The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Their coffee doesn’t deserve 4 stars (I agree with others that they use way too much syrup) but they have Taco Deli tacos! These are the BEST breakfast tacos in Austin! Great alternative to pastries.

Good coffee, they offer fair trade stuff, and the guy behind the counter was nice and chill.

The reason I am posting a negative review on Unilocal (I only like to post POSITIVE reviews!) is because the CBTL website does not allow you to contact them and leave feedback of any kind.
In my opinion, this is how they care about customer feedback– they don’t. I live within walking distance of this location and was so excited there finally was SOMETHING besides Starbucks nearby (I won’t go to SB!). I have been to this location at least 10 times, and never once have a left feeling respected, happy or glad I spent my money. Collectively, these are the reasons I do NOT recommend CBTL:
1. Staff is continually rude or just plain transaction like– not friendly or genuinely interested. (although they are focused on being fast)
2. Coffee drinks use artificial sweeteners and it is difficult to determine the exact ingredients in the drinks.
3. I have been overcharged. Did I mention the staff is not friendly?!
4. I don’t feel like I am receiving value for what I paid (except for I like reusable coffee cups).
5. Gluten free items in case (banana bread) is HORRIBLE– the worst GF item I have ever ordered at a café. AND– they served it to me COLD! YUK!!!
The thing I like about CBTL is they are close to my house– but that doesn’t matter because I am never going back. And, they also quit carrying my favorite Earl Grey loose in the tea tins, now they just have bagged teas and I prefer loose.
The best option near Circle C is to drive to Independence Fine Foods off Slaughter. Excellent quality and they will treat you royally!

I judge most coffee shops on availability to me, coffee taste and coffee options, space (layout and personal space) and the slim chance they would have gluten free items. So, Starbucks totally fails most of this criteria.
This CB&TL does fairly well. The shop is spacious and inviting, and, at times, they do have gluten free items (although not when I’ve been). If you don’t do diary, they also have almond milk. They now carry organic coffee and the cappuccino I had last week was perfect.

Been here a few times already; walk ins and drive through. Received great customer service and coffee drinks. CBTL coffee drinks are SO much better than that other coffee chain. Convenient location. They offer a military discount. Thank you and see you again soon!

What a jewel Hannah is! Took her recommendation! So friendly and personable! Much more personality than most of the staff at Starbuck’s. great selection here, too!

Stopped here today for an ice blended decaf mocha latte and it was made perfectly. Starbucks who??? Never been a Bucks fan but now I know what a REAL ice blended coffee should be like.

I’m more of a tea drinker than coffee, so this place is heaven. Not only do they have an amazing selection; their staff also actually KNOWS all about the teas and can direct you towards one that you’ll like. I’m a little bit of a tea snob, but I’ve learned to enjoy new varieties from staff recommendations here.
The employees also actually seem to care about their jobs — a refreshing change from waaaay too many barristas I’ve witnessed! Thank you!
Try the customizable oatmeal. Delicious every time!
Only possible complaint is sometimes the music is a little loud and/​or distracting if you’re trying to read/​study, but you can get away from that by using the outdoor seating if need be.

This place was pretty great. Great atmosphere. Plenty of space to sprawl out and work or just sit and read. Iced mocha — yum! Outdoor seating as well and a drive-​thru

The only thing that could make this place better is if Will had to roller blade out to my truck every morning with my coffee. It’s gotten to be routine for me to stop here on the regular and my coffee is typically already on the counter by the time I make it to the register (over achievers). I could easily make my own coffee at home and save a daily $ 1.89, but their staff is animated and on point every morning, so I save myself the mess at home, and potentially some battle wounds from my French press before I’m fully awake.

so all the chocolate made w dairy and so I never could get anything but tea and packaged cookies. the tables are nice and big and they let you study even if you don’t buy anything. the staff is nice and my friend said their drinks are yuummy. i would go back if i needed a coffee house near by ;)

I love this place, they have customer appreciation specials a few times a year there’s never a wait and its good

very cozy and great customer service. you can buy loose tea here but a little higher price then teavana. yogurts are delicious. dont miss out. come and enjoy great tea/​coffee with your friend here.

I’ve never heard of this place before. Me and my friend were just hanging around at best buy and decided to try this place out.
The inside is pretty nice! They have a huge long table that has plugs on them to charge your phone or whatnot.
I ordered a mocha ice blend and it was soooo good. Must I say… even better than Starbucks? Haha. I also love the variety of tea they have! I wanted to buy so many different tea boxes!
In the outside patio they have a little fire place. Since it was day we couldn’t try it out but I’m definitely going to go in the afternoon when it’s dark.
In all…
Drinks: Great!!!
Staff: friendly and nice (:
Service: fast!
Recommend? YES!

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. I feel guilty under-​rating — so 4 stars it is.
If you love sweet beverages this place is for you. I always ask for my drinks with half the powder and are still sufficiently sweet.
I find the prices to be on the high end and if you order inside the drinks can take some time.
Try the dark chocolate latte (delicious) but remember just half of the powder!

Okay, so this place is right by my house and I like to grab something on the way to work, but I’ve gotta say I’m probably not going to go back anymore.
My current addiction is a dirty chai latte, I order them anywhere and everywhere. Well, the «dirty» chai latte at The Coffee Bean is the WORST by far of anywhere I’ve gone, which is very unfortunate because they’re really not difficult to make… It tastes completely watered down and I honestly don’t think they ever add the shot of espresso which makes it dirty… ever. The staff is all really young kids who likely don’t know what a dirty chai entails.
It’s overpriced and just not that great. Sorry guys but improve the drink and I’ll be back, but for now I’ll drive the extra block to Starbucks and get a deliciously perfect dirty chai latte.
On a good note, the staff is very friendly, however, it is not a redeeming enough quality for the not-​so-​good drinks that are served.

great service.
They sell Taco Deli breakfast tacos in the morning.
I love their hazelnut ice blend

I used to be a Starbucks fan and still like a good Starbucks coffee. I however have become a huge fan of CBTL. One thing I like about CBTL is that they offer Almond Milk as an option which Starbucks does not. I also like the Gluten Free options in the baked goods. I think they only have a couple, but my kids love the Cinnamon Pecan Muffin. I’ve yet to try the Oatmeal, but they have some great options to go with Oatmeal.
I’ve now become addicted to the Chai Rooibos Tea Latte’s made with Almond milk. They also have very good coffee.
Note that they use a powder in many of their drinks. It clearly adds some calories, but also is very good. They have a sugar free option, but it does have Aspartame.
This location has a very small seating section, but I like the bar with ample plug ins for computers. The couch also is pretty nice if you have a few people in your party.

The devil on my shoulder says, «Starbucks, who»? When I come here.
Their regular coffee is divine but I love the angelic service most of all.
I also enjoy the pleasantry of the super large sized iced teas. They made me the passion tea lemondade in the huge size recently and I cherished every sip!!!
These are a few of my favooooorite things!!! We are just five Golden Rings away from Christmas day so may all of our glasses be filled with the splendor and fun of this place! Cheers!

Can’t remember the last time I had coffee at the Bean but this one is recently new and went to to try it. The layout is almost identical to its competition but has an oatmeal bar. The coffee is good and have a wide range of products. The store is quite small with limited seating plus it shares the outdoor seating with its neighbor. I will be back again.