Nihao, Oerlikon’s Buffet-First Asian Dining Room

What it is

Nihao is a contemporary Chinese-Asian restaurant in Zurich’s Oerlikon district, set on a busy urban street rather than in a scenic or historic quarter. The focus is on food service: a buffet-led format, with an evening gourmet buffet and one à la carte specialty per person. It is the kind of place people choose for a reliable meal, not for spectacle. The setting is medium-scale and functional, with indoor dining doing most of the work and a terrace available when the weather cooperates.

How the visit feels

The experience is direct and unhurried. You arrive, take a table, and move between the buffet and your seat at your own pace. The atmosphere is relaxed, with enough room for families, couples, colleagues, and solo diners to settle in without fuss. Tea and wine are part of the rhythm, and the meal tends to stretch out naturally rather than feel rushed. In practice, Nihao works well for a lunch break, an early dinner, or a longer evening meal after work.

Why travellers come here

Travellers come for an uncomplicated Asian meal in a part of Zurich that is easy to reach by public transport. Oerlikon is a practical northern district, and Nihao fits that character: dependable, informal, and suited to everyday dining. The buffet format gives it broad appeal, especially for groups with mixed appetites or for visitors who want variety without ordering a full sequence of dishes. The family-run identity adds a local, personal tone, but this remains a neighbourhood restaurant rather than a heritage address.

Setting and practical expectations

The restaurant sits in an urban streetscape with limited visual drama, so the main draw is the dining room itself. Weather matters mainly if you want the terrace; otherwise the core experience is indoors and works year-round. Expect the busiest periods around lunch and dinner, especially on weekends and after work. Public transport is the sensible way to arrive, with a short onward walk from the Oerlikon area. For most visitors, the stay is brief to moderate: long enough for a full meal, a drink, and a relaxed pause, but not a place that usually becomes an all-evening outing.