I'm moving to Zurich in a few months and I'm trying to find some cheaper Student venues to go to :P.- cafes/bars etc.
I'm moving there with my bf (who's currently in Germany) and we both love going out for coffee at night and just sitting in cafes- but as I might not have a job straight away and he'll be studying so we won't have much money and might not be able to afford the same lifestyle we had in Germany.
Niederdorf IS an area where there are quite a few charming cafés and restaurants for tourists. But they are NOT cheap.
I have been living here for 4 years and as far as I know, there are no 'student/cheap' cafés in the whole of Zurich. You are moving to the wrong city if you expect to live on a shoestring yet still be able to dine out.
Let me correct myself - each uni or place of study has it's own caféteria where students can eat with a 10-15% discount, upon presentation of a student ID.
You can get an overnight bus to Prague for 100 francs round trip, soak in the culture and drink for pennies, and sleep off your hangover on the ride back (well, if coffee's your thing then you can knock out a couple of Kafka novels)! At least, that's what I would do if I was a poor young non-parent looking for cafe life in Zurich .
BQM at the University zentrum. 6CHF pints and a not bad selection. Plus its not hard on the eye if you know what i mean
Also we went to berta bar on Bertastrasse (tram stop Lochergut) and they also had 6CHF pints and it was a cool little bar. That area has some nice places actually that arent so expensive
Try "da Antoniettta" on hallwylstr. You can google it and I think there are some review as well. Basically it's not expensive (8chf for a large) and very tasty. THere is a large selection of hams, cheeses, toppings, sauces, etc. When I go there with my friends our panini's all taste differrent. I hope you try it!
There is always the scottish restraunt for cheap food ...even so this is quite exspensive when compared with other countries. Or coop sometimes have good snacks, in zurich cont on min 100chf for a meal for two people in a restraunt.
McDonald's new McCafe sections offer decent coffee at a decent price, and the ambience is not all that "oily" as that of the restaurant. There's one in Niederdorf close to the Library.