Bongénie is Zurich's newest luxury address and place to be — a series of introductions

Series part 3: A French-Italian-Swiss pleasure trip

In a house with over 130 years of tradition such as Bongénie, even the latest offering — the Emile Restaurant and Bar — has a story. The name goes back to Emile Brunschwig, the fourth-generation grandfather of the family-run Bongénie and great-grandfather of the current CEO Loïc Brunschwig.

It is also this fourth generation of Brunschwig — Pierre, Nicolas and Anne-Marie — who is largely responsible for the new location at Bahnhofstraße 3 in Zurich.

In the 1930s, Emile Brunschwig shaped the refinement and elegance of the Bongénie range. Inspired by big New York department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Saks or Lord & Taylor, he brought a new dimension of luxury to Switzerland.

As an homage to Émile, there is a mannequin at the evening entrance to the bar and restaurant, which is designed entirely in his style — a stylish detail that subtly and honorably expresses the connection between past and present.

Wonderful interior with plenty of space and excellent acoustics

What impressed us at Émile right from the start is the remarkably good acoustics and the generous space that guests are allowed to enjoy here. You sit comfortably, have enough space and can talk undisturbed — a rarity in many restaurants.

Designed by renowned interior designer Sarah Poniatowski, founder of Maison Sarah Lavoine, the restaurant is architecturally convincing across the board. The Decor is a stylish combination of dark wood tones, green velvet, cream leather, elegant royal blue and gold accents — a modern take on an upscale private club.

A particular highlight is the light-filled courtyard, which fills the room with natural daylight. The terrace-like layout of the restaurant provides a direct view of Bahnhofstrasse through the high windows running over two floors and gives the ambiance a particular breadth.

The Bar and Lounge is located on the ground floor, which is open Monday to Saturday from 7:30 a.m. for a morning coffee with croissants and welcomes its guests until midnight with stylish drinks and a perfect nightcap.

Contemporary Cuisine with Mediterranean Touches and Swiss Excellence

Emile's first chef is Ludovico de Vivo, who moved from his previous position at Château Gütsch in Lucerne to Zurich. Together with his team, he creates fine, lighter dishes and sophisticated tapas for the bar as well as first-class lunch and dinner menus in the restaurant.

Not to forget the homemade pâtisserie creations by pastry chef Dimitris Taratsidis, which perfectly round off the culinary experience. We've tried our hand at the menu and can say in advance: It's worth a visit.

Restaurant Emile combines cuisine, architecture and interior in perfect harmony. We can hardly write independently about the service — it is too great to meet many familiar team members from the former Grieder location here, who have become fond of over the years.

And yet: Compared to the past, everything looks even more chic, even more well-thought-out — an elegant place that continues its story and at the same time sets new standards.

Three times through the map from top to bottom

In order to get as representative an impression as possible, we visited Émile Essen a total of three times before publishing this article. We tried our hand at the menu and shared their impressions and opinions with our table neighbors.

For lunch, we tested the business menu. For 38 francs, you get a daily soup or salad as well as a dish of the day. We chose the salad and the lasagna — both exactly as you would expect, in consistent portions, served attractively and quickly.

We also tried the Caesar salad — and would say: one of the best in Zurich! And we know our stuff. The soup of the day was tested on two occasions: once as porcini mushroom soup, once in the carrot-ginger variant. Both were flavorfully balanced, not too much, not too little — and attractively presented.

Another lunch dish was the club sandwich — classic, solid and good, but our favorite remains the club sandwich in the Barchetta bar in Hotel Storchen. We haven't tried the burger yet, but we've tried our table next door — and four times. The unanimous opinion: “We'll be back! ”

Instead, we tested the entrecote with French Allumettes — a real midday highlight! The meat was tender as butter and at exactly the desired cooking level, plus a creamy bearnaise sauce. The matchstick potatoes were a bit too generous for us, but the presentation on another guest's plate looked adjusted the next time we visited. In any case, one thing is certain: The entrecote will be ordered again soon!

In the evening, we tested Wagyu Tatar as an appetizer — cleverly served with Carassau bread, excellent. The pumpkin creation, pumpkin curry soup and tarte tatin made from tomatoes, burrata and black olives were also convincing — all balanced in taste and in ideal portion sizes.

For the main course, we had a wonderfully creamy parmigiana, deliciously tender veal cheeks with red cabbage and mashed potatoes, and aromatic gnocchi with hazelnut balsamic sauce. The Alpine Stone Chicken with Chestnuts and Jerusalem Artichoke Puree was particularly nice — the portion was a bit smaller, but the taste was on point and incredibly tender.

We were able to be surprised during dessert: Café Gourmand came once, then a sweet surprise in the form of a “chocolate stick” as a pâtisserie creation as well as a raspberry and a lemon cake — all presented very finely and elegantly.

The next time we visited, we tested the Caesar salad and the Wagyu tartare again — both were perfect again. There was also an excellent cheese platter from Rolf Beeler (definitely a must-have!) As well as the salmon tartare with avocado, incredibly fresh and perfectly balanced in terms of taste.

On our list for the next visit: chicken curry and sea bass — we'll report back, of course.

Conclusion: Is a visit to Emile worthwhile?

After three test visits, a representative cross-section of the map and valuable discussions with other guests, we can say with certainty: Yes! The Emile restaurant and bar are an asset to Zurich. We already feel like regular guests there and are looking forward to further enjoyable visits and exciting encounters. From now on, you can find us there more often.

A personal highlight at the end:

We were delighted to discover Chinotto on the drinks menu and then also from Lurisia — one of our favorite drinks! Hard to find in Zurich so far, we always had gone to Cantinetta Antinori to do so. Chinotto is now also available in Emile, in the Sun-drenched Rooms — Classically Refreshing with a Few Ice Cubes and a Slice of Orange.

With this part 3, we have come to the end of our opening series. We promise it won't be the last post in and about Bongénie and Émile.

Did you miss the first two parts of our presentation series? No problem, read them again using the following links!

Part 1: In the first part of the presentation series, we take them on a walk through all 4 floors, Click here to get to the first part.

Part 2: In the second part of our presentation series, we invite you to discover the story of Bongénie in Zurich. Click here for the second part.