Best Japanese Restaurants in Zürich – Foodie Guide 2024

Looking for the best Japanese food in Zürich? From high-end sushi spots to cozy ramen joints, discover our ultimate guide to the top Japanese restaurants in Zürich for 2024. Whether you're craving sushi, ramen, teppanyaki, or more, we've got you covered!

Once home to Switzerland’s first Japanese restaurant, the Japanese food scene in Zürich has evolved quite a bit. Sure, you could eat your way through jaw-dropping sushi and ramen noodle dishes. But think beyond, and you will find restaurants specializing in teppanyaki, kare raisu curries, shabu shabu, udon, and more.

Japanese restaurants in Zürich offer expertly crafted traditional dishes and modern takes that sometimes fuse Swiss techniques and flavors. We hope this line-up will satisfy your taste buds for Japanese food in Zürich - including sushi in Zürich!

Top Japanese Restaurants in Zürich:

Sala of Tokyo

This traditional Japanese eatery is located just footsteps from the Zürich main station. Sala of Tokyo was the first Japanese restaurant in Switzerland, and they continue to serve delicious varieties of maki sushi, nigiri sushi, and sashimi.

Sala of Tokyo
Schützengasse 5
8001 Zürich
Tu to Fr 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM, Sa 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM.
Website

Maki Haus Pop-up Japanese

Maki Haus has once been touted as a “pop-up” restaurant. We are glad it has become a permanent fixture in Zürich’s sushi scene, though. The Japanese dishes here are prepared fresh: sushi rolls, sashimi platters, bento boxes, or ramen dishes. The pricing is moderate for Zürich standards, but the lunch menu offers a great deal.

Maki Haus Pop-up Japanese
Stampfenbachstrasse 12
8001 Zürich
Mo to Fr 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM and 5:30 - 11:00 PM, Sa 5:30 - 11:00 PM, Su closed.
Website

Sora Sushi Kaiten

Sora Sushi is located inside Zürich’s main station. Its convenient accessibility and conveyor belt sushi bar are two of its main benefits. Unfortunately, the waiting staff lacks sushi knowledge, and food prices are high - even by Zürich standards.

Sora Sushi Kaiten
Bahnhofplatz 15
8001 Zürich
Su to We 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 - 9:30 PM, Th to Sa 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 - 10:00 PM
Website

Miki Ramen

On the other hand, Miki Ramen offers a more homey atmosphere and does just as fine a job meeting the needs of ramen lovers. With Switzerland being a landlocked country, I did not expect it to be mind-blowing in terms of sushi. But when it comes to ramen, Zürich is making me perfectly happy.

Miki Ramen
Sihlfeldstrasse 63
8003 Zürich
Su to Fr 6:00 - 11:00 PM, Mo to Fr 11:45 AM - 2:30 PM, Sa 12:00 - 11:00 PM
Website

Ooki Ramen

Our Cloudia recommends gyoza, the restaurant’s signature dish. As for the ramen, she says that the noodles have just the right texture without being too hard or too soft. Also, several of us find the soup to be on the salty side, but it is tasty nonetheless.

Ooki Ramen
Zentralstrasse 53
8003 Zürich
+41 44 461 15 86
Mo to Sa 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM - midnight, Su 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
Website

Restaurant IKOO

The place is very small, so you must be ready to wait for a table, but the ramen soups with noodles straight from Sapporo, Japan, are delicious and inexpensive. Other than (filling) gyozas, onigiri, and ramen soups, there is not much else.

Restaurant IKOO
Bäckerstrasse 39
8004 Zürich
+41 44 370 37 76
Mo to Fr 11:45 AM - 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Sa 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Su 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
Website

Kokoro

Kokoro offers delicious Japanese varieties, from tako to tempura soft shell crab. They have a weekly special menu, and we especially enjoy their friendly staff. (Just FYI: Kokoro does not have ramen on the menu.)

Kokoro
Neufrankengasse 25
8004 Zürich
+41 44 241 37 37
Website

yume ramen

Sala of Tokyo was Switzerland’s first Japanese restaurant some 35 years ago. In addition to their luxury dining restaurant, they have opened a ramen branch.

yume ramen offers a great vibe and, of course, an amazing bowl of ramen. Homemade noodles perfectly complement their soup without MSG. It is a satisfaction for the palate - "umami," as this harmony is called in Japanese.

With a variety of sake rice wines and Japanese whiskeys on offer, yume ramen allows you to experience the vibe of a typical Japanese izakaya - complete with Japanese waiting staff and J-pop playing in the background.

yume ramen
Reitergasse 6
8004 Zürich
+41 44 271 72 73
Reservations by email
Mo to Fr 11:30 AM - close, Mo to Sa 6 PM - close.

Bimi Japan Restaurant

Located in the hip Seefeld neighborhood, Bimi offers a seasonal menu, a delicious chirashi bowl, and a large selection of sake. In our humble opinion, Bimi offers one of the best Japanese restaurant experiences in Zürich. (It was recognized with 14 Gault Millau points in 2018.)

Bimi Japan Restaurant
Seefeldstrasse 25
8008 Zürich
+41 43 243 77 77
Mo and Sa 6:00 - 11:00 PM, Tu to Fr 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM and 6:00 - 11:00 PM. Reservations at +41 43 243 77 77 or info@swissbimi.ch
Website

midori ramen

Midori is the Japanese word for "green". Hence, midori ramen is such a fitting name for a plant-based ramen restaurant! From shareable starters to donburi bowls and ramen soups, Zürich's first vegan ramen restaurant has it all.

One of the highlights on the menu is the spicy tantanmen ramen that comes with a complimentary side salad. The noodles are from yume ramen, and the plant-based soup stock is made daily from scratch. Each ramen dish can be supplemented with extra toppings such as fried kale.

midori ramen
Mattengasse 13
8005 Zürich
+41 44 515 87 20
Tu to Fr 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM and 6:00 - 10:00 PM, Sa noon - 2:00 PM and 6:00 - 10:30 PM. Closed on Su and Mo.

Yu-An Restaurant

The founders of Kokoro are also behind Yu-An, my favorite Japanese restaurant in Zurich in 2022. Located just a short walk from Stauffacher, Yu-An offers indoor and outdoor seating.

The Japanese menu is down to earth, and likely some of the best value money can buy in Zurich. From chicken, sushi, or sashimi bento boxes to ramen and chicken karaage to kaisou seaweed salad, the dishes are beautifully prepared, and portions are generous.

Restau­rant Yu-An
Werd­stras­se 66
8004 Zürich
+41 44 291 95 25
Tu to Fr 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM and 6:15 – 10:30 PM, Sa 6:15 – 10:30 PM, Su and Mo closed.

Where to find the best sushi in Zurich?

The definition of the "best sushi in Zurich" involves several factors that must match: the freshness of ingredients, the selection of fish, the sushi rice, and the atmosphere of the sushi restaurant.

Considering all this, the best sushi in Zurich might be at Bimi Japan Restaurant. The setting is reminiscent of a restaurant in Japan. The staff is welcoming, and the selection of sushi is vast. Finally, Bimi wins when it comes to taste. The sushi here is as close as you can get to what you can get in Japan.

Have you tried any of these Japanese restaurants in Zürich? Share your experiences and recommendations in the comments below!

For more foodie guides, don't forget to check out our articles on Korean restaurants in Zürch and Vietnamese restaurants in Zürich.