Europaallee is Zürich’s newest neighborhood, located just beyond the main train station and dominated by restaurants embracing new dining trends and global palates. For anybody who has not been in Zürich in a while, the revamped neighborhood will be unrecognizable — in a good way, and flashier than what you may be familiar with. However, if you are familiar with Carlton, the sophisticated, old-school brasserie created by Markus and Daniela Segmüller (the flagship of their family of restaurants), you will feel right at home at Loft 5, the Segmüllers’ latest venue.

While the original Carlton can’t be beat for flawless continental cuisine, semi-formal happy hour gatherings and distinguished business meals, Loft 5 is a good option for a more informal gathering or mixed multigenerational groups given its hip new wave setting. Each room, as conceived by Liechtenstein interior designer Günther Thöny plays off elements used in feng shui (fire, earth, wood, iron and water), and can be selected based on the occasion, time of day, the crowd you’re entertaining or the fact you’re just hanging out with friends but crave casual fare with fun international twists or modern updates. Better still, there are many vegetarian and vegan options, which makes Loft 5 a solid go-to spot when in Zürich.

The eclectic five-room/five-ambiance concept is right in line with an aesthetic targeted at millennials. However, Loft 5 shares with its parent restaurant careful, witty attention to details in the bar and kitchen. This transforms some of the better comfort food dishes and solid craft cocktails into conversation starters. With the exception of the splurge-y Tomahawk steak offering (reminiscent of what you’ll find at the original Carlton) and popular burger (the restaurant’s big draw with the locals), Chef Philipp Heering and his kitchen team clearly have fun transforming seemingly seasonal and basic dishes into something more elevated and fun.

Case in point is the signature BBQ Short Ribs, a European take on an American idea. The meat is cooked on the bone for hours to attain a buttery texture, which in turn is complemented with crispy fries and fresh, Asian-inspired cucumber salad. Other standouts include a coconut curry soup (when available), pickled Swiss salmon (adorned with Swiss Turicum Gin, beetroot carpaccio, mustard sorbet and egg yolk cream), and various expressions of beef tartare (a Swiss institution). The bar’s “pub grub” menu is also a charming pastiche of European and North American flavors, and includes currywurst, chicken wings and Caesar salad (updated with Swiss chicken breast “pancetta”). Among the cocktails, the 1786 (a bourbon concoction with lemon juice, cherry syrup and Antika Formula bitters) and The Smash (with Henkes Gin, ginger beer and raspberry puree) are flavorful and as colorful as the décor.

Loft Five

Europaallee 15, 8004
Zürich, Switzerland
tel 41 44 755 50 50