Chez Smith

Where the Bottle Becomes the Point

Zürich's drinking scene has been sorting itself into two broad camps for the better part of a decade: expansive hotel bars anchored by international spirits programs, and smaller, independently operated rooms where wine — not cocktails — drives the entire evening. Chez Smith, on Grubenstrasse 27, sits firmly in the second group, and its 2024 reopening under a reconceived food-and-wine format signalled a clearer commitment to that positioning than the venue had previously held. Where it once traded on premium meat cuts, it now frames the plate as a vehicle for the bottle.

That shift matters because it changes what kind of guest the room is built for. Zürich has no shortage of good restaurants that maintain a serious wine list as a secondary concern. What it has fewer of are venues where the wine program is the primary editorial act, and where the food exists in genuine dialogue with the glass rather than as an independent headliner. Chez Smith's 2024 transformation placed it in that narrower company.

The Weight of Three Rankings

Recognition from Star Wine List is notable not because the platform awards stars broadly, but because its methodology is built around the wine list specifically , depth of selection, range across regions and styles, and the quality of producer access. Chez Smith earned three consecutive Star Wine List rankings in 2025: ranked first, second, and third across separate list categories. That kind of multi-ranking performance within a single awards cycle indicates a wine program operating across multiple registers simultaneously, not a list that excels in one narrow area.

For context, Star Wine List rankings at the top tier in a Swiss city place a venue in direct conversation with some of the more established wine destinations in European drinking culture. Switzerland's wine market is expensive and access-dependent, which makes depth of selection harder to achieve here than in, say, Paris or Copenhagen. A program that earns three rankings in Zürich is doing something structurally different from venues that maintain a competent but undifferentiated list. Chez Smith's affiliation with the Smith & Smith Wine Company is the mechanism that explains this: access to a wine trading and import operation gives the bar program a different pipeline than a standalone restaurant negotiating with distributors.

The Smith & Smith Advantage

Wine bars backed by wine merchants operate on different economics than independent rooms. The connection to Smith & Smith Wine Company means Chez Smith draws from a curated procurement infrastructure rather than assembling its list bottle by bottle from standard wholesale channels. This is how lists develop genuine depth in rarer appellations and older vintages , not through budget, necessarily, but through access and relationship. It also means the team behind the bar is operating with an unusually detailed knowledge of provenance, because they're part of the same organisation that sourced the bottles.

This is a pattern seen in other European wine bar operations that have grown out of merchant or importer roots: the back bar reflects the buying philosophy of the parent company, and guests benefit from a level of curation that standalone venues struggle to replicate at the same price point. Zürich's bar scene, which includes strong cocktail-focused rooms like 169 West and food-integrated venues like Choupette Restaurant & Bar and Gamper Bar & Restaurant, doesn't have many rooms of this particular type. Wine merchant-backed bars remain a small subcategory in the city.

The Food Reframe

The 2024 conceptual shift away from special meat cuts and toward a wine-pairing-led food program reflects a broader movement in European wine bars. The rooms that have earned sustained critical attention over the past five years are increasingly those that treat the kitchen as a support function for the cellar, not a separate department competing for attention. Small plates, producer-specific pairings, and seasonal menus designed to show a wine's range rather than to demonstrate a chef's technique are the format that characterises this approach.

Without confirmed specifics from the current menu, it would be inaccurate to describe individual dishes. What the transformation signals, structurally, is that Chez Smith is now building its food around wine logic rather than protein-centric fine dining logic. The two are different disciplines, and the change is significant enough that returning guests from the pre-2024 iteration should approach the room as a largely new experience.

Zürich in the Wider Swiss Wine Bar Picture

Across Switzerland, wine bar culture is developing at different speeds in different cities. Caaa by Pietro Catalano in Lucerne and Delinat Weinbar in Bern represent distinct regional takes on the format, and international comparisons extend further to rooms like Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, which shows how wine and spirits curation is crossing traditional category lines globally. Within Zürich specifically, the wine-focused room remains less common than the cocktail bar or the full-service restaurant with an attached wine list. Chez Smith and venues like Bar am Wasser occupy a more specialist position in the city's hospitality mix.

That specialist position is precisely why the Star Wine List recognition carries weight here. Zürich is an expensive, competitive city for hospitality, and a venue that carves out a distinctive enough identity to earn multiple awards in a single category has done something that most rooms in the market have not managed.

Planning a Visit

Chez Smith is located at Grubenstrasse 27 in Zürich. Given the 2024 concept relaunch and three Star Wine List rankings in 2025, demand for tables has likely increased relative to the venue's pre-transformation period. Direct contact through current channels is the most reliable way to confirm hours, booking availability, and any reservation requirements, as the venue's operational specifics are not published in EP Club's database at this time. For anyone building a broader Zürich itinerary around wine and dining, the city's full hospitality picture is covered in our full Zürich restaurants guide, our full Zürich bars guide, our full Zürich hotels guide, our full Zürich wineries guide, and our full Zürich experiences guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How would you describe the overall feel of Chez Smith?

Chez Smith operates as a wine-first room in Zürich, affiliated with the Smith & Smith Wine Company and positioned toward guests who are visiting primarily for the bottle selection rather than the kitchen. Its three Star Wine List rankings in 2025 place it in the serious tier of the city's wine venues. The 2024 concept relaunch shifted the food program to complement rather than compete with the wine list, which changes the register of the room relative to its earlier identity as a premium meat-cut restaurant.

What's the leading thing to order at Chez Smith?

Based on the venue's wine-first positioning and its triple Star Wine List recognition in 2025, the wine list itself is where the program performs at the highest documented level. The 2024 food relaunch was designed around wine pairing logic, so the food choices on any given visit will be leading understood in relation to what's being poured. Specific dish recommendations require current menu data, which is not available in EP Club's database.

What's the main draw of Chez Smith?

The wine program, backed by the Smith & Smith Wine Company's procurement infrastructure, is what distinguishes Chez Smith within Zürich's hospitality scene. The three 2025 Star Wine List rankings across separate categories indicate a list with range, not just depth in one area. The 2024 concept transformation reinforced that identity by reorienting the kitchen toward the cellar's priorities. In a city where wine-specialist rooms are relatively rare, that combination is a specific proposition.

Do I need a reservation for Chez Smith?

Following the 2024 reopening and the 2025 Star Wine List recognition, Chez Smith is attracting more attention than it did under its previous format. Phone and website details are not currently listed in EP Club's database, so we recommend searching directly for current contact information to confirm reservation policy and availability before visiting. Walk-in access will depend on the room's current capacity and demand, which has likely increased since the awards were published.