Bierhalle Kropf Reviews and Photos, Zurich

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Bierhalle Kropf

March 20, 2007
Rated 4 of 5 by Krys T from Somerset

Bierhalle Kropf is another one that is in all the guidebooks, just like Zeughauskeller, which is just down the street.

However, though it may be similar, it's definitely not the same. We popped in here for lunch on Friday, along with a great many working locals, and liked it so much we booked to return that evening. If all those local business men like it, then it must be good, and we didn't want to miss out!

The restaurant is in one of the oldest burgher houses in town, near Paradeplatz. It has a one window frontage, but goes back a long way, from the low front room, to the ornately decorated main hall, and then through again to a stained glass sided room. It's all wood panelling, chandeliers, murals of putti painted all around, with columns and stag horns. It sounds chaotic, but actually it's not, and it all works. Unlike some of the bigger bierhalles, you get a table to yourselves, and it manages to feel quite cosy and intimate. This is probably helped by the attentive and friendly staff. The waitress who served us in the evening had also been on at lunchtime, so must have been exhausted, but we still got service with a smile. It's a good thing we booked too, as I don't think we'd have got a table otherwise.

The Maitre D' remembered us and had reserved us a table in a corner of the main hall so that we could enjoy the decor that I had admired earlier, which was a nice touch. Again - great service.

We decided to stick to two courses, as portion sizes can be fairly big all over the city. I had a salad with finely sliced smoked duck breast which was very tasty. Mum had a choucroute (pickled cabbage) platter that included boiled beef, gammon, pork, and sausage which was enormous, whilst Dad had the Zurich specialty of diced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce with rosti.

For dessert I had apple sorbet and calvados, Mum went for the orange sorbet and prosecco, and Dad had pancakes with apricot jam. This time around Mum won as her sorbet had lovely little candied peel in it and the prosecco complemented it perfectly. It's a shame she beat me to it!

We washed all this down with a couple of their very tasty dark beers - this time brewed by Cardinal. The bill came to 179,30CHF (£76.00) which though more expensive, seemed better value for money than the Zeughauskeller had the night before. It's obviously very popular, yet without the "squeeze 'em in" feeling. Overall, it was a very nice meal out.

N.B: If you're eating here at lunchtime I'd recommend sharing the meat platter and the mixed salad - easily enough for 3 or maybe four especially if you add in some bread.

From journal Zurich - Are the Gnomes on to a Good Thing?

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Bierhalle Kropf

August 27, 2005
Rated 4 of 5 by Nick Malgieri from New York, New York

Whenever I stay in Zurich, I make a beeline for Bierhalle Kropf for my first lunch, no matter what season. Sporting a menu of very traditional Zurich and Swiss German specialties, it is my favorite place for soaking up some old-time Zurich atmosphere along with great boiled beef -- sounds dull, but only sounds that way – it’s sublimely tender, flavorful, and comforting, and just the thing for the weary traveler. There’s also the Kropf sausage plate, served with the Swiss national potato dish, roesti – a half circle of buttery and perfectly golden shredded home fries, like no other potato dish that exists. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Bierhalle Kropf is in the old town on the West bank of the Limmat, not far from the St. Peter church and the Fraumunster. In fact, it’s just steps from Paradeplatz, the traditional center of the city. The building, called Kropf, or "bulge," has existed since the middle of the 15th century, way before the restaurant came to be. The present restaurant dates from the last quarter of the 19th century and has gloriously painted walls and ceilings to prove it. Mostly tiny angels holding great steaming platters of food and overflowing beer steins, the ceilings and murals evoke a time when going out for a plate of boiled beef was a big occasion. I understand perfectly, since I am always happy when I’m in Zurich, staying at my favorite hotel, the Storchen, that’s just around the corner and eating lunch at Kropf. And the best thing is that you are midway between Sprungli truffles at Paradeplatz if you turn right out the door, or Teuscher truffles – turn left and keep going after the Italian restaurant and the jewelry store to the corner if you crave something sweet after lunch.

Restaurant Bierhalle Kropf
In Gassen 16
CH-8001 Zurich
Telephone from the US: 011 411 221 1805
Fax from the US: 011 411 212 3754
Closed Sundays and holidays.

From journal Zurich: My Second Hometown