Folker W.
Yelp
Zurich is a small town. And it doesn't have a skyline. Wouldn't even have one if they had built all of the highrises (couldn't call them skyscrapers) all next to each other. So - why have a panorama bar? Easy. Because you actually do have a panorama! If it isn't foggy or hazy, you can see the horizon, and not some banker slaving over a spreadsheet in the building right across the urban canyon.
Zurich is a small town. And the Jules Verne is a small bar. You walk in, and look for an empty table, and before you know it, you're stepping out of the bar already. Is that a problem? Well, sure, if the place is full and you want to impress your guests with that really nice panorama. But that's sort of a genre defining problem. You enter one of them, and you will always find the tables at the windows occupied. The Jules Verne actually benefits from its small size. It's nice and cozy, you don't have that observation deck kind of atmosphere, and it doesn't feel like a hotel bar like they often do.
Zurich is a small town. With lots of money. And yes, the Jules Verne does attract some of that money, and sometimes a little bit of that tacky new money. But hey, that's true for every halfway cool place on this planet. It's not a place to spend the whole evening anyway, so focus on your date, the view, and your drink. They deserve it.
Zurich is a small town. And the prices are high. To get a well mixed drink, you will always have to dig a little deeper. The Jules Verne obviously is not an exception. But if you had a problem with that, you'd probably not be in Zurich anyway. The price isn't what's important, it's what you get for it. The Jules Verne crew clearly know what they are doing. One example: you ask for a Gin and Tonic. First of all, you can't choose a crappy gin, they only carry good stuff. And if you ask what they have, they might offer you a g&t mixed with Hendricks, adding a slice of cucumber and a dash of black pepper. Try it. The drinks menu is quite small, but you get just about anything anyway. I ordered a White Russian - no problem whatsoever, and it was perfect.
Zurich is a small town. But the ratio of population versus entertainment offered is better than in any other city on the planet. They have a lot of really nice places, and this is one of them. You can even visit the observatory one floor above the bar. It's beautiful, and you can climb up to it and take a look at a distant planet. Or two, if you've had too much to drink already.