There are two reasons why the line in front of Café Morso often extends to Elisabethstrasse: the coffee and the cornetti. The second Morso bar opened a year ago – and it’s already as popular as the one on Nordendstrasse in Maxvorstadt.
The coffee is roasted especially for the two cafés in Switzerland. The taste: strong, but not bitter at all. The fan base in Munich is large. Orders are placed every minute, often to go or with oat milk. The fresh breakfast croissants pile up on the counter, the cornetti are filled with chocolate, vanilla cream, apricot jam or pistachio mousse, which tastes quite original. They are usually still lukewarm and wonderfully relaxed.
The small corner restaurant is simple, but deliberately furnished in the sixties style. The ceilings are high, the window fronts are large. On the shelves there are coffee packs with the Morso logo, on the tables there are vases with colorful flowers. There are large-format magazines on display that not every tobacco shop has. The guests sit on bar stools by the window front or on the narrow red leather bench. Outside there are no tavern sets, but small round tables and chic black chairs.
Orders are placed at the counter and payment is made there, whether it’s a take-away coffee or an espresso with cornetto to sit down on.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The Morso is in the heart of Schwabing. The apartment in which the cult series Monaco Franze was filmed is just around the corner (Agnesstraße 16). The house in which popular actor Walter Sedlmayr was murdered in 1990 is right next door (Elisabethstrasse 5). Rainer Langhans, Klaus Lemke or Doris Dörrie occasionally stop by in the area, and here a lot still reminds of legendary, bygone times.
In the Morso, the new Schwabing is the main feature. Students getting a hot drink to go before they start studying. Men in their early 30s sitting at the table with large leather bags, blouson jackets and opened laptops and sipping an espresso. Women who set off with their trolley suitcase after the last bite of the vegan cornetto. Cargo bikes roar past, SUVs are parked on the street. The Morso is more than a café, it meets an attitude towards life. The third Morso branch is due to open in winter – this time in Kellerstrasse in Haidhausen.
In Café Morso a cappuccino costs 3.20 euros, a double espresso 3.60 euros.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
What is there and what does it cost?
Almost all guests order cornetti (2.40 euros). That’s because there isn’t much else on the menu, but also because they taste just wonderful. The selection of croissants is large, there are even three different vegan varieties made from wholemeal flour, one of which is particularly unusual: colored black with activated charcoal, filled with raspberry and elderberry.
A cappuccino costs 3.20 euros, a double espresso 3.60 euros, everyone pays the price here without complaint, even for a to-go mug. Also on offer are: freshly squeezed juices (4.90 euros) or panini – for example with beetroot (4.90 euros). However, guests should not order too much, as there is little space on the small tables.
Who goes there and how much time do you have to bring along?
Many guests come by alone on their way to work. Orders are placed at the counter and payment is made there, whether it’s a take-away coffee or an espresso with cornetto to sit down on. Like in an Italian bar. Nobody has much time, not even the waitresses: because of the queue in front of the door. You should arrange to meet somewhere else for large, extensive breakfasts. There isn’t even a toilet. If you have to, you can pick up a key at the counter and go over to the building next door.
Morso Café, Elisabethstraße 7, 80796 Munich, opening times: daily 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 8 a.m. The second Café Morso has a similar offer and can be found at Nordendstraße 17, 80799 Munich. Website: facebook.com/MorsoCafe