One of my favorite spots to hang out in Zurich.
I like good cocktail bars where the staff know what they're doing. This is the case at Safari Bar. (I might add: There are not a whole lot of such places in Zurich, unfortunately. Another one is Barfly'z.) To my knowledge, every staff member gets properly trained, and this is why you are most likely going to enjoy every drink they put in front of you. (Provided you ordered it yourself according to your taste.) When I get there early I usually go for a cider. They have Strongbow, which is a strong point for Safari Bar. Later on I might continue with a White Russian. The staff is nice, attentive and easy going. A small anecdote: when I asked one of the bartenders on my last birthday to surprise us with whatever shot she'd seem fit she first hesitated. I then recommended to mix something with Jagermeister in it (not that I'd particularly like it, I just thought this might be fun); that did not really raise her confidence though ;-) But she mixed something, the shot was great and she was happy. So staff is open to trying new stuff, which is not necessarily the case in other bars.
So much about the drinks. What I like most about this place is the atmosphere owed to the style of the bar, the staff and the people in it. Of course it's also conveniently located in the city centre. Safari Bar attracts a thoroughly mixed crowd - students, professionals, singles, groups, 2x to 6x year olds. Since the law has changed smoking is only allowed outside, which is the case in most bars in Zurich (some have "fumoirs"). You need to know that this place can get quite crowded, partly owed due to the fact that it's rather small and partly owed to its great ambience. The funny thing is that my best friend and I have a motto: "There's always going to be place for us at Safari Bar." And you know what? There always IS a place for us to sit down, even if it's the last two chairs available. By the way it's no problem to sit at a table which is already occupied by other people - as said, everybody in there is pretty relaxed. They play mostly rock music, pretty loud approaching the late hours. Don't ask me when this place shuts down because by that time I have usually moved on to another place.
So Safari for me is a place to either start out at on any night or hang out if I want to just hang and have a chat with friends.
PS1: I couldn't tell for sure because I never went there alone but I think you will not get hit on here.
PS2: Try one of their house specialty drinks. The last one I had was "Dirty Disco" - worth the try!
PS3: Celine who runs the bar runs another place in Winterthur called "Sahara Bar". You might want to try this one out, too. I've been there only once, but it's nice and it seems at least part of the staff is the same as in Zurich (and most of them have been around for years).
You'll like it. read more
