Asian Grocery Stores in Zurich, Part 3: Chiang Mai Thai and Sala Thai

The next two stores on my list (see Part 1 and Part 2) are still fairly close to the train station, and focus more on Thai cuisine and ingredients.



Chiang Mai Thai
Josefstrasse 13
8001 Zurich
044 271 82 52
Mo 10:30-18:30 | Tu-Fr 10:30-19 | Sa 9:30-16



It doesn't look like much from the outside, but this would be my first stop for ingredients to make Thai Tapioca Pearl Dumplings from Andrea's book.  Only a few minutes' walk from the train station, this store isn't much bigger than the HB Asia Store, but it's nicely laid out and also has a food counter serving hot lunch every day.  You can either do take-away or enjoy your food at one of the wooden block tables scattered around (bottom right).



In addition to two aisles of dry goods, there is also a well-labeled produce refrigerator, and a couple small freezers.  Besides groceries and hot food, they also sell various souvenirs and decorative items from Thailand.  The staff are very friendly and happy to help, and if you can't find what you're looking for, they also take special requests and orders.





If you're at Chiang Mai and have a few extra minutes, stop in at the store on the opposite corner full of beautiful dishes, glassware, furniture, and other knick knacks.  I bought a gorgeous pedestal glass cake plate there, an item you don't see often in Switzerland.  The owner seems a little eccentric, though - when I asked her if I could take a few pictures, she declined.  Then I asked for a card with the store's information. She gave me one, but quickly pointed out that the address, name, and phone number on the card were all incorrect and still from her previous flower store down the road - and she hasn't gotten around to making updated ones yet.  Furthermore, she is still trying to decide on a name for this shop (though it didn't seem so new), and has no website.  Even mentioning the internet made her scrunch up her nose in distaste. I've never met a shop owner so averse to publicity and seemingly ignorant of advertising. Nonetheless, she has great taste in pretty things, and it's worth popping your head in for a browse after picking up your galangal and banana leaves across the road.


Also worth mentioning: a few steps up the road are some other ethnic stores that may be of interest:  El Maiz (Josefstrasse 23) carries Mexican imports including fresh homemade tortillas, and EGE Imports (Josefstrasse 53) is a sizeable, predominantly Turkish grocery store with many aisles of dry goods (you can find pomegranate molasses here), and deli counters selling halal meat, fresh cheeses, and homemade baklava.


Sala Thai
Zwinglistrasse 32
8004 Zurich
044 291 60 08



It's a good ten minute walk from the nearest tram stop (Sihlpost) to get to this tiny, cramped store in a nondescript neighborhood southwest of the main station.  I got a very "What are you doing here, blond girl?" look from the man behind the cash register when I walked in.  With only two short aisles and two refrigerators against the walls, browsing through their selection only took a few minutes.  Many of their ingredients and even fresh items are very similar to what can be found at Chiang Mai Thai, with a couple exceptions.  The row of 15 different fresh homemade curry pastes lined up in their plastic pots impressed me, as did a choice of fresh snacks and little dessert bites (which I got the impression are not always there). They also carry imported Thai magazines, music, and beauty products. The store was so small that I wasn't really able to get a representative and well-lit picture inside. 

The same people who own the store run a restaurant of the same name a few blocks down. There's also another restaurant in Männedorf, and two more grocery stores in Winterthur and Frauenfeld (see website for more details).

Go to Part 4: Aggarwal Indian Food and New Asia Market