Helvti Diner — an institution
Whether you want Swiss Premium, Classic Angus or exclusive Wagyu Beef, at Helvti Diner you can design your own burger. Once you've chosen your meat, you can pick the add-ons — cheese, fried egg, bacon and guacamole. And there's the cole-slaw, just like you'd find in a real American diner. With its combination of nostalgic diner charm and uncompromising quality, the "Helvti" has quickly established itself as one of the most popular burger restaurants in Zurich. It now has three locations: the original at Stauffacher as well as branches at Urania and Bellevue.
The Bite, Korner and The Butcher — the hip spots
Not far from the famous (or infamous) Langstrasse is the tempting "The Bite", with a wide range of traditional and exotic gourmet burgers. Top picks include "The Manchego" with real Manchego cheese and the "BBQ Hattrick" with three patties and a delicious chipotle BBQ sauce. The carefully designed, rustic interior and charming inner courtyard make "The Bite" especially popular with a young, hip clientele. By contrast, "Korner" on Stockerstrasse is frequented mainly by businesspeo-ple from nearby Paradeplatz. Like "The Bite", "Korner" also has a varied menu (the latest trend is burgers with pulled pork or pulled beef), and a vegetarian version of every burger is also available.
"The Butcher" also offers a range of vegetarian burgers, although—as its name suggests—it specializes primarily in meat. There are no fewer than ten different burgers, including a Steak Burger and a Chorizo Beef Burger. You can then add other ingredients, such as their secret cheese mix or fiery jalapeños, to suit your taste.
Fast food: Holy Cow! and b.good
If you're short on time but don't want to compromise on quality, then Holy Cow! and b.good are definitely worth a visit. With 15 locations throughout Switzerland—three of them in Zurich and one at Zurich Airport—Holy Cow! is the biggest fast-food chain for upscale burgers in Switzerland. And its signature feature? Caramelized onions. At b.good, while the locations are also more fast food than restaurant, their burgers are anything but cheap. Originally founded in the States as a kind of farm-ing community, they only serve fresh ingredients from local farmers, meaning salads and other vegetable dishes are always a menu staple.
Where else can you get a burger?
If you can't eat a burger without a Guinness, then why not try one of the city's many Irish pubs? Paddy Reilly’s, James Joyce or the Lion Pub, for example. The selection might be less varied than a dedicated burger restaurant, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it.
And last but not least, it goes without saying that we also heartily recommend our own ibis Burger — available at the res-taurants I-Bite from the ibis Zurich City West hotel and the Charlie’s Corner from the ibis Zurich Messe Airport. With fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onions and lettuce, as well as the house dressing, it is right up there with the other burgers. And, of course, you can also customize your ibis burger with bacon, ham, jalapeños, fried egg and other extras. Enjoy your meal!
