For example, there is the condom machine in the men’s room. There is nothing wicked and certainly nothing forbidden about offering contraceptives in the privy room of a pub, it used to be quite normal. But the white box on the toilet wall in Café Westend catches the eye and will be remembered for a long time if you know the city’s hip cafés, where the hyper-enlightened city milieu orders a flat white with oat milk with a vegan bowl. A condom machine in the toilet? It’s hard to imagine there, at most as a gag.
The Café Westend, on the other hand, cares little about the zeitgeist – and therefore comes across as calm and unpretentious. Attitude, you leave that to the others here. The cappuccino is served with cow’s milk without being asked, and the word “vegan”, which has become so popular in advertising, does not appear once on the breakfast menu – while “sausage” appears around half a dozen times. This doesn’t bother the guests, as a cursory glance over the plates shows.
The decor, heavy wood on the floor, tables and walls, could be described as “rustic”. The breakfast portions are so plentiful that you can safely skip lunch once you’ve eaten it – unless you only “had breakfast” in the afternoon anyway (the restaurant is known for its generous arrangement of the morning meal: breakfast is served daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). 3pm).
This year, Café Westend is celebrating its 25th anniversary, an eternity in the rapidly changing gastronomy industry. And also an eternity in a district like the Westend, which has changed from a working class and trade fair district to an urban in district. Operator Manfred Walter Rott, a restaurateur with a warm Munich dialect, witnessed the transformation. “When I first entered the place more than 25 years ago, I thought: ‘No, I don’t want to go there!’ The West End was unsightly, untidy and dirty.”
When Manfred Walter Rott opened the Café Westend, the area was “ugly, untidy and dirty,” he says.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
When the exhibition center moved to Riem in 1998, a lot changed: new apartments, new shops, new restaurants, new residents. The Café Westend, however, stayed, although or precisely because Rott let many trends pass by. “We stayed true to ourselves,” he says. People like to come, as evidenced by the always well-filled outdoor area on warm days. The condom vending machine in the basement can also be left hanging.
What is there and how much does it cost?
The Café Westend is the tavern among the breakfast places, which is no surprise, because the Westend wants to be exactly that according to its own homepage: a tavern. And so the breakfast portions are based on the size of tavern dishes. For example, if you order the Trento breakfast (12.90 euros), you get a bread basket with crispy mini rolls and pretzels, a freshly baked yeast loaf, Parma ham, three bruschetta slices with fine olive cream, an opulent scrambled egg with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil, jam and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. In addition to the different breakfast plates with classic ingredients such as fried eggs, bacon, salmon or cheese, you can even discover a pinch of zeitgeist on the menu: Breakfast Tel Aviv (13.80 euros) is served with avocado, hummus, sprouts and cress, among other things.
The furnishings in the restaurant, heavy wood on the floor, tables and walls, could be described as “rustic”.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
There is also the option of putting together your own breakfast, for example a sesame bagel with cream cheese, rocket and smoked salmon (5.90 euros). In the evening, when even the longest breakfast time is over, burgers, schnitzel or soups are served. In the basement there are three lanes for bowling or billiards.
Who do you meet there?
Young parents with babies, families, couples, regular bowlers. “Our target group is very broad,” says Rott, he can’t really narrow it down. Most of the guests appreciate the “good value for money,” he believes – and that you can get enough without any frills.
What particularly stands out?
The Café Westend doesn’t have to spit big tones, it thrives on long-standing regular customers and guests from the neighborhood who appreciate the edgy charm of the place. When you look at the homepage, you finally get stuck on a suspicious sentence: “Our breakfast – so they say – is one of the best in Munich.” The bit of overconfidence is forgiven.
Cafe West EndGanghoferstrasse 50, 80339 Munich, 089/508341, opening hours: daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m