Zurich has a livelier bar scene than its buttoned-up reputation suggests. The Niederdorf, the narrow-laned old quarter on the east bank of the Limmat, carries most of the pubs and student bars. Zurich-West, the former industrial district around the Hardbrücke, is where the warehouse clubs and design bars ended up: Frau Gerolds Garten, Freitag's container-tower shop, and the Viadukt arches are all worth a wander. For coffee, the long-established patisseries like Sprüngli on Paradeplatz and Confiserie Schober in the old town do the classic Zurich version; the newer wave of specialty roasters is concentrated around Kreis 4 and 5.
Drinks in Zurich are expensive. A beer in a standard pub runs 8–10 francs; a cocktail in a nicer bar, 18–25.