What is the best restaurant in a European zoo?

OkapiJohn

OkapiJohn

Well-Known Member
From your own experiences, which zoo restaurant you have eaten in that was the best so far? I have not eaten in all the restaurants of every single zoo I have visited, but I often enjoy stopping for one to two hours and having a nice meal.

I would say that "traditional" restaurants are becoming rare in zoos. It is understandable. Self-service and simpler menus make it easier to feed the huge flow of hungry visitors and cut costs. Fortunately, the quality of the catering services in zoos does not reflect on the quality of the zoo itself.

Taking into consideration the quality of the food and the ambience, which one(s) was more remarkable to you?

My top:
  1. Kaiser Pavillion - Vienna Zoo
  2. Kiwara-Lodge - Leipzig Zoo
  3. Mar de Palha - Oceanário Lisboa
  4. Simba Self - Parco Natura Viva
  5. Zoo Restaurant - Basel Zoo
I value: the offer of local gastronomy, the variety of options, the quality of the food and that of the cooking, and the space/environment of the sitting areas.
 
OkapiJohn said:
From your own experiences, which zoo restaurant you have eaten in that was the best so far? I have not eaten in all the restaurants of every single zoo I have visited, but I often enjoy stopping for one to two hours and having a nice meal.

I would say that "traditional" restaurants are becoming rare in zoos. It is understandable. Self-service and simpler menus make it easier to feed the huge flow of hungry visitors and cut costs. Fortunately, the quality of the catering services in zoos does not reflect on the quality of the zoo itself.

Taking into consideration the quality of the food and the ambience, which one(s) was more remarkable to you?

My top:
  1. Kaiser Pavillion - Vienna Zoo
  2. Kiwara-Lodge - Leipzig Zoo
  3. Mar de Palha - Oceanário Lisboa
  4. Simba Self - Parco Natura Viva
  5. Zoo Restaurant - Basel Zoo
I value: the offer of local gastronomy, the variety of options, the quality of the food and that of the cooking, and the space/environment of the sitting areas.
Click to expand...

The Oakfield at Chester Zoo has to be first place for me.
 
In terms of quality of food and views, Hagenbeck’s Flamingo Restaurant was very high quality. In terms of price, however, less so.
 
Basel and Zurich both have great restaurant facilities. I was delighted with excellent halibut and chips at Wrocław, hundreds of miles from the sea
 
OkapiJohn said:
  • Kaiser Pavillion - Vienna Zoo
Click to expand...

Agreed on this, had a few other memorable meals at zoos but this one stands out - in fact the closest was possibly the restaurant (also accessible from outside the zoo grounds) in the farmyard area of the same zoo...

When it comes to views, Walsrode's springs to mind - despite the meal itself being on the pricy side it was probably the most 'pleasant' culinary experience in a zoo that I've had.
 
Food is always subjective and it depends on what you expect from a zoo restaurant. My pick would be the gastronomy in Hannover, particulary the Yukon Market Hall, but also Hoflokal offers good quality in a matching setting.
 
The best meals I've had at zoos in the last couple of years have been at the Grand Café Flamingo at Zoo Antwerpen and at the Rosencafé at Weltvogelpark Walsrode.

I have also had very good breakfasts and dinners at Pairi Daiza, however those were in their resort restaurants rather than their restaurants for day visitors.
 
I ate very well in Doué-la-Fontaine, in the restaurant facing the zebras/giraffes exhibit. They had quite a few options of both african and islander meals which was refreshing given how boring the options usually are in zoos.
 
My favourite one is for sure the thai restaurant, next to the Kaeng Krachan complex in Zürich. There are meat and vegetarian options, which are all very tasty.
 
On my last trip through Switzerland and Austria, I really liked the main restaurant in Basel.

And at Schönbrunn's Tirolerhof, I ate a delicious chocolate cake in the little shop aka coffee house on the ground floor. Which, by the way, had a fantastic selection of cakes and biscuits. And any place that chooses not to serve its coffee in a cardboard cup deserves kudos anyway.
 
I generally like restaurants in German-speaking and Czech zoos, because these countries have the tradition of serving filling meals at affordable prices.

Actually at least one major zoo (don't remember which) started as a restaurant with a collection of animals to attract customers.
 
Philipine eagle said:
On my last trip through Switzerland and Austria, I really liked the main restaurant in Basel.

And at Schönbrunn's Tirolerhof, I ate a delicious chocolate cake in the little shop aka coffee house on the ground floor. Which, by the way, had a fantastic selection of cakes and biscuits. And any place that chooses not to serve its coffee in a cardboard cup deserves kudos anyway.
Click to expand...
Coffee, cake and biscuits, what's not to love
 
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