CLOUDS — Restaurant in Zurich

Awful hosts with very disappointing service at the restaurant. The view was alright but not worth this experience. What an unnecessary sense of pretentiousness at this place! When we were shown to the table, I asked one of the host if I could have a small chair to put my bag on as it was to big to put it on my chair and too small to put it on the floor. He immediately showed an expression of annoyance, then said “sorry we don’t have any chair that would fit”. I saw a small stool standing next to the narrowed bar area that no one was occupying (the bar was empty) so I asked the waitress if I could have that chair, she again showed the exact expression of annoyance and declined. It was not the fact that they couldn’t offer me the chair, it was the very rude expression on their faces as if they didn’t even try to respond in a better “hospitality-manner” way. It was rude and created a very unpleasant first impression into the night. The waitress brought out the food menu. And kept coming back to asked if we were ready to order. I asked her for the drink menu as I would like to see it first, she said twice to bring it for me then forgot and finally brought only one wine menu when there were two people sitting opposite from each other. Did NOT even bother to explain whether I can order a cocktail or other drinks beside the wine. The food quality was very standard. I ordered a steak and the sauce was a bit too salty. RUDE WAITRESS again. There was fries included in my steak, which was served separately in another container. When I finished the steak. The same waitress came out to ask how the meal was, I said it was okay as I was too disappointed at the moment to respond. Then she just took everything to clean the table, not even asking if I was done with my food! (I WAS STILL EATING THE FIRES) The spaces between tables were so narrowed while they left a spacious area for areas where noone would walk into (which was the area I suggested if I could have a small chair to put my bag) and we couldn’t even choose the option to have a table next to the window to look at the panoramic view. Toilets in both male and female areas were dirty, messy with towels everywhere on the sink and putrid smell. This is an utterly horrid, disgusting and unbelievable manner for a restaurant in such a location to be. Overpriced, extremely poor services and standard food. I was really looking forward for a fine dine experience at Clouds to recommend it for my clients as a new exciting area for corporate functions but I will never come back again nor will recommend it to anyone who asks me about Clouds...

I am usually easily won by restaurants since I am a food lover and only give bad reviews when they are really deserved, but Clouds tops the rating with one of the most negative experiences in a restaurant I have had in years. I went there for dinner with colleagues and everything was off to a good start: nice view, fancy design and an apparent good food menu. However, things quickly derailed: we were served starters different from the ones we ordered...because the menus we received were the ones from the week before and the servers did not know the correct ones! When we asked for the new menus, they were not given to us because "they were all taken by another big group table" (really, what kind of restaurant runs out of menus?) Eventually, some of the main dishes were switched to accommodate the initially chosen menu...but only for the meat course, all the others were not switched and some of my colleagues had to eat something they had not chosen since the restaurant would not change them. Worse...the main dishes arrived 1h-1h30 after the starters, so we were of course starving. Dessert was possible "a la carte" but in some cases, for the same dessert, the dishes were different, missing parts or different from the menu description (a white chocolate tarte had pesto/basilic instead of...pistachio?). To compensate, the waiter proactively offered to provide some digestives, which we thought was a kind gesture...until finding the restaurant charged us for those. So, all in all, the positive aspects of the restaurant (view, food quality, wine) were eclipsed by an inadequate, and in many times disrespectful, service and without any proactive gesture or attitude of apology from the restaurant. In no other good-standing restaurant (or one with such pricing) this would be admissible and it clearly shows how such a lack of a client-centric service and attitude can spoil a nice dinner in a (theoretically) nice place. If you have not realized up to this point, no, I cannot recommend nor will I be back at...

On top of Zurich - but not quite up there

The positive: fantastic views across the city and a decent wine selection

The rest left a lot to be desired: Arriving on-time for our dinner reservation, we waited at the reception desk for a full 10 minutes until the restaurant manager showed us to our table - despite the attentive host from the bar on the opposite side having told her restaurant colleagues that new guests had arrived. As it turned out, the restaurant was hopelessly understaffed and it continued to show. The tables are cramped into the floor space, allowing you to overhear the entire conversation of the table next to you even if they are soft-spoken while making it hard for the serving staff to squeeze through. We waited a full 15 minutes until we were able to order a first drink and another 10 until we received it. We ordered the 4-course kitchen menu which, along with the entire menu, was different to the menu on the Clouds website (on the same day). We initially chose a 2020 Mauro / Castilla y Leon from the menu which was no longer available, no indication of that on the menu however. The amuse-bouche was okay but pretty unimaginative (salmon with creme-cheese on a cracker), the starter (carpaccio) was tasty but the meat somewhat stringy, the first course (fish with kale) was bland and boring, and the main (filet of beef with beetroot mash) was very nice and cooked perfectly. Dessert was chocolate a rather uncreative chocolate ice cream - fruit combo. Overall, the food was not bad BUT neither the food and certainly not the experience lived up to the haute-cuisine experience they claim to offer. At CHF 360 for a dinner for two, there are plenty of better fine-dining choices in Zurich. Unless you want to pay for the view, I cannot recommend...