I had my eyes on this bar for a while following their post-holiday reopening updates. They looked like a legit cocktail bar and it turned out to be just right. Minimalist décor, intimate atmosphere and excellent, attentive service elevated no idea bar beyond my expectations.
no idea bar, Dufourstrasse 43, 8008 Zürich
It was still January, so we were celebrating many things. It was one of our anniversaries and Matas’s birthday was just around the corner. I had changed the reservation for no idea bar a few times and by the time we finally came for our reservation, I was oblivious that I mentioned any special occasion at all. We got a prompt reminder with two flutes of champagne on the house though. Very lovely treatment. I could get used to this.
I was clearly on some sort of a weird kick of “I can’t eat pas eight” or something because I do not remember trying this beetroot tartare. Matas said he really liked it. And I have to admit it does look good! I would not mind going back to try some of their other small plate offerings, this beetroot tartare included.
I absolutely loved the interior too! It is kind of an open plan but the wooden partitions divide the floor in a way that creates a beautifully tangible idea of intimacy. Very much so inspired by the Japandi (Japanese and Scandinavian) design, it is both sleek and cozy enough for you to lose yourself for a while.
The menu was fantastic as well, I wanted to drink everything from top to bottom but we ended up having two drinks each and called it a night. Matas’s first cocktail was called “Fig leaves” and it had Ceylon arrack, tonka bean and coconut flower. Very light and refreshing. I had what is called “Clay”, made from oak moss, mezcal and other ingredients and aged in a clay pot for a month. Woody and complex. Absolutely loved our first round of drinks!
The second round consisted of “Poppy”, a light and crisp cocktail consisting of poppy seed liquor, rice tea cordial, pear eau de vie, topped with Manzanilla. Absolutely lovely drink. Matas and I both liked it a lot. I wanted something savoury and got myself “Mushroom”, a whisky drink infused with dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms, toped with a few dashes of black cardamom bitters. Truly outstanding.
Let me just tell you, these drinks were cocktail craftsmanship, mastery and perfection in a glass. I would smash and smash hard again. Also, they all cost a reasonable 20 CHF per drink, so that is an obvious steal!
We had some really good cocktails here. They were imaginative, interesting, unexpected. The cocktails were not trying too hard and yet not falling short of the standard. I can happily stamp my seal of approval for no idea bar. I will be back.