Caffé Bene

Strawberry mojito is the best, great taste. Free wifi, great atmosphere and bomb music.

The bread pudding is my fav here and I love their café latte as well. Highly Recommend

I love this place! They always have a cool movie playing. They always have great service and the atmosphere is wonderful. Additionally, I really like this place as a study spot. Even though it gets busy and somewhat loud because of that, when I put my headphones in I can really focus and get a lot done. Also, let’s not overlook how amazing their waffles are!

The food is great. The overall atmosphere is great (free wifi, high celings, comfortable places to sit). The only cons is that the food is expensive and they play really loud music :-/

Not really impressed after trying their pan lava dessert. It was extremely sweet and pricey. I feel like I ingested wasted calories and got jipped because the dessert wasn’t fulfilling and didn’t meet our expectations… Might also have had to do with the fact that the employee ringing me up told me it did have ice cream on it when I asked, when in fact it didn’t. Or the fact that she took two minutes looking like she was ringing up my order, before she asked me again what I ordered. Hm.

I personally really like this place. The drinks are good and their waffle desserts are delicious. But usually when I go all the way out to this area, I go to study. Which is why I would originally go here. But if you really have some serious studying to do I wouldn’t go here. the music is WAY too loud and obnoxious to focus what so ever. Even trying to put headphones on to block out the noise doesn’t help. I was told there is an upstairs area to study and it’s quiet up there but I haven’t tried it… it just seems like too much of a hassle for me personally. Other than that I really like this spot to come for some coffee and delicious dessert!

Good café to study and grab an (expensive) dessert. I like the large comfy couch.
I recommend trying their ice cream — very large scoop and great quality with rich flavor (try the green tea!!). However, I’m not sure if it’s worth the price. $ 8 for a scoop of ice cream on top of a small waffle is pricey.
Unfortunately 3 stars because we waited 20 minutes (!) for our mango shaved ice. They weren’t even busy but I’m assuming they forgot about our order. Loved the mango sorbet on top but the ice was very hard (think Hawaiian shaved ice, not fluffy) and the strawberries/​bananas on the side fell off right when we dug into the ice (see pictures). Also quite expensive ($ 10-​$ 11 for a small) but enough to share with a few people.

I dont know if this place is actually the right place to study, because the music here was way too loud, heck to the point I cant listen to my own music lol
The blue lemonade is decent, for its price, (since thats the only thing I had here) but I wouldnt come back here to study, even if this place had alot of outlets.
Other then that, the deco here is nice :) good ppl here also

Parking isn’t really free (unless you find street parking on Sundays or park in the lot for less than 20 min?) and the prices are a little on the higher side, especially for food, but they did serve up a perfect iced tea.
They also have plenty of tables and seats upstairs if you need a place to study or work. The downstairs is nice but the music can be a bit loud.

Spacious peaceful place, the staff is very friendly as well. I tried their macaroons and green tea latte. Both were just okay, macaroons were really sweet and we tried four different kinds, the latte was very creamy but couldn’t really taste the tea. Could be my personal preference.

Pros: Gelato is great! The brick toasts are really good but kind of pricey. Coffee is yummy. I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve gotten there. Lots of seating. Cute décor. They have wifi and their own parking lot (cheap valet like $ 3).
Cons: The brick toasts I’ve had are really good but not totally consistent on each visit. They don’t fill the water dispenser as often as they should. The music was a little too loud for my taste, but it is a younger crowd so I get it. It’s a little pricey for me, but every once in a while it’s a nice treat.

Service was pretty good. Came here late on a Sunday night. Ordered the green tea tower shaved ice. The portions are huge!!! My girlfriend and I ordered the «small» and it was plenty enough for the both of us. And trust me, we eat a lot ! The ice is a little thicker than places like anko and sul&beans. But still good.

When you’re studying, there are times you want a calm atmosphere and there are times when you want a place with a bit more energy. I like the music at Caffe Bene near Vermont /​Wilshire since it keeps me up. Their WiFi today was pretty reliable, but it’s early anyhow. If you’re not here to study, it’s a good place to chat it up with friends. I sometimes run into friends here, so it seems to be the spot. They have plenty of seats on the first floor and some on the second floor, but I’ve seen them fill them all up in the evenings both with study goers and other people enjoying coffee and company. I still like this location over Western’s Caffe Bene.
This morning I had their Morning Waffle Set, which was a waffle and I chose an iced tea. They have more to snack on, including sandwiches and waffles. Good place for coffee, tea, and desserts. When you use your credit card, be sure to cash tip since they don’t seem to have an option to write in tip. The baristas are really nice and I stay here for quite a while, too.

Café bene is a great study spot because it has lots of tables, outlets, and great food. The one con I have about this place is the loud music – it gets really annoying at times because not only is it distracting but it’s hard to converse with friends.
I’ve tried the sandwiches here and they’re whatever… if you’re hungry I recommend getting food somewhere else in ktown first and then coming to do work. But if you’re really pressured on time then yeah I guess you can splurge on overpriced average-​tasting sandwiches here. The bingsoo on the other hand, is delicious! :d I always get the strawberry redbean one because it’s my favorite, but there are many many flavors available. Feel free to switch up the ice cream flavor, too! I recommend sharing the small one between two people. Compared to Sul & Beans, obviously Café bene can’t match up, but overall it’s a great fuel to keep you going :)
There’s a parking lot at the back shared with DGM but it’s often packed during the night times so we had to street park.

Price: affordable ！
Taste is good! Have some pretty original style dessert !
Quality: one star off. With the price I expected a little better choice of ingredients! A lot of things where like brought from Costco!
Environment: love the design ! Very ragged and masculine looking ! Especially the skillet desserts, the presentation is very masculine looking. I like the aesthetic for a dessert place .
Service: should of tipped them more, oh well next time !

It’s a cute café with a lot of space but the wifi is awful. Keeps crapping out and you have to keep asking for people to reset it.
The coffee and brick toast is decent! A little pricy, but it really reminds me of Korea. Tastes like Korea :) the décor is really cute.
Just not a really good place to work since the wifi is so bad and it’s pretty loud. You’ll find the upstairs pretty crowded too!

One of my go to spots to study. Loud music, but I somehow concentrate better. Great drinks: all the lattes (I always get it less sweet) & iced green tea. The berry cake is really good too! Staffs pretty chill and they don’t bother you. They also have a study room upstairs :)
Only bad thing is that wifi doesn’t work at times & parking can be hard too.

Cute, honestly nothing too special. My green tea was nice; didn’t knock my socks off. Prices are a on the expensive side, as most places are getting away with $ 3+ for small teas. Good place for a date or small gathering. Saw people on laptops working, so I’m guessing the wifi is good.

It’s under construction now…
If you plan to go there, make a phone call and check it is open at that time will better.

Stopped by for some dessert here. If you’re looking for some sweets to try or craving something I would keep looking. This place is great to do work, chill, maybe meet a friend for coffee, and ONLY have a bite (if you’re starving). But it mainly serves as that type of place and not somewhere you come to have dessert, we were mistaken and thought with all the pictures this would be a good place to do that. I don’t think they even have a full kitchen for the desserts and other food. Like they say it’s just a café.
Had the strawberry bread (1 star) — What a waste. I don’t see what the huge deal is here, and people claiming it’s amazing, the bread is super thick and almost taste stale, with some cream and strawberries. I thought the bread would be sweet or have some amazing flavor. NOPE. It tasted like something my 5 year old sister could make if I had one.
Didn’t try anything else here so I can’t speak for much but I would pass on their desserts here. I was so disappointed after this, we made it a mission to find dessert somewhere else !

This place is as typical as any Korean owned café. Overpriced drinks which is to be expected, but does come with a café area. I arrived during a slow time, and am not sure with how it is during peak times. Tried the misugaru latte and kind of reminded me of oatmeal in a cup. It was really enjoyable, and i would recommend it to those who don’t really like coffee. The employees are nice, in fact very patient. Did not get a chance to try the food, but it did look good. Ordering is on a small island almost in the middle of the café. I’ll come back next time to see if i could actually get some studying in!

This Caffe Bene is really nice compared to some of their other locations. The service here is nice and the drinks are also great! I love how this Caffe Bene is two stories, so there’s plenty of different places to sit. This is a nice study spot, and has your typical coffeehouse vibe. I always just order a regular black iced coffee, and I think it’s comparable to Starbucks’ black coffee. Prices are a little high, but you’re mainly paying to sit there for hours to study.

Vast selection of desserts and drinks! The patbingsoo desserts are huge and so good. Décor is cute. Has ample amount of tables/​seats. Lot of people come here to study. Great vibe.

This place is much nicer than the outside buildings. As you walk in, the environment is much different. It’s your typical Asian dessert place with their own flare to it. This one happens to offer wifi and plenty of seating. The item I ordered was the bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla gelato. In the past month, I realized I enjoy eating bread pudding and have made it my objective to taste each one I come across. This one strikes your taste buds with the perfect amount of sweetness. The almonds give it a nice crunch and raisins a nice chewy sensation. The bread pudding is also crispy towards the edges to where the taste is enhanced. I want to come back and try all their desserts and foods. Also, street parking is two hours and not hard to find parking during the day time.

Nice place to chill and do Homework. But it be popping during the day or on the Weekends. FREE WIFI! I had a meeting there and it was cool. There is an upstairs for straight up studying… it is completely silent. So good for Students. The food is kinda expensive for no reason but still good.

A great place to catch up with friends or just for a late-​night treat. The milk-​tea smoothie is very unique. Their green-​tea macaron is the best in town. It’s not too sweet so I usually get a box of it.

One of my new favorite spots. I have tried multiple locations and this by far is my favorite. Service is great and the drinks are great. Has two levels to study at. I like to study upstairs because its quite and has a view of the downstairs so you can people watch if you get bored.
I usually order an iced caramel macchiato and its pretty consistent at all their locations. Definitely have to try some of their sweets next time I come in. A must try if you haven’t already.

Parking is a hit or miss in this area, but when I get lucky enough to find a spot nearby I love sopping at the Caffe Bene.
Great staff, spacious industrial looking store with extensive menu.
I love their blended drinks, the mocha with an added shot is perfect.
Pass on their ice cream, not a fan, its pretty watery.
Prices are a bit high, but the quality is great, worth returning!

I love the ambience and cleanliness of the facility. Feels like you can walk in and trust that this place is up to par with making a customers experience worth while. Had good music playing, the place was clean, fast and efficient workers.
As for the food, the plate I had was a chocolate covered brownie with a scoop of ice cream it was yummy. One thing I recommend is to warm the brownie cake to the point where the chocolate inside would have melted out when I took a scoop, that would have made my mouth water. Felt like the cake just came out of the refrigerator. Other than that it was uniquely designed for a good display and it was good. Had cut strawberries on the side.

I’ve been here twice and really enjoyed my experience both times!
— red bean shaved ice (bingsoo): loved it! Very very generous portion and fast service. It was also delicious!
— I tried some of their misoogaru drink and it was a good but just a little too sweet to finish the whole drink.
— pretty fast internet, cool background music (I had to shazam a few!!), and comfy seats.
A great place to study or get some work done or catch up with a friend! I would definitely love to come back to this place :)

Surprisingly good coffee in Koreatown.
/​/​AMBIANCE /​/​Huge coffee shop with an upstairs study lounge. Spacious with ample tables, nooks, and crannies to catch up with a friend or get your study on.
/​/​PARKING /​/​Street or in a small paid lot. $ 2 for validated parking at 6 pm. You have to leave your key with the attendant even though its not valet. Strange.
/​/​FOOD /​/​
+ Iced coffee: Surprisingly earthy and rich.
+ Iced Matcha latte: Strong matcha powder flavor and creamy.

Hate to sound bitter but there’s no other way to say it– I can’t wait for this place to start losing business.
I’d say I’ve been a rather loyal customer to this location in specific (only bc it’s close to my house) However, all that changed today.
Let me get straight to the point.
1. They blast EDM– not necessarily appropriate for people that are there to study/​get work done.
2. Out of all the drinks I’ve tried, sad to say the iced green tea was the best. Oh– this might be the right time to mention that they’re just tea bags in water. Yup. And it cost me $ 3– I can buy a box of teabags with that. Ugh
3. Employees here seem to think their conversations are more important than taking/​making orders. I literally stood there staring them in the eye as they continued to blab on.
4. Wifi is slow and if you ask them to reset it, make sure you ask 3 or 4 more times after that. Cause apparently it goes in one ear and out the other.
5. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!
How in the world are you gonna charge your customers $ 4 for valet? For one, they had no notice prior to changing the rates. For two, this is not some fancy 5 star restaurant. For three, what makes this place special enough to overcharge drinks and parking? When they told me they changed their rates as of today (12÷1÷15) I literally laughed. Oh and here’s the cherry on top. It’s $ 5 if you don’t have cash. But! Turns out the employee that was busy chitchatting failed to notice I was actually there for less than 3 hours. Aka it was only $ 2.
All those reasons are enough to stop me and should stop anyone else from going here. Id much rather drive a little further to get better service and quality elsewhere than come back to this café.

A new coffee joint almost across the street from starbucks! Definitely a smaller Bene than all the others in LA, but still a solid place to study/​meet up and chat for a bit with friends. Their decorations and drinks are all pretty much the same as all the other Caffebene* locations, with lots of emphasis on the korean-​hipster vibe.
I think they did a great job of making a cute/​different coffee place in San Marino, but the location does seem a little random/​out of place, and it’s pretty difficult to park around the area in the middle of a busy day (I guess there aren’t many seats anyways though, so it doesn’t make that big of a difference).
I just had an ice coffee, which wasn’t the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, but wasn’t bad at all. I’d definitely swing by again with some friends to meet up and catch up, it’s somewhere you go more for the décor and experience than the drinks, and the desserts and foods are probably better than their coffee quality.
The place is pretty tiny though, with only about 4 – 5 different tables/​seating areas, so if you’re coming in during a busy time, you might not get a seat :/

We stopped by here to get some studying and work done. By the time we cleared the traffic from the South Bay, we developed a bit of an appetite. Luckily, they have food here, and I ordered their teriyaki chicken sandwich. This comes with a green salad and a drink (tea or coffee). I opted for the iced coffee, and my sandwich came out in about 5 minutes.
I was impressed by this meal, as it was good quality and filling all for a mere $ 11. The only bad part about this place is that there were way too many people on the wi-​fi, so I couldn’t get any studying done here. I’m not going too hard on this place for this fact, however, as I really did like the environment and the food. I’ll just have to come back when there are less people studying here… maybe a weekday or Saturday night?
This place has earned my business, and I’ll be back to try out their other sandwiches. The iced coffee I had was straightforward, but I will be trying their large variety of teas as well. Stay tuned for updates.

Here’s why I hate Caffebene:
It didn’t present itself in the most opportune moment in my life. Why?! Why, Caffebene, did you wait for me to be finished with school to enter my life. If only I had something to study for hours at a time, so that I could enjoy you at your fullest potential. Where I could sit for hours on end studying (facebooking) while I enjoy your delicious drinks and delicious desserts. I could even go upstairs to the second floor and people watch from above. I really wish you entered my life sooner.
But you didn’t. So I hate you.

I recommend the Peach Mojito! And definitely grab a macaron or two. I tried the earl gray lavender and the pistachio.
Very large and high ceiling coffee shop. Lots of air and room, so you don’t feel cramped while studing. A lot of tables and seating areas. Plentiful 4-​person tables as well as 2-​person tables. Many individuals took the 4-​person tables, but they gotta do what they gotta do to study… There’s also a large couch in the center, and there’s an upstairs study area as well.
Take note that downstairs, they play music. At one point they played edm, which would be a little distracting if I was studying. Good thing I was there to relax and enjoy some drinks, snacks, and company. I still think it’s a great coffee shop to study at anyways. Very roomy.

This place seemed like one of those cute dessert places in K-​town. It is one of those, but the only thing it has going for it is the cute doodle book. More on that later.
Parking wasn’t a hassle when I went with my friends on a Sunday afternoon. The lot in the back was free during that time! That was good at least. We went in and quickly decided to order a mango shaved ice to share. There were a few other people sitting around studying and there also was an upstairs to the place as well, but we didn’t check that out.
The food was ready after a few minutes, actually maybe 10 minutes because I had time to doodle on the doodle book. There were pictures that little kids drew and pictures that big kids drew too. Enough said.
The shaved ice had strawberries and banana slices as well as mango. And on top was some mango ice cream as well. The thing about these shaved ice places is that there are so many of them, and I’m now a bit picky about it. The presentation just seemed sloppy and had no aesthetic appeal to it. Everything was kind of just placed where it could fit. Moving on to the taste, I can say nothing too good about it either. Very average shaved ice. The fruit didn’t go that well with the ice, and the ice cream on top didn’t make it better.
If you are looking for a place to study on Sunday afternoon, maybe hit this place up. However, I would recommend going somewhere else in K-​town if you are looking for some shaved ice.

3.5 stars.
This is a large location and it’s nicely lit which makes it great for studying or doing work. It looks big and has a small room upstairs, but the tables are almost always taken so looks can be deceiving. Most of the tables with outlets have four seats but they’re taken by singles with laptops. Not a big deal unless you’re like me and you need an outlet to charge your laptop, haha. The first floor can get rather loud with the music and people chatting, whereas the second floor is seriously silent although good luck finding a spot there. Also, the wooden chairs aren’t the most comfortable to sit in for hours.
Drink-​wise, I’ve had the caramel macchiato which is $ 4.35 plus tax for a medium. For a macchiato, it was fairly sweet and not as strong as I’d thought it’d be. I tasted more of the caramel than the espresso. I’ve also had the café latte, which is only $ 4 plus tax for a large. The flavor was very lacking and I wished desperately that I could add some caramel or other flavors to it.
The best thing though is the $ 1-​$ 2 valet parking (depending what time you come or leave). In LA, especially in Ktown, that makes all the difference. There’s metered street parking (free after 6pm) but it’s hit or miss, just like how the café can be completely taken over some nights and not so much on other nights.
I haven’t tried any of the food because although the presentation looks lovely, the portions are small and the prices are high. I know that Korean cafes like this charge more for their food and drinks because generally you’re paying for the free wi-​fi and place to study or work for hours, but… I just can’t. I want my money’s worth, and there are other cafes with better food and drinks for the same prices or even less.

Came in for lunch today and got the $ 10.45 ham and egg sandwich that came with a side of cranberry almond salad and an Iced tea (you get a choice of either iced or hot tea or coffee that comes with it).
The ham and egg sandwich was yummy! The egg is a hardboiled one that they cut up and placed with two big slices of ham and topped with cheddar cheese. Though they did put a lot of red onions, had to pick some out cuz I didn’t want a stinky breath at work, lol! The bread was toasted well and easily melted when I ate my sandwich together. The salad itself was delicious! Love the crunchiness of the almonds and sweetness of the cranberries and the arugula abs spinach was fresh and yummy. It also came with a side of pickled jalapenos, but I pushed that to the side.
I also ordered the banana and honey walnut brick toast. The banana was sweet and soft, but the walnuts and powdered sugar slopped up too much of the honey for me. The brick toast was crispy and soft, but it didn’t compliment this one as much as I hoped it would. Didn’t like this one as much. Still dig the strawberries brick toast one. Cost was $ 8.00.
Before I left, I also bought 6 macarons (just had to!) — will update those new flavors later on during the week while savoring them, lol! Each mac is $ 2.00. Got Earl Grey, Rose, Praline, Key Lime, Pistachio and Red Velvet.
Key Lime: just like eating a key lime pie and it’s not sour nor too sweet!
Red Velvet: The outer shell is a bit burnt, but the creamy middle is smooth and velvety

I wasn’t too impressed with this place. I came here to study on a weekday afternoon. The café is pretty big, with two floors. I didn’t go up to the second floor, although I probably should have considering how noisy the first level was. There also aren’t that many outlets. And to top it all off, the internet SUCKS. I kept getting kicked off the network. Not sure if it was from a weak signal in general or from so many people in the café trying to get in on the WiFi.
Now on to the food. I ordered their red velvet tiramisu waffle. It’s probably one of the prettiest desserts that I’ve seen. But it looked way better than it tasted. My biggest issue was with the waffle. It wasn’t soft, warm, and chewy like I imagined it to be. It was really hard to cut, and the tiramisu ice cream would have tasted so much better with something warm. I did like how they put whipped cream – it added an interesting texture. But sigh, without the perfect waffle this dessert just isn’t what it could be.