Kronenhalle in Zurich: The guests range from Richard Strauss to Thomas Mann to Tina Turner

The great Hulda sees you. Her mouth forms a smile that her eyes take in, her gray hair is styled in a bun, her black dress gives her the aura of the great lady she was. And a chandelier is reflected in the window in front of her, but that doesn't bother anyone. Rather, it contributes to the fact that the portrait of the Swiss painter Willy Guggenheim alias Varlin is the ideal center of this place, the point at which the founder, the art and the interior of Zurich's “Kronenhalle” merge into a very unique ensemble.

Anyone who goes there is treating themselves to a visit to one of the rare culinary institutions that defy most trends in the 21st century, but still function, in which a city is true to itself. The “Fischerhafen-Restaurant” in Hamburg comes to mind in German-speaking countries, or the “Spatenhaus” in Munich. In Zurich, Hulda Zumsteg took over the restaurant 100 years ago, and although no one knows what the world will look like in 2124, it is quite possible that you will still be able to order veal slices, fillet goulash, Stroganov and Rösti at this point, using the works of famous people You can admire artists on the walls.

Even 40 years after the founder's death and almost 20 years after the death of her son Gustav, only what corresponds to their spirit happens here. Rämistraße, where the restaurant is located, doesn't look spectacular. To the right of the restaurant there is a dealer in antique clocks, in front of it the tram rattles towards the north bank of Lake Zurich. But if you walk through the front door for the first time, the ambience can be intimidating. The room made of dark wood, which they call the brasserie, is particularly in demand, and Hulda is there watching.

But that alone doesn't explain the fascination. It's the waiters in the white jackets, it's the paintings by Picasso, Chagall, Paul Klee and many others, it's the knowledge that Max Frisch and Friedrich Dürrenmatt staged feuds and reconciliations here, that the Lübeck patrician Thomas Mann was in… felt comfortable in these rooms, that Bertolt Brecht boasted in them, that the composers Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky enjoyed themselves, and that Tina Turner was happy about a bit of privacy.

No matter how famous someone is, the staff and guests have to leave them alone – and no one will be ignorant enough not to sense that there's more to it than just the food. But the menu is already there in front of the visitor on the heavy tablecloth, and the woman in a black uniform with a white apron is already asking in the babble of voices on a Tuesday lunchtime what it should be.

First, a little translation help please. Which German should know straight away that a “Mistkratzerli” is a house chick? The waiter continues unmistakably that the sliced ​​veal fillet with hash browns is the absolute classic, while on the seasonal menu the waitress – she learned her profession here – recommends the avocado with vinaigrette as a starter. That's how it's done. After all, you're not there to eat sashimi, even though that's also listed on the menu.

Now it's time to delve deeper into the story. When Hulda and her husband Gottlieb Zumsteg took over the restaurant, the two of them soon made it a meeting place for Zurich society thanks to the high-quality cuisine. This was also the case during the global economic crisis from 1929, and the restaurant even remained open during the Second World War. Hulda Zumsteg was always working; the restaurant was her life. Her son Gustav became an apprentice at the Zurich silk company Abraham & Co. at the age of 16, quickly rose through the ranks, then moved to Paris.

Once there, he quickly perceived Henri Matisse as a father figure. Marc Chagall called him his boy, the fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga brought him even closer to art, which again promoted contact with designers. Gustav Zumsteg designed fabrics for Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent – in him he recognized someone who was really close to him. These acquaintances also rubbed off on his mother. She loved Parisian couture on her body, probably as a reward for the drudgery in her bar.

Gustav Zumsteg would later say: “I believe that I could have become one of the most important art dealers, because at a certain point I had the absolute trust of great artists. But I avoided dedicating myself to the art trade entirely because I realized I was too shy for it.” So he bought art and filled his apartments with it. When there was no more space there, paintings were moved to the “Kronenhalle”.

However, he had to subsidize the Abraham company, which he had taken over, with millions until it collapsed in 2002. Whatever was last hanging in the restaurant should stay there. This was the will in which Zumsteg bequeathed the restaurant and the works of art to the Hulda and Gustav Zumsteg Foundation. To this day, you can still be very close to the greats of classic modernism in the restaurant; some visitors come primarily for this reason.

The guest from Germany is now working on the avocado. It has a sour taste from the vinaigrette, but what fascinates him most are the diced onions and tomatoes. They have a delicacy that cannot be experienced anywhere else and are precisely cut. No chef will ever receive praise for this – it's all the more classy to have such details in mind.

If you talk to Dominique Nicolas Godat, the 65-year-old manager in a discreet blue suit, he will look serious and then answer how important it is that the guests can expect dishes that always taste the same. The restaurant is not only known in Zurich, but around the globe – without a constant level, an important reason for visiting would no longer be available.

So off to the kitchen! Chef Peter Schärer immediately greets you with a handshake. The 61-year-old stands at the front, where the waiters collect the finished food – a team captain who has seen every move, a guy who conveys to his chefs: No matter how many guests come, at the end we will leave with our backs straight , because everyone up to 500 plates was fine. He doesn't have time today, so his sous chef Philippe Schoch takes over. The 45-year-old once learned his craft here. After stints like the “Suvretta House” in St. Moritz, he returned almost 20 years ago.

It's not about fancy. But if you want to be successful with your kitchen, it's better to interpret the basics brilliantly than to experiment a lot. In the “Kronenhalle” this means: apart from the bread, they make everything themselves, from the stocks to the dough for the desserts. And when someone orders the classic of all classics, they get 170 grams of veal fillet and a portion of Rösti, which is enough for the waiters in the dining room to present them with two full plates of sliced ​​meat. Schoch says he's not one for anything too delicate, but that's not necessary. For this team, culinary art primarily consists of flawless logistics.

But there is, for example, a planted version of the Geschnetzeltes. Without a younger audience, this institution would eventually die. Managing director Godat knows this, which is why he likes to say that a woman came to lunch today with her husband who wanted to celebrate her 30th birthday here.

It's true – if you look around the restaurant, you'll see a lot of seniors, but also younger people. Fine dresses and suits no longer dominate the guests. Zurich is experiencing a dress-down wave and is full of sneakers, polo shirts and jeans.

The “Kronenhalle” recently came under criticism: after more and more guests showed up in flip-flops and shorts, the management took the liberty of pointing out the restaurant’s dress code, which prohibits this. Some visitors interpreted this as patronizing. So the wording was weakened, but the core remained the same. The staff does their best every day to give the works of art dignity, and they can also request that the guests do not appear in a slouchy look.

And a visit to the bar, which has been part of the house since 1965, shows how incredible attention to detail there is in the “Kronenhalle”. There are a few black spots on the far right of the counter, they are from glowing tobacco that accidentally landed there. Why haven't the dots disappeared long ago? The bar manager Christian Heiss looks slightly dreamy when he answers. Gustav Zumsteg liked to smoke at this place, he says; a situation in which his silent seriousness was particularly evident. It would be impossible to have these remnants removed.

Gustav Zumsteg decided two things before his death. Firstly, the restaurant must be financially self-sustaining; it cannot accept financial help from the foundation. The team has obviously achieved this even during the Covid years. Secondly, he decreed: The “Kronenhalle” may never be sold. In this case, luxury chains have, for once, no chance of getting a chance.

Without a doubt, it was a great decision: shaping the fate of the institution to which you dedicated large parts of your life beyond your own end only makes this place even more exclusive. The great Hulda would certainly have liked to see that.