An ode to Zurich’s iconic Kronenhalle restaurant

This article is part of the FT Globetrotter feature. Zurich Guide

For Dr. H, the chief of police in Zurich, the Kronenhalle is a second home. He sits at his favourite table under a Miró painting, begins with the Almond Nut Supplement (liver dumpling soup), eaten from the car (carving cart), enjoy a bottle of Pattern reservation and Emma takes care of him. And although Dr. H may be a fictional character from Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1958 novel The Versprechen (The promise), the Kronenhalle is still alive, with its Miró included, Almond Nut Supplement, cardelicious wine, attentive service and, most importantly, a diverse clientele.

This combination of art, food, service and people has made the Kronenhalle home to many in Zurich since it was purchased by the charismatic Hulda Zumsteg 100 years ago. I first visited it in 1984, when I was a schoolboy whose curiosity had been piqued by the The VersprechenI have eaten there ever since; no visit to Zurich is complete without a meal at the Kronenhalle. The Kronenhalle is Zurich.

For many, the main attraction is the art. From the Rämistrasse, a gallery street, one enters an extraordinary world of modern masters: Bonnard, Braque, Kandinsky and Picasso, alongside Swiss artists such as Amiet, the Giacometti, Hodler and Klee. This is the personal collection of Hulda’s son Gustav and was placed in the restaurant when he took over the reins in 1958 after a successful career as a silk merchant in Paris.

Gustav, an aesthete through and through, was a friend of the Maeght art-dealing family, and his circle included many of the artists he collected, as well as designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent. Already a magnet for local and émigré artists, musicians and writers, the Kronenhalle also played host to Gustav’s creative circle. Some dedicated works to the Zumstegs or added a tabletop sketch to the guest book.

In a world where restaurant collections are sold off without restraint (remember the Langham’s in London, the Four Seasons in New York, the Bauer in Venice?), the permanence of the Kronenhalle’s artworks is something of a surprise. Following Gustav’s death in 2005, the restaurant and its artworks are now owned by a trust which dictates that his paintings should remain where he hung them.

The businessman and FT columnist David Tang once recommended that the Kronenhalle should be “a mecca for skilled decorators”. Indeed, the beauty of the space – a collection of cosy, attractive rooms – goes beyond its collection of paintings. The Brasserie is a large dining room where regulars such as Dr H and the chief executives of Swiss banks have their favourite tables. Andrew Grima, the legendary British jeweller (whose shop was at Bahnhofstrasse 1), always preferred the intimacy of the upstairs “Swiss Gallery”, or sitting close to the blue sunset in the Chagall room.

It is also a restaurant of many styles: a mix of Central European cuisine. Gladlythe patrician Zurich and the cosmopolitan chic. The quality of the materials is extremely reassuring: red or green leather, polished brass, mahogany and teak, green baize and acres of white linen, perfectly starched in the laundry room of the restaurant above, and laid on green woven tablecloths, which are still based on a pattern that Gustav found by chance in the Paris abodes.

Hulda Zumsteg was as at home serving free beer and meals to poor students (and James Joyce) as she was entertaining the likes of Andy Warhol, Yves Saint Laurent, Bertolt Brecht and Sophia Loren, and this sense of generous democracy continues to this day. The Kronenhalle is remarkably modest and versatile; its style and menu make it suitable for virtually any occasion. My fond memories include attending a glamorous Bulgarian-Swiss wedding party, overhearing the sale of a Stradivarius violin and celebrating a Swiss investment in the Caucasus.

For Zurich-based photography consultant Diana Poole, the Kronenhalle was where, early in her career, she met Magnum photographer René Burri. She recalls: “René, smartly dressed in his fedora and scarf, regaled me with stories of Che Guevara, Le Corbusier, Picasso, Giacometti.” Darker dramas have also played out between the elegant banquets: Marcel Ospel, the former chairman of UBS, is said to have been booed after the bank announced losses of 20 billion Swiss francs in 2008.

As for the menu, Gustav Zumsteg hated fancy food, and this is still reflected in the simple, well-executed dishes. Among his classics are Beef fillet cut into strips (strips of creamy beef fillet with roast), Entrecote Café de Parisand Buffalo meat (Air-dried Swiss beef). Portions are generous; the wine list is excellent (I always enjoy the Chasse Spleen).

You can also visit the cocktail bar, which is the most glamorous in Zurich. The dark, modernist world of leather, teak and marble was designed by Robert Hausmann in 1965 with lighting and furniture by Diego Giacometti. I recommend the Aurora, a blend of sake, gin, elderflower, lime, cucumber and orange blossom with an elegant aroma, invented for Swiss author Martin Suter.

The final ingredient is the staff: attentive, friendly and professional. Many of them have been with the restaurant for more than 20 years. Led by Dominique Godat, a veteran of historic hotels around the world (Kulm, St Moritz; Metropole, Moscow; Pierre, New York), the waiters are as much a draw for many regulars as the art and the food.

Dr. H finishes his story The Versprechen with a greeting to one of Hulda Zumsteg’s most veteran waitresses: “Emma, ​​​​the punishment.” (“Bring me the bill, Emma.”) Today, when I visit, Marianne looks after me.Of recoveryMarianne.” Until next time.

Rämistrasse 48001 Zurich; kronenhalle.com

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