A machine for dispensing a beverage from a capsule containing a beverage ingredient, comprising: - an external housing (10,30,30',40,50,60) having an external front face, an external top face, two external spaced-apart lateral side faces (30,30') that extend rearwards behind the external front face and that face each other, and optionally at least one of an external rear face and an external bottom face; - a beverage outlet located on the external front face and above a front area for placing a user-receptacle (3,4) for collecting beverage dispensed from the outlet, optionally the front area comprising a movable user-receptacle support body, such as a support body that is movable between a first position for placing a short user-receptacle under the outlet and a second position for placing a large user-receptacle under the outlet; and - a capsule handling device that is located behind the external front face and that is fluidically connected to the outlet, the device having a first part and a second part that are relatively movable between a transfer position for receiving and/or evacuating said capsule and an extraction position for extracting said capsule between the first and second parts (71,72), wherein the external top face has a capsule insertion opening leading into a passage for guiding said capsule to the capsule handling device and to a position between the first and second parts (71,72) of the handling device in the transfer position which parts are then relatively movable to their extraction position for extracting said capsule, optionally the first and second parts (71,72) being: - movable manually, such as by a user-handle, and/or movable automatically, such as by a motor, between the transfer and the extraction positions; and/or - arranged to form in the extraction position a mixing chamber for housing said capsule, e.g. a brewing chamber, such as a chamber delimited by at least a cavity in one of said first and second parts (71,72) and by a cooperating cavity or lid formed by the other of said first and second parts (71,72), characterised in that at least one of the first and second parts (71,72) of the capsule handling device is arranged to translate towards and away from at least one of said two external lateral side faces (30,30') so that the first and second parts (71,72) relatively move between the transfer and the extraction positions. - an external housing (10,30,30',40,50,60) having an external front face, an external top face, two external spaced-apart lateral side faces (30,30') that extend rearwards behind the external front face and that face each other, and optionally at least one of an external rear face and an external bottom face; - a beverage outlet located on the external front face and above a front area for placing a user-receptacle (3,4) for collecting beverage dispensed from the outlet, optionally the front area comprising a movable user-receptacle support body, such as a support body that is movable between a first position for placing a short user-receptacle under the outlet and a second position for placing a large user-receptacle under the outlet; and - a capsule handling device that is located behind the external front face and that is fluidically connected to the outlet, the device having a first part and a second part that are relatively movable between a transfer position for receiving and/or evacuating said capsule and an extraction position for extracting said capsule between the first and second parts (71,72), wherein the external top face has a capsule insertion opening leading into a passage for guiding said capsule to the capsule handling device and to a position between the first and second parts (71,72) of the handling device in the transfer position which parts are then relatively movable to their extraction position for extracting said capsule, optionally the first and second parts (71,72) being: - movable manually, such as by a user-handle, and/or movable automatically, such as by a motor, between the transfer and the extraction positions; and/or - arranged to form in the extraction position a mixing chamber for housing said capsule, e.g. a brewing chamber, such as a chamber delimited by at least a cavity in one of said first and second parts (71,72) and by a cooperating cavity or lid formed by the other of said first and second parts (71,72), - movable manually, such as by a user-handle, and/or movable automatically, such as by a motor, between the transfer and the extraction positions; and/or - arranged to form in the extraction position a mixing chamber for housing said capsule, e.g. a brewing chamber, such as a chamber delimited by at least a cavity in one of said first and second parts (71,72) and by a cooperating cavity or lid formed by the other of said first and second parts (71,72), characterised in that at least one of the first and second parts (71,72) of the capsule handling device is arranged to translate towards and away from at least one of said two external lateral side faces (30,30') so that the first and second parts (71,72) relatively move between the transfer and the extraction positions.