RFK Rankings · Zurich
Best Wine Lists in Zurich 2026
Restaurant cellars & sommelier programs · Zurich · 6 lists ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 18, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Marc Almert was named the world's best sommelier in 2019, and he runs the floor at the Baur au Lac, which tells you most of what you need to know about Zurich wine: this is a city that takes the bottle as seriously as the franc. Behind the lake-front grande dame sits a tight scene of rooms with real cellars, from a 1924 art-filled institution off the Bahnhofstrasse to Andreas Caminada's sharing room and the Dolder Grand high above the city. Here is who each table suits, what to expect walking in, and how to book it. Six, ranked on depth, the pairing program and value rather than trophy labels alone.
1.Pavillon
The Baur au Lac's two-star room with the world's best sommelier on the floor. Save it for a landmark bottle.
Pavillon is the two-star dining room of the Baur au Lac, the lake-front hotel that has anchored Zurich luxury since 1844, with Laurent Eperon's modern French cooking in a glass pavilion over the garden. The wine is the headline: head sommelier Marc Almert was named ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2019, and the Baur au Lac Vins cellar behind him draws on more than 300 producers across 17 countries. This is the city's grand wine occasion, the room for marking something with an aged or rare bottle and a sommelier who reads the table. Plan on a top-end spend before wine. Reserve two to three weeks ahead, name a region and a number, and let Almert lead.
Book on the Baur au Lac site; ask Marc Almert to build the night around one bottle.
2.The Restaurant
Heiko Nieder's two-star high above the city with a broad international cellar. Reserve weeks ahead for the pairing.
The Restaurant at the Dolder Grand is Heiko Nieder's two-star room in the hillside hotel above Zurich, one of the most precise kitchens in Switzerland and a cellar built to match. The list is broad and international, deep in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and German-speaking Europe, with a pairing program that tracks Nieder's intricate tasting menu course by course. This is the booking for a couple who want a destination dinner and a wine team happy to range from a grower Riesling to an aged red. Plan on a top-end spend before wine. Reserve two to three weeks ahead, take the pairing if the menu is the point, and ask the floor what is drinking best.
Book on the Dolder Grand site; take the pairing and ask for the standout pour.
3.Kronenhalle
A 1924 institution hung with Picasso and Chagall, with a deep classic cellar. Book it for old-school glamour and a serious red.
Kronenhalle has been a Zurich institution since 1924, a wood-panelled room off the Bellevue hung with original Picasso, Chagall, Miro and Matisse and run with a formality that has barely changed in a century. The cooking is classic Swiss-French, the kind built for a great bottle, and the cellar is deep in Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone with the age to back it up. This is the booking for a traditional, grown-up evening, the room for a couple or a small group who want history, a trolley of saucisson, and a serious red. Plan on an upper-end spend before wine. Reserve a week or two ahead, ask for a table in the main room, and order from the classics.
Book on the Kronenhalle site; ask the floor for an aged Bordeaux from the cellar.
4.Igniv Zurich
Andreas Caminada's one-star sharing room with a sharp, growers-led list. Try it once for the format and the pairing.
Igniv Zurich is Andreas Caminada's sharing-plates room in the Marktgasse Hotel in the old town, a one-star kitchen where the table orders together and the wine has to keep pace with a dozen small dishes at once. The list is sharp and grower-led, strong in Switzerland, Burgundy and Champagne, with a pairing program built for the format rather than a single main course. This is the booking for a group of friends who want a serious wine night without the hush of a classic dining room. Plan on an upper-mid spend before wine. Reserve two weeks ahead, take the pairing, and tell the floor if you want to lean Swiss or French.
Book on the Igniv site; take the pairing and ask the floor to lean Swiss.
5.Maison Manesse
A creative kitchen with one of the city's most adventurous lists. Pencil it in for low-intervention bottles and a relaxed room.
Maison Manesse near Zaehringerplatz is the contrarian pick here, a creative, globally minded kitchen with a wine list that ranges well off the classic-cellar script into low-intervention and grower bottles. The floor treats wine as part of the cooking rather than a status object, with a by-the-glass program wide enough to taste your way through an unconventional night. This is the booking for a couple or small group who want genuinely interesting bottles and a relaxed, modern room rather than starched service. Plan on a mid-to-upper spend before wine. Reserve a week ahead, tell the floor you want something off the beaten path, and let them pour a few to compare.
Book direct; ask the floor for the most interesting low-intervention bottle they have.
6.Razzia
A grand former cinema in Seefeld with a broad Italian-leaning list. Settle in for pasta and a serious bottle.
Razzia occupies a grand former cinema in Seefeld, a high-ceilinged, glamorous room that draws a stylish Zurich crowd for modern Italian cooking. The wine list follows the food, broad and Italian-leaning with the depth to put a Barolo or a Brunello next to the handmade pasta, plus enough French and Champagne to round out a celebration. This is the booking for a buzzy, grown-up night out where the room is part of the appeal and the cellar can still deliver a serious bottle. Plan on an upper-mid spend before wine. Reserve a week ahead, ask for a table away from the bar if you want to talk, and tell the floor your budget.
Book on the Razzia site; name a budget and ask the floor for an Italian red.
Avoid for a wine night
Great view, thin cellar
Clouds. The top-floor room in the Prime Tower has the best view in Zurich, but it is built for the panorama and turnover rather than a deep cellar. Go for sunset and a glass, and keep your wine night for the Baur au Lac or the Kronenhalle.
The Niederdorf fondue houses. The old-town tourist fondue rooms are a fun night and pour plenty of Fendant, but the wine is an afterthought to the cheese. Have the fondue, then drink seriously somewhere on the list above.
How to drink well in Zurich
Name a region and a number and let the floor work inside it; at the Baur au Lac, the Dolder Grand and the Kronenhalle that conversation reliably turns up a better, often older bottle than the label you would have reached for, and all three are deep enough to pull aged verticals on request. Book the destination rooms two to three weeks ahead through their own sites, where the best weekend tables go first. For anything rare, say so when you book so the bottle is confirmed and standing up before you sit down.
The more adventurous end, Igniv and Maison Manesse, rewards taking the pairing and telling the floor if you want to lean Swiss, French or off-script. If Italian is driving the night, Razzia has the room and the reds for it. And wherever you go, if you are celebrating, say so when you book so the room can make a night of it.
Frequently asked
Which Zurich restaurant has the best wine list?
Pavillon at the Baur au Lac holds our top spot, in large part because of who runs the floor. Head sommelier Marc Almert was named ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2019, and the Baur au Lac Vins cellar behind him draws on more than 300 producers across 17 countries. It is the city's grand wine room, built to drink an aged or rare bottle with Laurent Eperon's two-star French cooking. Reserve two to three weeks ahead, name a region and a budget, and let Almert lead you to the bottle.
Which Zurich restaurant has the best sommelier?
Marc Almert at the Baur au Lac's Pavillon, who won the title of ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2019, is the obvious answer and worth booking the room for alone. Beyond him, the Dolder Grand's team runs one of the most wide-ranging pairing programs in the city alongside Heiko Nieder's two-star menu. At either, tell the floor what you want to spend and let them lead; both rooms are deep enough to surprise you.
Where can I find a rare or aged bottle in Zurich?
The Baur au Lac, the Dolder Grand and the Kronenhalle are the three deepest cellars for rare and aged bottles. The Baur au Lac Vins list spans more than 300 producers, the Dolder Grand runs deep in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and the Kronenhalle has a century-old classic cellar with genuine age. For any of them, call a day ahead with the bottle you are chasing so the sommelier can confirm it and have it pulled before you arrive.
How much does a good bottle cost at Zurich restaurants?
Zurich is not a cheap wine city, so plan on 90 to 160 francs for a genuinely good bottle at most of these rooms, with the ceiling far higher at the Baur au Lac, the Dolder Grand and the Kronenhalle. Igniv, Maison Manesse and Razzia are the value-minded picks. The smart move everywhere is to set a number with the floor and let them find the interesting bottle inside it rather than reaching for a name you already know.
Do you need a reservation for these Zurich wine restaurants?
Yes for all of them, and well ahead for the destination rooms. The Baur au Lac, the Dolder Grand, the Kronenhalle and Igniv release tables ahead and the best weekend tables go first, so book two to three weeks out. Maison Manesse and Razzia are a little easier but still worth reserving. For a rare or aged bottle at the top rooms, call a day ahead so it is confirmed, pulled and ready before you sit down.
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