Old Crow — Restaurant in Zurich

When wandering through old cities, we prefer the quieter alleyways to the busier streets. You never know what you might find, and that was certainly the case when we stumbled across Old Crow. When we first passed and peered through the window glass, we worried we were underdressed. We still had an hour or so before dinner though, and the bar looked so appealing, we decided to go for it. Petra greeted us warmly. The back garden was full but the front of the bar was cool and comfortable, and we loved the vibe there so we chose the high top by the window. The cocktail menu is extensive and their catalog of spirits even larger (think large, leather bound book, well-indexed and listing spirits, champagne, and sparklings from all over the world). I spotted a gin cocktail that looked appealing. I asked Petra if it wasn’t too sweet, and she asked me about the tastes and flavors I prefer. I like my drinks to be crisp and more sour, and she assured me that her bartenders would make any drink exactly to my liking. I forget the name of the original cocktail, but it had a nice tasting gin with a touch of black cherry chambord, heavier on the sour and exactly what I was looking for. The bartender, Benjamin, came over to see how we were, and since it was a quieter afternoon, he indulged us by telling us about the bar, the collection, and his work. My husband had questions about the whiskeys (huge selection), and after leafing through the catalog, I had questions about the gins. I love a good fragrance, so Benjamin left and brought back three bottles of gin - a saffron-infused spirit, a floral and pretty Austrian gin, and the Swiss Fibonacci n1 - to sniff. Since I am a fan of fresh, crisp juniper, I latched onto the Swiss bottle right away, and my husband and I decided to come back after dinner for another cocktail experience. I spent the next hour or two ruminating on the scent of that gin and what I might like to go with it, and as we walked the cobblestones back to the Crow Bar, I decided on something like a Tom Collins, with a few tweaks, of course. We walked in, the garden was still full of imbibers, so we chose a booth seat in the stone hall in the back. I cannot remember at all what my husband ordered for either of his drinks because I was too caught up in my own experience, but I know he enjoyed them. Mine was fresh, lightly scented, with a slice of lemon and a black cherry, served in a high ball glass. I loved it. The drinks aren’t cheap at the Crow Bar. You won’t be downing shots because you’ll want to sip, and you won’t be watching a tv screen while forgetting whatever it is you asked for in your glass. There is no kitchen in the back but you are served a cocktail mix (because every drink should have just a little something to accompany it), so come before or after your meal. Come in, relax, and experience the flavor and the vibe of a truly excellent, old-world style...

Sophisticated cocktails, friendly staff and cool vibe. Old Crow is the place to be for classy cocktails in the heart of Zurich. Located in a small gasse (quite peaceful), this place is very popular and fills in pretty fast. We found the staff incredible (not only professional, but also warm, which sometimes you don’t necessarily find in Zurich). I ordered a Black Forest and my partner had a Smokey Old Fashion. We were super happy. My cocktail wasn’t too sweet and on the contrary, it was super balanced. His one was strong, but very rich in flavour. Despite the place being full and crowded, we received our order in no time. Sadly, the only painful point here is the price: 4 cocktails and we paid more than 80CHF. Now, being in Zurich (and in a very good spot) this price is more than justified! But it’s always painful, let’s face it! 4 stars because next time I’d like to try another cocktail and like it even more than the one I ordered. Super...

We visited this bar on our roadtrip in Switzerland when we spent a few days in Zürich. It was mentioned as one of the top barsso this was why we opted to see it. The bar itself looks great and is really cozy. The service was odd though. I am not sure was it due to us being obviously tourists or were the servers really inexperienced, we were ignored for about 15min but since it was rainy and we really wanted to test this bar, we waited. I asked for my standard drink 20th century and to my surprise the server said they had never heard of it and insisted that I must be wrong. Finally they agreed to go and ask bartender to make it. That was the strangest 20th centuryI have had 😅 and it tasted oddly watery but was drinkable. The other drinks were okay. I liked the bar itself and I am willing to see if it is a better...