Take the S-Bahn to Rosenheimer Platz and then just take a stroll to Italy – that’s what the Ideal Espresso Bar on Weißenburger Platz makes possible. Especially in these cold, gray days, the longing for a relaxed, Mediterranean atmosphere is great in Monaco di Baviera, the northernmost Italian city, as it is so often called. The Mediterranean is far away and the place with its smell of espresso and toasted panini offers a welcome opportunity for escapism.
Free choice: Panini with different fillings are ready, cakes and other sweets.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
Passing the 2-G proof at the entrance, the view goes to a glass case full of panini and pastrami sandwiches, a sight that significantly whets the appetite. So sit down quickly and study the minimalist breakfast menu.
The selection is also minimalist: No sophisticated bowl variations with quinoa decorations and semi-original pun names, but classic Italian colazione, i.e. breakfast.
If you want a heartier breakfast, there are also a few options. Everything is prepared fresh.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
What is there, how much does it cost?
That means homemade Italian cornetto with freshly squeezed orange juice and espresso in the “Italian breakfast” (7.20 euros). Plus organic scrambled or fried eggs with buffalo mozzarella and tomato (9.50 euros). And if you like it hearty for breakfast, you have to order the “Rustico” breakfast (13.50 euros), a sausage, cheese and antipasti platter consisting of prosciutto, Parma ham, spicy salami, Parmesan, goat’s cheese, olives and dried ones Tomatoes covered in arugula. All this is accompanied by freshly baked baguette.
The cornetto is fluffy sweet, the orange juice intentionally sour and the espresso black as night, a combination that puts you in the Italian pre-sky. The final step into its sacred realms is made with a portion of perfectly creamy scrambled eggs and the combination of Parma ham, Parmesan and an oily olive, coated with dried tomatoes and rocket. If you close your eyes, you can almost feel the Mediterranean sun and your vacation in Italy doesn’t seem far away.
The menu in the Ideal Espresso Bar is quite clear – and still offers everything your heart desires.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
Even with your eyes open, you can cling to the welcome illusion of actually being somewhere else. Old tomato cans are used as lampshades and the wall shelves are adorned with Birra Moretti bottles in which roses are blooming. The chairs seem wildly thrown together, and there is almost no table with the same model twice. But that doesn’t seem chaotic, but as if there is a higher meaning somewhere in this disorder.
Who do you meet there?
The same applies to the audience: very different people come together here, and yet there seems to be something that unites them all. The hipster father with skate shoes and rolled-up trousers is sitting at the window reading the newspaper, two women are talking at the table for two next to them and the young Italian is leaning at the counter, who is temperamentally upset about how long this damn pandemic is going to last.
Just sit and watch or chat with the barista, there’s no need to get bored.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
The door opens and with a cheerful “Buongiorno” an acquaintance of the man joins him and the conversation takes a more pleasant direction. What connects the people here? The chilled vibe, the easygoing ambiance and the chance to escape to Italy for an hour or two.
Ideal espresso bar, Weißenburger Str. 8, 81667 Munich, opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tel.: +49 89 459 116 16, Mail: [email protected]