Haus Hiltl, Zurich, Switzerland

As rain blanketed the beautiful city of Lauterbrunnen on my last day there, we took that as an opportunity to head to Zurich a bit earlier than planned. It was my first time in the city of Zurich and I was excited to discover the shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, all I discovered is that most of the shops and restaurants in this city are closed on Sunday. Foiled again. But, one key restaurant was open, and that is Haus Hiltl, the world's oldest vegetarian restaurant. How lucky was I?

In 1898, a vegetarian restaurant was opened in Zurich and several years later a man named Ambrosius Hiltl took over as the manager. Today, it remains the oldest vegetarian restaurant and there is even a vegetarian butcher shop as well.

I went for the Sunday brunch. Not expecting much, I was completely blown away. I have never seen so much vegetarian and vegan food served at once. There was everything from seitan and mushrooms in wine and fried Indian fritters to quinoa patties and spinach ravioli. There were breakfast and lunch dishes, breads, trail mix, salad, desserts. You name it and it was there! And everything was clearly labeled as vegan or not.

It was very expensive as they weigh your plate and charge based on weight. I chose the spinach ravioli, quinoa cake, and chili mac among other things and it was delicious.

The atmosphere was casual with couches and hightop tables as well as more traditional seating. And it was packed. This place is extremely popular. If you are only in the city for one day, this restaurant is a must-visit!

Haus Hiltl
Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

Phone:+41 44 227 70 00