It isn’t often that someone recommends that I visit a store as one of the first spots I should see when visiting a new city. But that is exactly what happened when I travelled to Zurich and I am glad they did. The store is family owned Schwarzenback which has been selling its goods for the past 100 years. The store has an amazing selection of, well, everything. There are spices, coffee, dried fruits, it feels like an old fashion pharmacy but filled with delicious snacks instead, all available to buy by weight. If you look to the left when you walk through the door there is a selection of bean to bar chocolates from around the world, a few I have tried before but several ones I had never heard of before.
Next door is the Teecafe where, I had heard, they sell single origin hot chocolates. When I asked I was only offered one hot chocolate, a beautiful dark chocolate topped with a very generous amount of chocolate milk foam. I took a seat at one of their small green tables on the cobblestone road. I know this road well. Last night I dragged my suitcase back and forth past this café in search of my hotel. I’m in a much happier mood now than I was then and able to admire the beauty of this street much more than then. The store and café are in the Niederdorf quarter, more specifically on Niederdorfstrasse. The whole street, from one end to the other, is worth spending some time on. There are interesting stores, restaurants, cafes. It is a pedestrian street just a block away from the river but on the opposite side to where most tourists seem to stay. I stayed in a hotel in this side and loved the atmosphere in the evening and early in the morning you get the whole neighbourhood to yourself.
Verdict: Great little spot to take in the magic of and the store is a must see. The café is also known for their cheesecake. Schwarzenbach Teecafe, Munstergasse 17, Zurich, Switzerland
