f39 — Restaurant in Zurich

This is the worst restaurant I have tried in Zurich. I would consider myself a foodie and after living in Zurich for 1 year now I discovered this place as it supposedly stands for humble local cuisine in an intimate cosy setting (and shockingly great reviews). We booked a table for 4 and opted for a 3 course menu. The first course was a veg dish full of onions and you could hardly taste anything else; the 2nd course a poached egg with mashed potatoes (something that is great for breakfast/brunch but not for dinner). The waiter doesn’t know what he is doing - he brought my second glass of wine before my first was even finished and spilled half of it on my plate. Changing my plate? Why should he...As if this was not enough then the disaster: a third course which was a terribly cooked and hard piece of beef with overcooked noodles. My husband and I couldn’t eat it, our guests just ate it out of politeness. We sent it back and the waiter, who was also the cook apparently, couldn’t care less. He said he can prepare something else instead of asking what the problem was or taking on the criticism. Of course by then our appetite was gone and we left the place with a 300 chf bill and a big disappointment. The quality of the food was average to bad, the service annoying and the overall experience just sad. I would not even rate one star, this is for punishing myself being so stupid for trying out this place. I don’t understand how anybody who likes real food can like it here - the ratings I have read must be either fake, untrue or people had a very lucky day. Avoid this place as there a so many good restaurants in Zurich. Don’t fall in this trap no matter what you read. It deserves...

Fine dining is one of my favorite indulgences. I've been to many great and famous restaurants in my life. And then comes a totally surprising knock out.

F39 is located in a storefront that you would more likely associate with a bookstore. Maybe it was a bookstore once because one wall is devoted to a massive collection of cookbooks. There is only space for 14 diners. Oh yes, and you don't get to choose what you eat. You can have the nightly menu with or without the cheese course. There is champagne. Two white wines and two red wines. Water. Coffee and tea. Done. With a setup like this, they're either genius or insane.

They're genius and highly talented and passionate. Taking pictures of this food is a total waste of time. Seeing a picture of baby endive with a white smear on it can not convey the artistry of combining the perfect crunchy endive with organic sour cream, bee pollen, and pink salt in just the right amounts. When you take a bite and close your eyes you are one with the idyllic sunny garden that gave birth to this celebration. And that's just the amuse bouche. You have 13 more delightful masterpieces ahead of you.

I cannot tell you what your experience will be because the menu changes daily. All I can say is that you can expect perfectly chosen ingredients expertly and lovingly prepared in a very elegant but welcoming way. You have to count on spending around Sfr200 per person. I'm saving up for...

This restaurant had been recommend to me by a dear friend of mine, so my partner and I decided to give it a go.

Upon arrival outside we were almost a bit confused if we had arrived at the right place but once we stepped in, the incredible selection of cooking books immediately caught our eye and got us excited. The dining room wasn't large and the warm decor made for a homey environment. We did find the sticky plastic curtains over the windows to be an odd choice however.

The food itself was great, although mostly vegetarian. My favourite dish was a dessert made with elderflower ice cream. Other honourable mentions were the 5 year old cow and the delicious chicken broth paired with home made sour dough bread and butter. The sauces of two dishes were unfortunately completely over salted.

All wines that were shown to us were natural. When I asked for something more formal, I was given a delicious, natural red wine to try. Trying so many natural wines was definitely new to me and I appreciated the experience.

Over all I think the restaurant is a wonderful addition to the Zurich food scene but it wasn't good enough for us to be...