The longer one deals with the coffee house, the less one knows where one can still find one today. Because the literal, lowest common denominator, house with coffee, hardly distinguishes the coffee house from the modern café or restaurant. Rather, size and, above all, sociability play a decisive role here, which does not necessarily mean company at your own table.
Thanks to the abundance of space in the coffee house, you can linger wonderfully without time or sales pressure, be it chatting, reading the newspaper, relocating your home office or watching people, which is said to have been the basis for Helge Schneider’s “Eduscho study”. The following selection will come more or less close to the prototype coffee house, but they all invite you to warm up behind a fogged-up window pane, especially on cold days, with a steaming cup of coffee, of course.
The musical: Café at Beethovenplatz
There is piano music every day in the café on Beethovenplatz.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
What else could a coffee house called “Café am Beethovenplatz” be than a traditional music café. The stately property at Goethestraße 51 was completed in 1899, and even then the ground floor was used for gastronomy. Almost 70 years later, the house was given the name “Mariandl”, which the hotel on the first floor still bears today. Today’s operators also keep the concert tradition from back then alive. Every evening, pianist Toni creates an ambience that invites you to taste the lavish wine list. You have time for this until 1 a.m., the kitchen closes at 10 p.m.
Not only in terms of music, the café on Beethovenplatz is close to the classic coffee house, in general it is very “Wiener” there. Specialties from the coffee menu (“From the coffee shop” – go love it!) range from the small black one to the large brown one and are served in proper style on a silver platter with a glass of water. Not to mention the three chandeliers above the mahogany bar with hotel reception function. During the day, the piano at the entrance serves as a newspaper rack, except on Sundays, when Toni is already playing for brunch.
Café at Beethovenplatz, Goethestr. 51, phone 089 5529100, daily 10am-1am
The classic: Café Luitpold
The heart of Café Luitpold is the palm garden in the inner courtyard.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The Café Luitpold at Brienner Straße 11 is one of the oldest coffee houses in Munich, it was opened in 1888. It soon became a focal point of social life. Erich Mühsam, Ernst Toller and Oskar Maria Graf come here, as does Adolf Hitler. Later, the coffee house even became a popular meeting place for the Nazis, with SA and SS coming and going. After the war, Café Luitpold flourished again with the large premiere cinema that moved into the Luitpold block.
After that it slowly goes downhill. In 2009, however, the turnaround came. Master baker and business administration graduate Stephan Meier leases the café and remodels it. He wants to go back to old times. “We’re one of the last cafés in town with our own pastry shop and real kitchen,” he says, “I just love the classic coffee house.”
The heart of the café is the palm garden in the inner courtyard, there are always readings, concerts and events in the best coffee house tradition, and a small museum of its own reminds of the history of the house.
Café Luitpold, Brienner Str. 11, phone 089 2428750, Mon 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tue-Sat 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
The roaster: Vits
These coffee beans in Vits come from Ethiopia.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
When Alexander Vits remembers his beginnings, he can only shake his head: “At the time I thought I knew a lot about coffee – I was wrong.” He also says that coffee is like wine: if you start dealing with it, you embark on a journey that never ends. Pure coincidence gave him the idea of starting his own roastery. At the time he was working as a management consultant and dreamed of starting his own company. When he went to Barcelona with a friend and came across the world-famous “El Magnífico” roastery while strolling through the city, both men were blown away. Because something like that, they thought, was still missing in Munich.
Vits was the one who pulled the plan off, while his friend opted out in the end. In the beginning, he says, it was much more difficult than expected. But his roastery and café have long since established themselves on Rumfordstrasse. As in most companies of this type, founder Vits relies on the sale of accessories for the correct preparation of the drink.
Vit’s coffee, Rumfordstr. 49, phone 089 23709820, Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m
The biggest: Dallmayr
Dallmayr is one of the largest delicatessens in Europe.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Thanks to television advertising, the whole country knows: In the parent company of Dallmayr, the purveyor to the royal Bavarian court at Dienerstrasse 14-15, friendly young ladies in white aprons are still bottling coffee beans individually for the customer. Although Dallmayr, one of the largest delicatessen shops in Europe, has existed since 1700, what looks like it’s from the 19th century on television is actually much younger.
Because Dallmayr did not enter the coffee business until 1933. The Bremen coffee merchant Konrad Werner Wille came to Munich at the time and set up the special department for coffee. From then on, trading developed into one of the most important lines of business for Dallmayr. The Dallmayr Group has an annual turnover of over 900 million euros, more than half of which is attributable to the “Coffee & Tea” division.
In the in-house roasting plants at the locations in Munich, Berlin, Braunschweig, Bremen and Dortmund, more than 80,000 tons of roasted coffee are produced every year. There is a bit of it in the main store, and 2.8 million visitors want to see it every year.
Café-Bistro Dallmayr, Dienerstr. 2-3 p.m., phone 089 21350, Mon-Sat 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m
The time machine: Café Colonial
Coffee house with history: the Café Colonial.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
The Café Colonial at Donnersbergerstraße 39 is steeped in history. Operator Thomas Leeb is an expert in the field of coffee and coffee house culture. When he wanted to open his “Frundsberg” pub during the day 30 years ago, his search for good coffee began. To this day, as a restaurateur, roaster, author and collector of over a thousand coffee machines, he continues to delve deeper into the subject.
He opened the Colonial ten years ago, almost a hybrid of coffee house and museum. A wide variety of coffee-making equipment adorns the guest room, while changing exhibitions with original retro advertising posters line the walls. In addition to coffee specialties from mocha to melange, Leeb offers home-baked cakes and sandwiches, but in the spirit of the original coffee house does without kitchen, evening business and alcohol sales.
Not without risk, after all, the discrepancy between the abundance of square meters and the lack of sales was the downfall of the coffee house culture, according to Leeb. He still believes in these places of meeting and exchange. Therefore, the name Colonial and the sometimes exotic elements of the interior are less a provocation than an invitation to discourse. Politicizing is part and parcel of the historic coffee house.
Café Colonial, Donnersbergerstr. 39, phone 089 20060566, Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat/Sun/holidays 9 a.m.-5 p.m
The Cult Grantler: Ruffini
Simple but popular: Café Ruffini in Neuhausen.
(Photo: Anja Stemmer)
Don’t expect exuberant hospitality at Café Ruffini in Neuhausen. That could be because the long-established quarter magnet no longer has anything to prove to anyone. But similar to the gruff grumbler next door, the charm here lies in the unpretentious, authentic overall appearance. White walls, little decoration other than black and white photographs, an open space plus a plain counter area.
But the Ruffini doesn’t lose any of its cosiness; his restraint leaves nothing to be desired, but suggests a selected range. The daily menu written on slate with meat from organic farms, fish from the Isar valley and seasonal vegetarian dishes is refreshingly calm and of high quality. In the adjoining shop, the Italian wines are self-imported, and the cakes and tarts are from our own confectionery. There is also a cultural program of concerts, readings, exhibitions and wine tasting.
Ruffini, Orffstr. 22-24, phone 089/161160, Tue-Sun 10-24
The quirky: shop café Marais
Skilfully staged nostalgia reigns supreme in the Café Marais.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
The Café Marais is probably the least likely to pass as a classic coffee house. However, the self-titled “Shop Cafe” on the corner of Parkstrasse and Schwanthalerstrasse is generally difficult to pigeonhole. The opening hours until 6 p.m. suggest a daytime café, the Francophilia a brasserie, the assortment a junk shop. But all-day activity and skilfully staged nostalgia conjure up coffee house flair, especially when guests with thick scarves and glowing cheeks are seated at large tables.
The Marais is less suitable as a source of calm, the sensory overload is simply too great. Here a showcase with homemade tarts and cakes, there a sales counter with brightly colored confectionery, on the walls 1950s furniture full of crockery, cosmetics and jewelry. The menu ranges from breakfast and sandwiches to changing daily specials such as soups, salads, pasta and risotto.
Coffee, croissants and the like are best enjoyed in the raised window alcoves, from which you can watch the snow cover the pink blossoming roses on the outdoor tables, which are still set up – a sight as skewed and beautiful as the café itself even.
Ladencafé Marais, Parkstr. 2, phone 089 50094552, Tues-Sat 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m