A fine Italian lunch at Ristorante Stapferstube da Rizzo in Zürich

When you get full of all the sunshine in Switzerland, it seems as if your senses vibrate at a higher pitch to catch every little sparkle in the air. Especially, when you feel the first brush of spring!

The crisp blue sky is deeper, the majestic white Alps appear closer, shining mirror lakes get warmer, and my feet get lighter... Spring makes me want to skip along the winding cobblestone paths in the Old Town of Zürich.

Although this winter was relatively warm (I wasn’t freezing at Fasnacht!) and short (my tulip bulbs are still sleeping), I cannot resist celebrating the fresh air, blowing the gray clouds away! It's the beginning of a new season! Let's discover new corners!

By Polybahn to the University of Zurich

So, I grabbed my husband and my camera, jumped on the train to Stadelhofen, and snapped some pictures of pastel Easter window decorations in the Zurich Old Town. For a bit change of scenery, we hopped on the Polybahn, a charming, nostalgic red incline, up to the University of Zürich.

Voila! A fantastic view of silver Lake Zurich and green Limmat floating between Grossmünster and Fraumünster, then brown roof tops. Watching young and hopeful students chatting energetically made us hungry for lunch. Being in a new area is exciting, but sometimes very challenging to fill my demanding appetite. And, this time, I wanted something new, not from student cafeterias.

Ristorante Stapferstube da Rizzo in Zürich

Instead of wandering along the University Hospital buildings, we decided to look for a good restaurant. To our surprise, there is a gourmet restaurant in this quiet neighborhood. And soon after, we opened the heavy wooden door of Ristorante Stapferstube da Rizzo.

Above the aged door, a rusty iron owl was gazing at a dark navy Maserati parked elegantly but intimidatingly like a bodyguard checking our dress code. We looked at each other, but I was too starving to find another bistro for my husband (without tie).

Talking nonsense to calm my hunger, we pushed open the door and our hesitation drifted away by the garlic and rosemary flavor. Our reserved table was in a perfect corner to enjoy the mahogany-rich yet relaxed-Swiss-German atmosphere.

Regulars wearing cashmere scarves greeted the restaurant owner with kisses, handing the keys to their fancy cars. A group of old boys burst out singing “Happy Birthday” in the cigar lounge. Then, a handsome waiter with his black sweptback hair placed a perfectly cured prosciutto leg on the red vintage slicer.

With a glass of Italian Prosecco, I indulged myself with colorful sea fruits of shrimps, calamari, and moules swimming in cherry tomato sauce over handmade fresh linguini.

While a group of gentlemen sitting next to us enjoyed delicate slices of ten different types of cheese, I was completely melted with the dark chocolate mousse for dessert.

Stapferstube da Rizzo
Culmannstrasse 45
8006 Zürich
Phone +41 44 350 11 00
mail@stapferstube.com