Yalda Sihlcity — Restaurant in Zurich

Yalda is hands down one of the best buffet experiences I’ve had in Zürich! From the moment you walk in, you’re welcomed by a stylish, vibrant atmosphere that immediately sets the tone for a great dining experience. The space is modern and beautifully decorated, creating a relaxed and inviting vibe.

But the real magic is in the buffet — an incredible spread of oriental cuisine that caters to every taste. The variety is outstanding: fresh salads, warm mezze, flavorful rice dishes, perfectly grilled meats, stews, and an impressive selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Every dish I tried was rich in flavor, beautifully spiced, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. You can really taste the authenticity.

What I especially loved is how fresh everything felt — nothing seemed like it had been sitting out too long, and the staff were constantly refilling and checking the presentation. The desserts were also a highlight — light, not overly sweet, and a perfect end to the meal.

The staff were friendly and helpful, always available to answer questions or clear plates without being intrusive. The overall experience felt very well-organized and thoughtful.

For the price, the value is excellent considering the quality, variety, and the beautiful setting. Whether you’re coming with friends, family, or colleagues, Yalda is an amazing spot to enjoy a generous, flavorful, and authentic oriental buffet. I’ll definitely be coming back — it’s now one of my favorite spots...

This place is fake and really paints a bad image for Arabic food! The food is tasteless and we found hair in the what they call shawarma (it’s not shawarma btw). The humus is not made of the correct ingredients it seems that they add dough to it to go on the cheap and the taste unbearable. My wife and i couldn’t finish our food after just tasting! What they call kofte is basically processed ground chicken which is completely incorrect, kofta is made of minced beef or lamb. The falafel is super dry and it’s just shameful to call it falafel. The place has few pictures and they are taken in Israel (writing in hebrew) which is not an arab country which just makes the whole theme even more fake!

I literally have no idea how this place got 4.2 stars on here! I had so many unoriginal arabic (or oriental) food which one knows what they are signing up for but this is at a super low level compared to those places, and the prices are just rip off, we paid 50 CHF for poor meal that it’s ingredients barely cost a mere 3-4 franks (this is not a joke).

I think this place should rebrand to really display what it actually sells and not pretend to be something it isn’t, nor piggy back on the rich...

After a disappointed first time i decided to give it a second try. It made me change my mind. I would say the salads are creative. It you want to eat healthy you can definitely do it in Yalda. And it does taste nice. I tried the grilled eggplants and some brocoli carrots salad. It got better in taste definitely.

This was my previous opinion:

I will start with the plus: The staff is very nice and smiles. The localisation is perfect. The decoration is well thought, oriental, arabic style, cosy and warm. Good background music!

But the food is not as expected! What a disappointment. The buffet looks so nice but the taste is not at the rendez-vous! From the baba ganoush to the baklava it was sad! Even the peppermint tea was tasteless! How difficult is it!?! If lebanese, oriental or Mediterranean is the theme and food is the product Yalda sells, its far from success! Or maybe Yalda wants to do a swiss-oriental taste! I don t think it would be expensive if it would be good!

To me his place is good for...