Delicious ‘authentic’ Chinese cuisine enjoyable for the European palate: Restaurant Hongxi an der Zwinglistrasse (10. March 2022)
The Hongxi was on my to do list for quite a while – but finally I managed to pay it a visit. And I must say that I was quite positively surprised. Very often, Chinese food in Switzerland isn’t entirely enjoyable but this one was actually great. We went for the “chicken salad Szechuan style (chicken with ginger, garlic and coriander)” (CHF 16.50) as one of the starters which was intense but tasty. Of course, if you combine ginger and garlic, it already makes for a great marinade but the chicken was also good in terms of taste and texture.
The “Xiao Long Bao (steamed dumplings with pork)” (CHF 16.00) were interesting and great at the same time. The pork filling by itself didn’t really do much, but the fact that it was filled with “soup” which would kind of flow out once you had a bite (so, better take the whole thing in one go) made it delicious.
The “Lobster Angle (fried dumplings with lobster and shrimps)” (CHF 24.00) on the other hand were – well, crispy. I mean, not bad, but a bit more crispy than anything else, meaning, there wasn’t much of a flavour experience.
The “fried duck with five spices” (CHF 34.50) on the other hand turned out to be a good dish. The duck was nice, not strainy, not stringy, but actually good meat and an okay sauce. If you added some of the spicy stuff which was located on the table, it made for a perfect bite.
The “fried rice” (CHF 15.50) which we took for one of the side dishes (i.e., we tried to replace one of the regular rices with the fried one) was much bigger than the side dishes. So, I get that they charge extra. But CHF 15.50 for a bowl of (even if it’s) fried rice seems a bit off!
The “stewed pork belly Dongpo style” (CHF 29.50) didn’t look too appealing as it looked really fatty and chewy. Turns out, it was quite the opposite. The pork belly was super tender and delicious. It needs a bit of an effort to take the first bite but once you’ve done that, you immediately realise how tasty it actually is! It was truly delicious!
The place was rather crowded, so as a walk-in you don’t stand a chance of getting a table – booking in advance is, therefore, a must. The service was friendly and helpful – not that attentive though so when we wanted to order more water or when we tried to get the bill it took quite a hile until she realised that we wanted something from her. Other than that, the place is nice and I can definitely recommend it to you so you get a relatively authentic Chinese food experience without it being too authentic for the European palate.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Hongxi an der Zwinglistrasse
Zwinglistrasse 3
8004 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 43 549 20 20
Homepage: https://www.hongxi-restaurants.ch/location-zwinglistrass
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. 
