Restaurant zum Alten Warteck

Giving a three star rating cause the place looked nice (very Swiss décor and menu) and the waitstaff pleasant. Recommended by the concierge of the Swiss Hotel around the corner. We were seated in the bar… Bad odor of old smoke and old bar… Totally took my appetite away. I wanted white asparagus… a seasonal item. They did not have, so between the bad smell and having to sit in the bar, we left. PS– concierge told me twice that this place had white asparagus and they did not… Think there is some kind of relationship between the hotel and the restaurant. Not good. Too many other good places listed on Unilocal

went eating there as a group of 4 people for some fondue.
very well priced! if you want to go eat something real quick but without spending lots of money then this is a good place to go to.
the fondue unfortunately was a little bit too watery and the bread a little bit too old. besides that the taste was pretty good!

We were staying across the road and working late at our hotel so we ventured out for dinner. We had a recommendation so stopped at Restaurant zum Alten Warteck. there were 4 of us – two ate Swiss (fondue) and the other 2 ate German (Schnitzel & Spaetzele). We had a home made soup of consommé’ with fresh veggies which was warm and delicious. We liked it so much and worked late again the next night so took our new arrivals and went back. We arrived at 9:30 and were greeted by our waiters like long lost relatives. Some of us had the same meal as the night before (Schnitzel & Spaetzele) which a couple of our colleagues joined us in ordering. Others ordered noodles with ragu and everything was enjoyed fully. There are very reasonable wines by the glass or bottle and the service was attentive. We finally ventured off our block on the 3^rd night but we were very happy at Restaurant zum Alten Warteck.

My last night in Switzerland and a colleague recommends this place as offering traditional German fare. So after some chocolate shopping (more on that later) I catch the #14 tram and head over to Messeplatz. It wasn’t clear what door to go into since they have one on either side on the corner. My advice don’t use the one on Messeplatz unless you like walking in in a the middle of the dining room. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else, but I am sure they were more horrified by my poor attempt to excuse myself in German.
I am shown to a table quickly and order up a house beer. I don’t recall the be of this light concoction but it was rather pleasing. Slight citrus note and not very «hoppy». I don’t drink a lot of beer so I’m certainly no expert, but I do know what I don’t like.
Next a basic green salad. This comes with a ranch like dressing generously spread over top. Four words sum up this salad; dressing good, greens bad. The dressing could best be classified as a lightly seasoned buttermilk ranch. Its got no standout flavors but it adds a creaminess to the salad that’s okie dokie. The greens were bitter and old. I discarded some pieces with brown edges and ate the rest. It never improved. After the two nuissalats I had had this week this was a big letdown.
The main course was the Wienerschnitzel. The veal was nicely done and pounded out paper thin. Fried to a golden brown there was nothing here to note. Textbook Wienerschnitzel. The side of fries was good and plentiful. I got exactly what one expects with a fries side dish. Last item on the plate was a vegetable medley. This consisted of bland carrots, over cooked broccoli with mushy florets, cauliflower (no adjective here since I don’t eat cauliflower, it tastes like soap) and super fantastic string beans. Yes you bread that right, string beans saved the day.
They were nicely blanched and prepared in a butter and garlic sauce. You got only a slight hint of garlic and butter and the actual taste of the beans showed through. The beans had to have been prepared separately. Otherwise there is no explanation for the disparity between them and the rest of the veggies.
You van bet I made sure that my last fork full this night was the beans and the veal. Ending a meal on he right note is so impactful on your mode for the rest of the night.
I can’t say A-​OK since I’ll likely avoid the place like the common cold. But as this place is apparently a standard by the local colleagues, I’m sure I’ll be back at some point. Now I know what to stay away from.