A bite of history | Zunfthaus zur Haue
The Zunfthaus zur Haue is located in the middle of the city, directly on the Limmat, in a magnificent building from the Middle Ages with a great historical background. It offers not only beautiful rooms for parties, celebrations and conferences for 20 to 120 guests, but also an excellent, home-style cuisine with Swiss and Mediterranean specialities in its so-called restaurant "Hauestube". Due to the small size of 40 seats, the Hauestube has a cosy and homely flair. While waiting for your food and being extremely hungry because of the delicious smells from the open and visible cuisine, the wall and ceiling decorations give you a glimpse of the history of this house.
History of the guild "Zunft zum Kämbel"
The "Zunft zum Kämbel", like the other historical guilds of Zurich, has its origin in the Brun'schen Zunftverfassung of 1336. The Gartner, Öler, and Grempler (small traders), who made up the guild at that time, were not artisans in the true sense of the word. The Gartners sold vegetables of all kinds, as well as stone and pome fruits, the Gremplers were tradesmen, salt people and small traders with food.
From 1487 the Grempler guild was to be found in the 'Haus zum Kämbel' at the Münsterhof and henceforth bore the name Zunft zum Kämbel. The coat of arms with the camel on a blue ground, which is still attached to the house Münsterhof 18 today, also points to the origin of the costuming of the "Kämbelzünfter" as Bedouins (on the occasion of the Sechseläuten), which was already attested at the beginning of this century. After the collapse of the old order in Zurich, the house was sold to the Kämbel in 1801.
In 1956, the Zunft zum Kämbel acquired the house "Zur Haue" (Salzhaue) at the Limmatquai and after 500 years returned to the place where it had its tavern in the middle of the 15th century. The guild hall on the first floor was designed and extended in 1979 by the famous 'Landi' architect Armin Meili. On the initiative of a few Kämbel guilders, a cosy wine tavern was reestablished on the ground floor in 1980. Since then, "d'Haue" has developed into a centre of hearty life.
In addition to its classic cuisine, the Zunfthaus zur Haue also offers seasonal dishes such as game specialties during the autumn season.
As an appetizer, we tasted an avocado-tartar as well as a deer carpaccio with a mushroom-tartar on top. Both dishes were tasty and beautifully arranged which you would not expect from a rustic little restaurant like the Hauestube. We were positively surprised.
As a main course, we had venison ragout with red cabbage, chestnuts and spaetzli as a side dish as well as fried king prawns with fresh herb butter and market vegetables. The venison ragout came as a generous portion, tender and with a tasty sauce. The spaetzli were probably not homemade and slightly dry, but ok in taste. The king prawns were perfectly fried and beautifully glassy. The market vegetables were crunchy and tasted delicious with the herb butter. However, the portion is pretty modest and would rather go as a summer dish.
For dessert, we tried the homemade millefeuille, which is a kind of cream slice and the warm chocolate tartlet with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The millefeuille is a highlight for all those who like it sweet and creamy. The chocolate tartlet is small but nice and comes with a liquid heart.
The Hauestube serves market-fresh, home-style dishes with high-quality products at a reasonable price. Their classic dishes are as convincing as their modern Mediterranean interpretations. The small, homely and warm restaurant invites you to a convivial and cozy dinner on a cold evening. The excellent service contributes significantly to the fact that one feels extremely well as a guest in the Hauestube.
Prices:
Starters: from CHF 9.50 to CHF 33.00
Main courses: from CHF 24.50 to CHF 46.50
Desserts: from CHF 5.00 to CHF 17.50
Address:
Zunfthaus zur Haue
Limmatquai 52
8001 Zürich
Phone: +41 44 252 33 62
E-Mail: restaurant@zunfthaus-zur-haue.ch
Website: www.zunfthaus-zur-haue.ch
