Lake whitefish fillets in a featherlight beer batter, deep-fried to crisp gold, served with tartar sauce, lemon and a heap of fries. The defining Zurichsee summer plate.
Felchen are the indigenous lake whitefish (coregonus species) of the Swiss Alpine lakes including Zurichsee, Vierwaldstaettersee and Bodensee. They have been the staple lake catch for centuries; the Knusperli (literally little crispies) deep-fry treatment dates to early 20th-century Zurich lakeside terraces, which served the day's catch in a Swiss-beer batter to summer crowds. The dish became fixed in the city's grammar at lakeside restaurants by mid-century: a pile of golden goujons on a plate with fries, half a lemon, and a chilled glass of Federwiisser when the new wine appears.
3 editor picks for Felchen Knusperli in Zurich, ranked by editorial score. All Zurich signature dishes · Felchen Knusperli across every city.
Le Dezaley ★ 4.4
8001 · Roemergasse 9, 8001 Zurich
Opened 1902 beside the Grossmuenster, Le Dezaley pours Lavaux wines and cooks Vaud-region plates: classic fondue, truffle fondue, raclette, saucisson vaudois.
Wirtschaft Neumarkt ★ 4.3
8001 · Neumarkt 5, 8001 Zurich
A medieval-leaning Niederdorf room with wooden beams cooking Swiss plates with Mediterranean inflection from regional, additive-free produce. Summer garden.
Restaurant Markthalle ★ 4.0
Limmatstrasse 231, 8005 Zurich
Under the Zurich-West rail viaduct, the Markthalle's open-kitchen restaurant runs all-day brunch with Mediterranean plates and a garden terrace.