Café Kyso in Giesing: As cozy as the district – Munich

Long before the hype about so-called “specialty coffee” Maksim Dubilej had joined the baristas. That was more than a decade ago, back then in the “Bald Neu” café in Untergiesing. When the store closed its doors for good, Dubilej disappeared from behind the counter, but he couldn’t be snatched away from the coffee machine. Even then it was clear: one day he would open his own café. Twelve years later, this “little dream”, as Dubilej calls it, came true in mid-May with the opening of the “Kyso” café on Tegernseer Landstrasse.

After looking at retail space in other parts of the city, Dubilej, who lives in Giesing himself, realized that opening his café somewhere else was out of the question. Because, as he puts it, he likes it “cozy”. And Dubilej only has this feeling of cosiness in Giesing. This is another reason why the name “Kyso” is a small homage to his district. The Bavarians called the former settlement after its founder.

The café, which Dubilej runs together with his friend and business partner Patrick Schmid, is one of a long list of shops that offer “specialty coffee”. From a purely visual point of view, the “Kyso” doesn’t differ much from the many hip cafés in Munich at first glance: white-tiled counters, deliberately mismatched chairs, monstera plants in the corners, blue ceiling lights that contrast nicely with the orange-colored logo, that’s it emblazoned on the window front.

Dubilej, who originally comes from the fashion industry, knows that – and yet he values ​​that his “Kyso” is not “the nearest hipster store”, but a place that is “real”. And in fact he succeeded: the small café in a former shoe workshop is a wonderfully unpretentious feel-good place, and it’s also photogenic.

What is there and how much does it cost?

If you look for poached eggs or pancakes on the handwritten menu on the wall above the counter, you will look in vain. The “Kyso” is not a breakfast café in the traditional sense. If you not only want to drink a flat white (3.80 euros) or a cold brew (4.30 euros), but also want to eat something small, you will still find what you are looking for: For example, there is a grilled cheese sandwich, with or without kimchi , although you should definitely try the second variant (8 euros/ 9.50 euros). Dubilej and Schmid obtain the fermented cabbage from the Munich start-up “Complete Organics”, for which Dubilej worked. The coffee beans also come from the area: from the “JB Kaffee” roastery based in the Dachau district.

Open detailed view

In addition to the sandwiches, there are changing cakes, for example apple pie or ring cake (each 3.80 euros). They are all baked from purely plant-based ingredients. There are also croissants, pains au chocolat and Franzbrötchen. The latter are now also available vegan. For Dubilej, who offers coffee with oat milk at no extra charge, if something tastes good without egg and butter, it’s also available vegan.

In the “Kyso” the taste is also the top priority when it comes to coffee. That’s why Dubilej opted for a high-quality light roast for its beans, which tastes good but isn’t too fruity, because that doesn’t go down well. When there is time, he is happy to serve something special on request, says Dubilej. But basically he takes it with the coffee as with most other things: just “no chichi”. In addition to coffee, there are only a handful of cold drinks, all from the bottle and without elaborate decoration on the edge of the glass.

Who do you meet here?

The “Kyso” is well located if you want to cycle into the Perlacher Forest. Word of this seems to have got around among cyclists for a long time, because when the weather is nice there is always at least one racing bike in front of the small café, usually a whole entourage.

Otherwise, it’s mainly the neighborhood that bustles about there. Dubilej is proud that mainly people from Giesinger come by for a coffee and a chat. He doesn’t want his café to be an anonymous place where everyone is stuck behind their laptop, headphones in their ears. That’s why there is no WiFi – on purpose.

Cafe KysoTegernseer Landstraße 90, 81539 Munich, opening times: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Note: From August 19 to September 2, 2023, the “Kyso” café will be on summer break.