Café Odeon, on the corner of Limmatquai and Rämistrasse opposite the lake, opened in 1911 as a Viennese-style coffee house and almost immediately became the unofficial salon of pre-war Zurich's exiled intellectuals. Lenin, James Joyce, Tristan Tzara, Stefan Zweig, Mussolini, Einstein and Trotsky are all documented as regulars at different points; a small plaque inside lists some of them.
The marble-topped tables, brass fittings, and large mirrored walls survive from the original interior; the café still serves classic Viennese coffees, Wiener Schnitzel, gulasch, and a long wine list. By day it is unhurried and a good spot for a book or a long conversation; by night it shifts to a slightly louder bar crowd, with cocktails until late. Open until 2 a.m. most nights.