Half-empty restaurant with a good COVID-19 concept: Restaurant Aura (27. May 2020)
Even two weeks after the lock-down had been lifted, restaurants are still half empty, if at all. The Aura has set the tables far apart to ensure the compliance with the distance requirements. And you would expect the place to be entirely full, given there are only few spaces but quite the opposite is true and only about 20% of all tables were occupied.
They have a nice lunch offering where you can pick between a soup of the day and the “starter variation” (CHF 11.00) which consisted today of tuna and beef cubes served with a croquette. It was actually very flavorful and aromatic, so definitely enjoyable.
Even better was the main course, an “entrecôte with bean-radish-salad and fried potatoes” (CHF 36.00). It looked a bit small at first plus not really like I had it expected to look but it turned out to be exquisite. The meat was rich and juicy but had a nice ‘grill crust’. The combination of vegetables together with the sauce they were served in made it an incredible combination of flavor intensity – it was truly mouth-watering.
The “sourcream and citrus” (CHF 4.50 per scoop) was a lovely ending to a great lunch. Not only because they tasted great but also because it was a generous portion refined with some fresh fruits.
The Aura offers a purely digital lunch menu in case you don’t want to touch the menu, so you can just use your phone camera to scan the QR code which then loads a PDF which is basically the same as the printed out menu you are getting. The waitresses were super friendly and generally quite attentive and made sure that our stay at the restaurant was a pleasant one.
Prices for beverages remain at Zurich levels (e.g. CHF 8.00 for a double espresso and CHF 10.00 for 1 litre of sparkling water) like before the COVID-19 crisis. The Aura has setup a concept which makes it worth visiting again with the new distance requirements and offers great food. I do generally wonder though how restaurants are supposed to survive with all these restrictions in place. Side note: In order to have lunch, you should book your table in advance.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Aura
Bleicherweg 5
8001 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 44 448 11 44
E-Mail: welcome@aura-zurich.ch
Homepage: http://www.aura-zurich.ch
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
