Hey Maan: Waffles and Productivity at Maan Coffee Near Worker's Stadium

The massive Maan Coffee west of Worker's Stadium has been open for a while, but I thought I'd give you a quick rundown on it in case you have yet to discover it for the mystical productivity zone that it is.

The building itself feels a lot like an old public library. It's a labyrinth inside, with all kinds of different sized tables and chairs. A row of long tables could seat eight each, and alcoves hide smaller, more private spots.

Maan bills itself as a waffles + coffee place. The coffee isn't anything particularly exciting, but I do enjoy the waffles. They start at RMB 28 for a plain one, which comes with whipped cream, fruit, syrup and a berry sauce (that's what you call plain?!) and go up to above RMB 60 for the works.

You can also get various forms of giant toast. Most are sweet, though some are savory with cheese or dried meat. I watched a friend eat the garlic cheese toast (RMB 33), but he said he doesn't recommend it. I did try the caramel cinnamon toast (RMB 33), which comes mounded with whipped cream. Be warned, this is a serious sugar rush, so you're probably best splitting it with a friend or you might find yourself easily distracted.

Their regular food isn't bad either. I tried the bulgogi burger (RMB 48) and was pleasantly surprised. It's a bit odd, but as long as you're not expecting it to be an actual burger, it's good.

A couple things you should know. It can get pretty loud in there, so keep that in mind if you're scheduled a meeting or phone call, and the Internet isn't 100% reliable. Then again, for some of us, not being online would actually boost our productivity, so that could be a plus.