Restaurant
Kronenhalle
A Zurich institution at Bellevue since 1924, serving traditional Swiss cooking beneath original works by Chagall, Bonnard, Léger, Hodler and Giacometti.
Sternen Grill
A Bellevue institution since 1963, selling St. Gallen bratwurst with crispy Bürli bread and fiery house mustard, with a sit-down Swiss restaurant upstairs.
At a glance
- Type
- Sausage grill and Swiss restaurant
- Area
- Bellevue, Zurich, Switzerland
- Price
- $ · Budget
- Official site
- sternengrill.ch
Good to know
- Takeaway counter
- Upstairs restaurant with lake view
- Open late
Why we recommend it
Sternen Grill has been feeding Zurich at Bellevue since 1963, when it started as a small family snack grill. It is now one of the city's best-known places for a quick, cheap meal, and its takeaway counter on Theaterstrasse is busy from late morning until close to midnight. The formula has hardly changed: a grilled St. Gallen bratwurst, a crispy golden Bürli bread roll and a dollop of the house Sternen mustard, which the grill itself describes as devilishly hot.
The grill calls its sausage hot, crispy and succulent and claims the best sausage and hottest mustard in town, so go easy on the mustard until you know how strong it is. Other grilled specialities are also available, and it is one of the most affordable meals in central Zurich.
Upstairs, on the first floor, the sit-down restaurant OBEN serves hearty Swiss dishes with and without meat, with a view over Bellevueplatz and Lake Zurich. It is a relaxed option if you want to sit down and still keep the price reasonable, and it is open every day from 11:30 to 22:00, with the kitchen serving continuously until 21:00 according to the grill's website.
The takeaway counter is open every day, until 23:00 on Sundays and Mondays and until midnight from Tuesday to Saturday, with the last sausage served 15 minutes before closing. From early January to the end of February the counter closes at 23:00 from Sunday to Wednesday and at 23:45 from Thursday to Saturday, and the grill closes early on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so check the website if you are visiting at those times. That late opening makes it a popular stop after the opera, a concert or a night out in the Niederdorf.
Sternen Grill is at Bellevue, close to the Opernhaus, the lake promenade and the southern end of the Old Town. The brand has grown from that small family business into several outlets, including a counter and an Airstream food truck at Zurich Airport, a counter at the Globus department store and one at Oerlikon station, but the Bellevue original is the one to visit.
Sternen Grill FAQs
What should I order at Sternen Grill?
The St. Gallen bratwurst with a Bürli bread roll and the house Sternen mustard.
How late is Sternen Grill open?
The takeaway counter is normally open until 23:00 on Sundays and Mondays and until midnight Tuesday to Saturday. Winter hours in January and February are shorter.
Is there seating?
The ground floor is a takeaway counter, and the OBEN restaurant upstairs has table service.
Is the mustard very hot?
Yes. The grill describes its Sternen mustard as devilishly hot, so try a little first.
When did Sternen Grill open?
It began as a family snack grill at Bellevue in 1963.
Is it cheap?
It is one of the most affordable meals in central Zurich.
Does the upstairs restaurant have a view?
Yes, OBEN looks out over Bellevueplatz and Lake Zurich.
Are there other branches?
Yes, including at Zurich Airport and Globus, but the Bellevue grill is the original.