It seems like just when you had seen it all in the Dubai coffee scene, you get introduced to a new concept but this time it involves German cars and of course coffee… so welcome or should I say wilkommen (German for welcome) to AMG Kaffee described as the summit of luxury for coffee connoisseurs, foodies and the ultimate Mercedes AMG lover. Located at Dubai Design District (D3) a stone throw from downtown you will notice as you drive into D3 a grey looking building on your right-hand side with the huge Mercedes Benz emblem decked with G-wagon cars parked at what looks like a 45-degree angle defying gravity.
As you enter the building you will be greeted by a customer service assistant that asks you how they can help. On the righthand side you will see rows of classic books, then chocolate, pasties before you notice a La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine – aha! I have arrived at a coffee shop, or is it?
If you look straight in front of you, you’ll notice a massive show room full of Mercedes cars and if you veer to the left , you may even see some classic ones too.
So, am I in a Mercedes car show room or a café.
It’s BOTH.
Going back to the front of this massive retail space, you’ll notice inviting chairs and that’s the main reason I visited twice last month with friends.
For the coffee, apparently, they have it roasted for them with their own label, and I was pleased to see Hart – formerly of Typica, as the lead barista – now I was relaxed because I knew that my coffee would be well prepared. On my first trip I had a cappuccino, which was served with a biscuit – classic undertones of chocolate and nuts and my guess would be that is has Brazil in it.
On my second visit I opted for a cortado with the same beans. However, you’d be pleased to know that they have an extensive food and drinks menu and offer filter coffee too.
One of my friends opted for breakfast – poached eggs on avocado spread toast.
There’s seating outside and the atmosphere is California cool, even with Japanese manga art.
We walked around and took pictures and visited the souvenir shop too. Is the Flash trying to catch a MayBach?
At the back they have a section for reselling cars too and have a prayer room.
All in all, the onus is to re-invent the retail space even for cars. A place where you could literally hang out for hours, walk around, talk about cars, enquire about your dream driving machine, have lunch, dessert and coffee and hang outside (before summer approaches) and enjoy some peace and quiet. To top it off, on formula one race days they have screens where you can watch the race and they are also using their space for events. So, they really want you to hang out.
Try and visit before it gets too hot and if you prefer, they are open in the evenings too.
AMG Kaffee Haus, Dubai.
