still treat it as their meeting place.2

Spiegelgasse, a short lane in the Niederdorf, holds two chapters of 20th-century history. Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings opened the Cabaret Voltaire at Spiegelgasse 1 on 5 February 1916, the start of Dada; squatters held the building in 2002, and since 2004 it has been a museum, bar and cultural space.3 Lenin and Nadezhda Krupskaya lived a few doors up at Spiegelgasse 14 for about a year, and whether he ever went to the cabaret is unknown.4

The younger scene is competitive. Zurich's baristas include a World Brewers Cup champion and several Swiss Barista and Latte Art champions, and specialty coffee turns up in co-working spaces as well as neighborhood cafés.5 Bar Butter on Zwinglistrasse, open since October 2022, pours a single Colombian origin, and Commercial: The Project on Feldstrasse has run since January 2024 with a short menu built around water, grinders and machines.5

Altstadt 81 cafés

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Kreis 4 (Langstrasse) 43 cafés

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Zürich-West (Kreis 5) 28 cafés

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Enge & Wollishofen 13 cafés

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Seefeld (Kreis 8) 22 cafés

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bubblish

  • Seefeldstrasse 40
  • Daily 12:00–19:30
  • +41 78 249 87 71
  • Takeaway
  • Vegetarian options
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Smoke-free indoors
  • Bubble tea
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Wiedikon (Kreis 3) 30 cafés

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Oberstrass & ETH 21 cafés

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CafeBar

  • Rämistrasse 101
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–19:00 · Sat 08:00–15:00
  • Indoor seating
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wheelchair access
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Hottingen & Fluntern 14 cafés

Wipkingen (Kreis 10) 14 cafés

Altstetten & Albisrieden 21 cafés

Oerlikon & Schwamendingen 1 cafés

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Before you sit down

How coffee works in Zurich

Kafi is the Swiss spelling of coffee.6 The standard coffee in Swiss restaurants is the café crème, an espresso drawn long to about 120 ml.7 It is also ordered as a Schümli and comes black or with a little cream, which gave the drink its name.8 On Henrici's 2026 menu it appears as "Kaffee nature oder mit Crème" for CHF 5.20, 30 centimes more than an espresso.9 For milk coffee, ask for a Schale, regionally also called café au lait.7

Zmorge is Swiss German for breakfast. On weekdays it is quick, usually between 06:30 and 07:30, often a Gipfeli (the Swiss croissant) and coffee; at weekends it starts around 09:00 and runs long, and Sunday brunch is an institution.10 Mid-morning brings the Znüni, fruit, rolls or croissants with coffee or tea, and the Zvieri around 16:00 is the afternoon equivalent.10

Service has been included in Swiss prices since 1974, and employers must pay at least the agreed minimum wage without counting on tips.11 A tip is still usual in cafés: round up by a franc or two on a small bill, or leave about 10 percent. Card readers often prompt for one, though cash is more certain to reach the staff.11

Under the cantonal hospitality law, cafés and bars close from midnight to 05:00 unless the city grants longer hours; Zurich's usual practice allows 04:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 05:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.12 Indoor smoking has been banned since 1 May 2010, when the cantonal ordinance came into force; some places built separate smoking rooms, called Fumoirs.13 Most shops close on Sundays, though the shops in and under the main station are exempt.14

What coffee costs in Zurich

DrinkTypical price
Café crème
Long coffee from the espresso machine, black or with cream
CHF 4.65 (average)
German-speaking Switzerland, CafetierSuisse survey, November 2025
Café crème
The same, city average
CHF 4.86 (average)
City of Zurich, CafetierSuisse survey, December 2024
Cappuccino
Espresso with steamed milk and foam
CHF 5.37–6
Regional average 2025; Henrici, Niederdorf, 2026
Espresso
Single shot, house blend
CHF 4.90
Henrici, Niederdorf, 2026
Gipfeli
Butter croissant
CHF 2.80
Henrici, Niederdorf, 2026

Prices as of 2024–2026. The regional averages come from CafetierSuisse's survey of 670 cafés, bakeries and restaurants, reported on 24 November 2025, the first to include the cappuccino.15 The city figure is from its 2024 survey, which found Zurich the dearest city and some restaurants in the canton charging CHF 6.16 Espresso, cappuccino and croissant prices are from Henrici's menu of September 2026.9

Sources

  1. Café & Conditorei 1842, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Confiserie Sprüngli, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Lenin (1870–1924): the Russian revolutionary leader in Zurich, Zürich Tourism (zuerich.com), accessed October 2026
  5. Best cafés in Zurich (updated 14 June 2026), The Way to Coffee, accessed October 2026
  6. Caffee, Kafe or Cafe: how do you spell Kaffee correctly? (30 July 2019), Kaffeemacher, accessed October 2026
  7. Liste von Kaffeespezialitäten: Schweiz, Wikipedia (German), accessed October 2026
  8. Schümli oder auch Café Creme: der Schweizer Kaffeegenuss (21 August 2016), roastmarket Magazin, accessed October 2026
  9. Karte (menu, version 26.3, September 2026), Café Henrici, accessed October 2026
  10. The Swiss diet: mealtimes and what to eat (updated 10 April 2025), Expatica, accessed October 2026
  11. Tipping in Switzerland: between tradition and law (3 July 2025), UBS, accessed October 2026
  12. Nachbarschaft und Nachtleben: Was ist erlaubt?, Stadt Zürich, accessed October 2026
  13. Passivraucherschutz: Baugesuche für Fumoirs (7 January 2010), Stadt Zürich, accessed October 2026
  14. Zürich, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  15. Cup of coffee at the resti is getting more expensive again (Keystone-SDA, 24 November 2025), blue News, accessed October 2026
  16. Café crème: Eine Tasse Kaffee kostet immer mehr (2 December 2024), SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, accessed October 2026
  17. Altstadt (Zürich), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  18. Aussersihl, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
FAQ

Cafés in Zurich: common questions

How much does a coffee cost in Zurich?

A café crème averaged CHF 4.86 in the city of Zurich in CafetierSuisse's 2024 survey, the highest of any Swiss city, and some restaurants in the canton charged CHF 6. Across German-speaking Switzerland the 2025 averages were CHF 4.65 for a café crème and CHF 5.37 for a cappuccino. Henrici in the Niederdorf charged CHF 4.90 for an espresso and CHF 6 for a cappuccino in 2026.

Which district of Zurich has the most cafés?

Altstadt and Kreis 4 (Langstrasse) have the most cafés, followed by Wiedikon (Kreis 3). The Altstadt has the widest choice by far, from Sprüngli on Bahnhofstrasse to Henrici in the Niederdorf; Kreis 4 around Langstrasse comes second, ahead of Wiedikon and Zürich-West.

What is the difference between a café crème and a Schale in Zurich?

A café crème, also called a Schümli, is the standard Swiss coffee: a long coffee brewed on the espresso machine with about 120 ml of water and served black or with a little cream. A Schale is milk coffee, also known as café au lait. The café crème is the default coffee in Swiss restaurants, and Kafi is simply the Swiss spelling of coffee.

Do you tip in cafés in Zurich?

Service has been included in Swiss prices since 1974, so staff are not paid out of tips. A small tip is still usual in Zurich cafés: round up by a franc or two on a small bill or leave about 10 percent. Card readers often ask for a tip, but cash is more certain to reach the staff.

How late are cafés open in Zurich?

Under the cantonal hospitality law, cafés and bars in Zurich close from midnight to 05:00 unless the city grants longer hours. The city usually allows opening until 04:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until 05:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Smoking indoors has been banned since 1 May 2010, though some places have separate smoking rooms.

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