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Dining out is one of the great pleasures of travel, and in a country like Switzerland, where the standard is so very high, chances are that meals are memorable occasions. There are numerous outstanding restaurants in Zurich where traditional Swiss cuisine is often the central feature of the menu; sophisticated taste buds seeking stimulation beyond veal with mushrooms and rösti, however delicious, will find greater satisfaction if their timing is right and they know where to look.

For example, a visit to Zurich during the annual Food Zurich festival allows visitors to sample various culinary and vinous delights in a convivial atmosphere indoors and out. Taking place annually in restaurants and outdoor locations around the city over ten days in June, Food Zurich celebrates the pleasures of the palate with originality and verve. Along with special dinners in participating restaurants, diverse experiences are to be enjoyed, from a chocolate-making class to the unique Asparagus Tram. Anyone who has visited Germany, Austria, or Switzerland in late spring will already be familiar with the endearing Germanic obsession with asparagus and the many clever ways it is prepared (asparagus ice cream is not sour at all). The Asparagus Tram applies originality to serving this beloved vegetable to patrons riding around the city in a special tram while enjoying the best of the season’s asparagus crop.

: Studio Bellerive’s stylish bar area

: Eat very well at Studio Bellerive

Taking over Europaallee, very close to Zurich’s main train station, is the festival’s Festivalzentrum, where several specialty food stalls and the all-important wine bar are set up to welcome visitors under the European summer sun. A refreshing drink to start things off is in order. Swiss wines are very good but remain unknown to people from other countries. A surprising array of wines is produced in Switzerland, and Food Zurich provides an ideal way to sample them in a single location. The friendly staff behind the bar are familiar with the products, offering recommendations to those who may not know their Petite Arvine from their Müller-Thurgau before delivering the best of Switzerland’s grapes to the glasses of eager drinkers. In the trendy Zurich West district, the ever-popular Street Food festival is Zurich’s other major food destination; an even larger range of cuisines can be found here. This year was Food Zurich’s tenth anniversary; the next decade will undoubtedly bring even more delectable delights.

: A culinary celebration at Food Zurich ©David Biedert

: A toast to Food Zurich ©Marco Bilic

Food in Zurich only lasts for a few days. Still, visitors to Zurich at other times of the year can enjoy similar culinary excitement in the beautiful Studio Bellerive, a restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the classy AMERON Bellerive au Lac hotel in Zurich’s Seefeld district. With its potted palms and elegant décor, Studio Bellerive’s setting makes a solid first impression, backed up by an appealing food and wine menu, which is further enhanced by the excellent quality of the food, drinks, and service. Lunch, dinner, drinks—make any excuse to get here and partake of the Studio Bellerive experience. The room and the staff are airy and bright, making patrons feel at home. Some fine-dining restaurants can feel very formal and perhaps even slightly stifling; this is not the case at Studio Bellerive, where the friendly atmosphere induces relaxation and enjoyment. The wine helps, too. Seefeld is one of Zurich’s most charming districts, where tourists rarely venture. Still, it is worthwhile if only for a leisurely after-dinner stroll along the lakeside promenade across the street from the hotel.

For travellers enamoured by Switzerland’s wines, a Swiss Travel Pass from Switzerland Tourism makes it very easy to visit the many vineyards around the country. With unlimited rail travel, the Swiss Travel Pass brings wine excursions within easy reach almost anywhere in Switzerland; from St Gallen’s wine region to the UNESCO World Heritage vineyards of Lavaux and south to Ticino, the land of Merlot, there is certainly no shortage of destinations.