Kolosseumstraße in the Glockenbachviertel is a short, inconspicuous side street. Its activity on Saturdays is all the more astonishing, when it attracts two different groups of connoisseurs: music nerds cavort at the lower end of the street in the record shop, coffee nerds stand in line at the corner of Müllerstraße at “Man vs. Machine”. Since 2014, when the operators Marco and Cornelia Mehrwald opened the independent roastery and café, this queue has been getting longer from weekend to weekend.
The focus should be solely on the coffee. The operators keep a low profile, the face of the brand is the crocodile head, a black and white drawing by the New York artist Jon Contino. His illustrations can be seen everywhere in the store, on coffee bags, shirts, mugs and thermos flasks, even the in-house chocolate “Bean vs. Bean” – cocoa bean meets coffee bean – is adorned with the crocodile. “Man vs. Machine” now has three branches, the youngest in Berlin, the second Munich branch on Schellingstrasse at the university, and the café and roastery in Glockenbach, where it all began.
The coffee roasting machine was not always in the separate roastery next door, but initially in the café on the back level, where there is now space for a few extra tables. In front of it is a sales area with coffee accessories, merchandise and the in-house roasts (between 30 and 50 euros per kilo depending on the roast). In the front area of the shop, the seating groups of two rows of windows with a view of Müllerstrasse and Kolosseumstrasse frame a wide sales counter. Green plants on the shelves, 90s hip-hop in the facility and soft pistachio green on the walls complemented by Contino’s drawings create an urban-relaxed atmosphere.
The focus on coffee also means that food becomes a side issue. Nevertheless, only the hearty go hungry here. For those with a sweet tooth, there are Franzbrötchen (2.60 euros), vegan banana bread toasted on request (3.50 euros), matcha marble cake (almost five euros) and other pastries to complement coffee. No highlights, in contrast to the coffee specialties, which are as versatile as they are tasty.
For those with a sweet tooth, there are Franzbrötchen with the cappuccino.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The roastery has been in the Glockenbachviertel since 2014. This line of customers gets longer every weekend.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The creamy, mildly nutty cappuccino (3.60 euros) is prepared with the “Sure Shot” roast, which “Man vs. Machine” roasts lighter than is usual with classic Italian coffee. Those who prefer fruitier notes can choose the “Super Natural” roast for espresso (EUR 2.50) and flat white (EUR 4.10) or try the fruity-tart Cascara tea (EUR 4.30), a tea rich in caffeine the pulp of the coffee cherry, which “Man vs. Machine” has recently added to its range.
For filter lovers there is a cup of filter coffee for just under three euros or the siphon still for two people (almost ten euros), where the preparation alone becomes an attraction. In general, the baristas give you good advice on roasting and preparation and you get your favorite roast with the ideal degree of grinding to take home with you, man and machine in symbiosis.
Man vs MachineMüllerstraße 23, 80469 Munich, opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.