Good portable food near Zurich HB and Paris Gare du Nord

November 30, 2019 10:55 AM

I'm going on a couple of long railway journeys across Europe soon, and I'd like to buy myself some tasty things for each leg. Getting portable food around stations is easy, but tasty portable food can be harder. I'd like your recs for where to get the good stuff within a few minutes walk of either Zurich HB or Paris Gare du Nord. Baked goods are always a winner, but I'm interested in anything!

(I do know the Zurich-Paris route goes via Gare de Lyon, I'm asking about Gare du Nord as that's where my next leg is starting from)

posted by Vortisaur to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

The only thing I'd go out of the way to eat near Zurich HBf is Hiltl Sihlpost - as you may know Hiltl is a famous Swiss vegetarian restaurant, and the Sihlpost location is deliberately takeout-oriented given its location. (Also, looking at the map, it appears to be at least a quarter mile west of the place marked as "Zurich HB," but that flag is where the local trams stop at the far east of the building; Hiltl is adjacent to a VERY large train station entrance). However if you're not picky, Zurich HBf is a very large, comprehensive Bahnhoff, comparable to something like Munich, with lots and lots of food options within. Finally, if you want some groceries in addition to your prepared food, there's a Coop location just a few doors down from Hiltl which is better than the one in the HBf.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:06 PM on November 30, 2019 [4 favorites]

100% Hitl
posted by sandmanwv at 12:12 PM on November 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

There are several perfectly decent food options including baked goods in the shopping level at Zurich HB. I would literally take a turn around there and pick whatever appeals. But that may be a reflection of being too lazy to lug any luggage around cities unnecessarily.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:15 PM on November 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

The area around Gare du Nord is pretty eh. I’d stay inside. There’s a pretty big shopping mall/area on the lower level. There’s also a Marks & Spencer’s and I know that’s not very French, but their meal options are tasty AF. Just avoid the chains on the main concourse in front of the platforms. Do not be fooled by Paul! It’s overpriced crap.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 2:49 PM on November 30, 2019 [4 favorites]

There’s a pretzel stand in Zurich HB that I remember being good. Brezl Konig or something like that.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:56 PM on November 30, 2019

Zurich: At the bottom of the escalators right by the 'Treffpunkt' and its ginormous clock is a branch of one of the Swiss bakery chains, I can't remember which one unfortunately but it has better baked goods than Migros or Coop. Just across from it is a takeaway meat and sausage joint--what the Swiss tend to eat on trains, for better or worse.

Sometimes there is a "foreign" food market on the Bahnhofstrasse side of the station (through the tunnel, by the water feature), with Turkish/Vietnamese/Italian etc specialties, but I am not sure when it's there, maybe one of the locals will chime in?
posted by ogorki at 6:42 PM on November 30, 2019

I can't tell you off hand how portable their food is, given that I've never gotten my food there to go, but I really loved Muniyandi Vilas when I lived in Paris. Great Sri Lankan food! And they were always fast (and cheap!)
posted by mollywas at 11:36 PM on November 30, 2019

I had the best croissant of my life at Le Parisien, 72 Boulevard Magenta, though it's closer to Gare de l'Est.
posted by all the light we cannot see at 3:17 AM on December 1, 2019