I was fascinated today by the new set up at the Dollop Cafe on Belmont.. Cafe is one of several owned or run by the Metropolis coffee brewing company.
Newly remodeled cafe.The espresso machine , per the Barista, is made of Marzocco parts but the darn thing looks like no espresso machine I have seen in my short experience.
The Barista sets the cup under what looks like a large faucet.He pushes a button and the espresso starts. i was chatting with him about coffee so was not as vigilant as i might have been. Diid not notice a grinder nor did I notice him filling a portafilter.
The faucet thing produced coffee with a good dark crema. i ordered a cappuccino - Tasted good but weaker flavor than I normally experience which may related to the particular coffee he used, not the extraction method.

I have to go back and take better look at the system. Very different look to the cafe without seeing a more traditional commercial espresso equipment nor a large grinder with its hopper.

Maybe y'all who are many year coffee hobbyists or experts can clarify me what I noticed.

It's called a Modbar. All the control units and boilers are under the counter. Pretty cool system, completely programable and if used right, can make a great shot.

Modbars are awesome, one day I might have one in my house.. but having something permanently in the counter seems like too big of a commitment for most espresso enthusiasts.

Thanks. I presumed someone on this site would know. Nice cafe,BTW. I stopped in Friday evening as the large neon sign said. OPEN and I needed Metropolis decaf beans. The store was not yet open for business. The designer was there checking readying for opening this weekend. Apologized the sign was on and that I walked over for naught. Checked the storeroom and gave me a bag of beans. Refused $. Of course, today I patronized the cafe. Nice to get good coffee if I can't wait for my machine to heat up

I was at Milktooth in Indy the other day and saw one of these. The "clean" install is great. As a guest, you can see and talk to the barista vs. the back of a machine.

Yes, now that you identify it, that was what made me realize something was different. I was facing the Barista, not the usual huge machines