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Café Bar ODEON

3.9 (74 reviews)
Open 7:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

Café Bar ODEON Photos

CAFÉ BAR ODEON ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - Café Bar ODEON

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Minestrone meat soup and a chai latte
Ryan T.

With a history like Odeon's, I had to stop in to check it out. It was packed full of people - usually a good sign. It was too late in the day for me to want coffee so I opted for a chai latte (not made from a powdered mix - it came with a tea bag and an optional sugar cube.) They could do side order substitutions, so I went with the bacon wrapped chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and veggies, with a bowl of minestrone meat soup. All of the food was delicious.

Palatschinken
Jason X.

Nice history and conveniently located right next to a bus station, but the service was pretty slow. The Vienna pancakes were essentially crepes with a small bit of apricot filling with some whipped cream and berries on top - we really liked it! Fun stop but I wouldn't go again.

Lunch - hot dog
Chris C.

Came here for lunch today - a much more reasonable option than the dinner. Interior has beautiful and interesting period decor and certainly if you come here for the history as well as food you have to at least look inside if not sitting there. The outdoor tables are small rounds with umbrella shade pushed pretty tightly together in custom European fashion, so best come during non peak hours if you want to avoid sitting elbow to elbow with others. We had the hot dog and chicken leg lunch set - the chicken is by far the better presentation and tasting as well as the better deal at 26 euros. Big portions with a very fresh salad although bit swimming in too much dressing - two wanting a lighter meal can definitely share one set. Some of the indoor tables are nice and private if you don't mind being tucked away in a corner. Service was ok eventually although it was busy when we showed up so other than seating yourself you practically couldn't get anyone's attention no matter how much you try, so all the more reason to try coming here when it's less crowded.

Cappuccino
Julia C.

A beautiful cafe with an interesting history. Lots of great little nooks and comfortable chairs to sit around, chat, sip a cappuccino or sparkling water or soda, read a book and watch people walking by. I had the pork schnitzel, with french fries and veggies. It was perfectly adequate, nothing to write home about (except for this one piece of broccoli which was infused with salty buttery flavor -- not sure what was going on with that). The ambiance is what really draws me to this place.

Front entrance
Amanda U.

Great spot for breakfast, excellent service and nice ambiance. We enjoyed the eggs Benedict, waffles with berry compote & the fried eggs. All sound pretty typical but it was the best eggs Benedict and fried eggs we've ever tasted. Not sure how such simple everyday dishes could be so much better than we are used to!

Roshni G.

Pretty good stop for breakfast. We left satisfied but not to full. My husband liked his coffee too

Don't go here
Anthony G.

The atmosphere and food looked good, but it was short lived. They elected not to serve us because we only had CDC Covid card and not the Swiss app. We quickly realized that this was our fault and we're able to fill out the proper form. However, This was an embarrassing experience. Plenty of other restaurants to enjoy in the area.

Aa-Ron L.

Café Bar Odeon has nothing to do with ancient Greece as the name might imply, but rather gives you the feeling you're in Paris or Vienna. Once you open the menu, however, you know you're in Zürich. The "rösti bällchen" kind of give it away. And, speaking of bällchen, it's supposed to be a gay joint, but I wouldn't necessarily hang that sign on it since quite a cocktail of different types frequent Odeon - students, business types, grey hairs, and since it's supposedly one of the oldest cafes in Zürich, it also boasts quite a noteworthy guestbook of names... Einstein, Mussolini and Lenin to name a few. The service, I hear, is notorious for being less than pleasant, but I haven't had any appalling experiences. I mean my tolerance of terrible customer service has grown incredibly since I've lived in Switzerland. The menu is creative and offers some interesting twists on traditional local specialties. The rösti bällchen mentioned above are an appetizer of rösti potato balls stuffed with cheese and fried. And speaking of rösti, the rösti burger is sensational. It's open-faced with no bun underneath, but a rösti pancake as a bed for the juicy ground beef, fresh tomato, onion, lettuce and pink sauce, served with a small bowl of crunchy veggie salad. All of their burgers are tip-top! And there are more traditional offerings like a tall club sandwich and a number of creative salads. But it's a "Café Bar" so they also do honest coffee and have a full bar in the middle of the dining room, with a decent cocktail list. Less known is that the kitchen is open until 2am! It's the cousin of the late night American diner. There's plenty of outdoor seating and the location is right across from the Limmat River before it flows into the Lake of Zurich. It's caddy corner to Bellevueplatz, so if you like to people watch, it's good for that. Prices aren't out of the ordinary for Zurich. It's a great place to come for lunch, brunch or a midnight snack... or a coffee... or some drinks... or...

Michael C.

Nice cafe in the center of Zurich. The prices are typical Switzerland prices (steep!) and the service is typical Switzerland service (amazing!). The food is decent and the coffee-based drinks are well crafted. One interesting fact about this cafe is that (supposedly) Vladimir Lenin visited here while in Switzerland. They have an indoor seating and outdoor seating area. If the weather is nice, I'd definitely recommend the outdoor seating so you can people watch and enjoy the nice views. Take your time. No one here is in a rush. You can sit there for one hour or the whole day- the waitresses will still keep serving.

Justin C.

Meh. The number of people who list this place as a "must-visit" while in Zurich somewhat astound me. Sure, the list of famous folks who've passed through these doors is long, but the place itself is just nothing spectacular, and the food is average, at best. We went well out of our way to get to this well regarded place in District 1, walking all the way from Langstrasse on a cold, rainy morning, and received equally cold service in a dull setting that hopefully comes more alive later in the day. There seemed to be a table of eccentric regulars meeting for breakfast early along with us, but aside from that the space was all but empty. As noted, the food here is rather simplistic, but for that simplicity you still pay Zurich's obligatory high prices. Breakfast runs 20+CHF per person, depending on what option you get, and frankly none of the options were really all that appealing. I wish we had researched the menu more before deciding to come here, because I could have easily seen how disappointing the choices would be. I guess the best thing would have been my butterzopfli, the only truly distinctive item. Everything else (except perhaps the Camembert wedge) could easily be found in any typical American diner for just a couple $USD. My hot chocolate was nice, but how hard is that to achieve? Suzy's egg dish looked a good bit more satisfying, but was relatively without flavor. All of the historical significance of Odeon was lost to us, due to the uninspiring food, indifferent employees, and overall boring atmosphere. It's got a pretty interior that looks like the type of place that must be bustling at some point, but if you're considering it as a destination and you've only got minimal time in Zurich I suggest looking elsewhere. Odeon is not necessarily bad, but given the reputation it's a pretty big disappointment.

Odeon platter (small)
Doug B.

Great place to chill or socialize with friends, new and old. Friendly staff, cool & convenient location. Good food & drinks. Fun, inviting atmosphere. Sit outside on the warm days. It's winter now (and night time), so we sat indoors and enjoyed the music.

Denis T.

Great place but pricey. Nice setting and very convenient. Service very good. First place we visited for lunch.

You can try fresh drinks here.

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10 months ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

Great spot for an afternoon spritz. Dinner at the bar is also great - good food and service, a real local spot.

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

Burgers and Club sandwich were large and delicious. Very good atmosphere with an aged look.

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14 years ago

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Café Bar ODEON Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Café Bar ODEON

For Stefan Zweig ,Jame Joyce and Maugham , have to sit here for a while to see what they saw .

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Café Bar ODEON - bars - Updated May 2026

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