With a name like Ambrosius, it might have been expected that Ambrosius Hiltl would become a restaurateur – but who could have imagined that he would open what has become the oldest vegetarian restaurant in all of Europe.
As his grandson, Heinz Hiltl, recalls, “My grandfather was an open-minded man with many interests. He enjoyed travelling and created an atmosphere in which artists, politicians, and intellectuals in particular felt both relaxed and inspired.”
Haus Hiltl dominates its downtown corner location, with a sleek, three-story restaurant and outdoor terrace. At lunch, people from the neighborhood congregate with tourists from around the world to partake in more than one hundred homemade specialties at the copious buffet. In an open kitchen, thirty chefs and assistants work with regional, seasonal produce to create food that is as loved by omnivores and carnivores as it is by vegetarians.
For more than a century, since 1898, Hiltl has been serving food that has nothing to do with dead animals – and during that time, Hiltl has become so beloved by Zurich’s populace that Haus Hiltl also contains a cooking school, as well as a bar, lounge, and late-night club. Thirty wines are offered by the glass and over thirty international vodkas in the bar/lounge – and later at night, Club Hiltl’s deejays attract a crowd of music-lovers who groove to house, disco, mash-up – and live drummers.
The popularity of Hiltl has produced an offshoot called tibits, with several locations around Switzerland – thereby enabling you to have your Hiltl fix even when away from Zurich.
This is food that makes you feel – and look – good, served at a place that makes you very happy.
