A hidden gem | Tokyo Tapas

The corner around Zwinglistrasse and Kanonengasse in Zurich is known for its high density of Asian restaurants. The selection ranges from Chinese to Thai and even Vietnamese. Some of them are good, some are better and others are just standard everyday Asian food.

Since May of this year, there is now also a Japanese restaurant around this corner, which offers fresh Japanese soulfood in a sharing concept and brings a little Tokyo lifestyle to the neighborhood.

Tokyo Tapas, as the restaurant is called, is by no means new in the business. It was already founded in 2013 and runs a successful take away in the Markthalle at the Viadukt since then. They have recently opened a second location on Zwinglistrasse, where they offer Japanese delicacies right on place with a few seats.

As the name suggests, they mainly serve selected Japanese tapas, salads, noodle soups and typical Japanese main courses. There is also a large selection of Sushi, which is freshly prepared daily. The idea behind this is that you start with Otsumami, which is the often overlooked part of a typical Japanese meal – just share some small snacks with some beer or sake.

We started with a delicious and very fresh salmon avocado tatare with homemade teriyaki-yuzu sauce, a plate of incredibly juicy chicken karaage, which is a Japanese style fried chicken and some gyoza with pork and vegetables. All starters tasted excellent and also the quality and freshness of the ingredients was outstanding.

For the main course, we tried tori-katsu, a japanese style chicken cutlet breaded with flour, egg and japanese panko breadcrumbs served with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce as well as salmon teriyaki with a bowl of sushi rice. Additionally, we ordered two udon noodle soups, one vegetarian and one with spicy tuna. Also the main courses were very convincing and reflected the passion for good and fresh Japanese soulfood, which Tokyo Tapas successfully tries to convey to its guests.

Of course, we also had to try some of their good-looking sushi and went on with Omakase - the chef's choice. Within a very short time we got a wonderful plate with a fresh sushi variation. And it was definitely a good decision – it was one of the best sushi we have eaten in Zurich for a long time.

Tokyo Tapas is a hidden gem. Finest Japanese tapas meet sushi art. The small, warmly designed restaurant invites you to a Japanese feast with friends and makes every aficionado’s heart beat faster. Also take a look at their wide selection of finest sake and be enchanted by the Japanese way of life.

Prices:

Starters: from CHF 6.00 to CHF 18.00

Main dishes: from CHF 15.00 to CHF 35.00

Desserts: from CHF 5.00 to CHF 6.00

Address:

Tokyo Tapas

Zwinglistrasse 3

8004 Zürich

Phone: +41 79 130 12 69

E-Mail: tokyotapaszh@gmail.com

Website: www.tokyo-tapas.ch