The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Crappy WIFI & inconsistent «Rewards» program (not all stores participate). Two main things you don’t have to worry about at Starbucks. Really want to like it, but wifi sucks so bad.

Horrible coffee bean! Horrid service I couldn’t even understand what the cashier was asking me, she seem only fluent in korean. They got my order wrong nobody was in line and they still took 30 mins my entire lunch break!!! They also got the order wrong for the next person after myself… please do not go there

It’s not bad. It’s just like any other Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf I’ve been to so I can’t really say too much. It does get crowded pretty quickly during the day with people taking up tables and chairs outside so beware of that. Other than that, no biggies. Recommend.

I hate that Unilocal forces me to leave one star. This place doesn’t deserve one star! Worst service EVER!!! I will never ever ever ever go back! I just spent 16 minutes waiting for a hot tea. A f@$)ing hot tea! Everyone one in line behind me came and went while I stood there. When I asked them where my tea was they stared at me… Blank expressions… So I asked for my money back and the manager was annoyed. This would NEVER happen at Starbucks! So I wasted 16 mins of my life and left empty handed! **annoyed

Service was fairly friendly and my drink came out quick. The inside has a nice feel to it and is definitely cooler than LAs summer air.

They stopped giving the 10% student discounts, but they still make the best blended drinks and iced teas! Their Blood Orange Ice Tea is 5 STARS! Also, they have the best, friendliest, and most competent staff!

I love the people that work there. They, always friendly and give me good service. You can not ask for nicer people. I’m there three time a week. Love it. The problem is, there are homeless people handling out there all the time. They are taking up all the sits and always charger they phones, computer, etc. Leave little room for anyone else. Or they are sleeping, using a table or chair. Who knows went the last time they took a bath. There are talking all loud about nothing. It make me sick.

Hmm I’m ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ on this CB&T location. I’ve gotten friendly customer service and also baristas that can’t even smile. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite location, but the worst either.

This is the slowest CB&TL in all of LA. They have zero consideration for those somewhat in a hurry. They take their sweet time chit chatting when you’re trying to just be out of there. Avoid if you have places to be. Even when it’s not peak hour they will take at least 6 minutes for a bagel or drink. Not to mention they aren’t even mildly apologetic about it or notably friendly. Go to Starbucks across the street.

So I came in one morning kind of in a rush but I needed my coffee. So I got in the line which wasn’t too bad and my order was taken by the cashier. I proceeded to pay with my gift card which has been loaded to my phone for convenience. But after taking the code to charge me the cashier told me I saved a couple of dollars. I was confused as the code was to be used to pay for my drinks and I was well aware that I had enough money on their for two drinks. So he calls the manager and she doesn’t see that it has already charged me. I check my card and it didn’t show that the $ 8 drinks were charged so I said fine I’ll just pay because I wasn’t sure what was going on. Two minutes later I check my payment history and it shows my payment. I proceed to talk to the manager and she tries to look it up in their system but doesn’t see anything. Then she advises me that their system has been slow and that it is not showing up on their register. So I paid double for my drinks that day although the manager said she will call them for me to reimburse my gift card. It’s been about a week and I still haven’t heard anything. I may just need to contact them myself. This is not the first time their I’ve experienced issues with their system. Maybe they need to update to a better system in order to cause less inconvenience for their customers.

Serving ugly food is so random now. And people seriously don’t give a s… of how you are going to eat it. Makes you feel like you should be grateful for any piece of bread they throw at you.
P. s. The cups are leaking too, guys

I’ve been to my share of CBTL spots and this spot has the friendliest staff. I am not a morning person and that may be why these guys and gals seem super friendly. Most of them greet you with the biggest smiles during the morning rush hour.
If you are a coffee aficionado and sip at likes of Intelligentsia and G&B Coffee, then CBTL will not hit your spot. Love their friendly «baristas», but they lack certain basic skills in extracting that perfect espresso.
Nearest Metro Station: Red and Purple Lines at Wilshire/​Vermont Station — Right above the station

This place is extremely hit or miss depending on who’s on the shift. I’ve had several occassions where they’ve forgotten to toast my bagel and/​or forget to make my drink without comp-​ing me for anything. Extremely opposite case for the Starbucks across the street. I only come here for the connivence that right by the metro station stop.

Shout out Brian at Coffee Bean… Ask 4 him, he makes the best red velvet! Yummmmm. Don’t 4GET the whip cream!

Great Chill Spot To Post For An Hour (Or Two)
SITREP
I love hitting The Monte Cristo on Wilshire Blvd in Downtown L.A.‘s Koreatown for great club events on Sunday, Fridays, and/​or Saturdays whenever the opportunity arises. I also prefer getting down to Koreatown in time to nab a decent (FREE) parking spot. So often I head down just after rush hour traffic has already peaked and we find ourselves cruisen though this hood as early as 7:30 — 8:00pm.
But the problem is, the events at The Monte Cristo (Shadow, Ruin, Malediction, etc.) don’t start until 10:00PM, as in «The-​doors-​do-​not-​open-​and-​you-​either-​stay-​in-​your-​car-​or-​sit-​on-​the-​sidewalk-​with-​your-​friend». Or do you?
THE SETUP
Solution Found! Just further down the block is The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and as chance would have it, they are OPEN until at least 10PM. So loitering problem solved at a great coffee stop.
LE MENU OF DELIGHTS
* Most of the time I get one of their special hot house brews such as the Café Dark Chocolate. With discounts on refills, it allows me to extend my stay rather inexpensively.
* Once in a while — especially on a hot day — I will dive into their Black Forest Ice Blended Coffee drink which consists of cherry, and coffee blended with their special Dutch chocolate powder, milk, chocolate covered espresso beans, maraschino cherries and ice then topped with whipped cream.
* And while on that note of Dutch Chocolate, whether in Southern California or in the Bay Area, I will sneak back a $ 12 canister of their Sugar Free /​Fat Free Dark Chocolate Powder that I jubilantly add to my coffees at work to make my «poor mans» mocha.
Oh. Did I say «sneak back»? What I really mean is that Coffee Bean is not an option back at home in SacTown, so I take advantage of the opportunity to grab this dark chocolate powder while I can.
THE LOWDOWN
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a great coffee stop here on Wilshire Blvd to post at before going clubbin at The Monte Cristo. I just wish there was a Coffee Bean in Sacramento. *Le Sigh* ;)

Being from Seattle I’m a Starbucks guy. But I must admit I became a Coffee Bean fan in this, my first visit to one of their stores. Wife and I arrived in Korea Town via the Metro Purple Line. (I’m also a big fan of the LA Metro. Driving in LA is risky and stressful. Riding the Metro makes seeing LA easy and stress free). This Coffee Bean is located kitty corner from the last stop on the Purple Line. It was early afternoon and I ordered a black ice tea. I was pleasantly surprised when the barista explained that they had three black teas which could be freshly brewed for ice tea. I ordered the English Breakfast tea and it was very good. Wow — very neat and better than Starbucks! Being a high traffic LA location this store is really not a place to stay and relax. Yet it is a nice place to grab a drink and go walking in Korea Town!

I go to this particular Coffee Bean every Friday as I work in the area on that day. The people who work there are extremely friendly and they always get my order right. I spilled my coffee outside on one occasion and the barista not only gave me a new coffee without any hesitation but also a towel to clean up with. That’s good customer service!

This is a tiny store located outside of the Metro Station in Korean Town. They have patio seating, and there were some trash on the floor…
I went there during lunch time, and was browsing the menu. A girl cashier asked and see if I need help. I asked her if she would recommend Mocha Latte or Dark Chocolate Latte. There is another male cashier getting ready to off duty, and he recommended me to go with Dark Chocolate Latte. I took his advice, and the coffee came out good! It was very rich in taste and not too sweet.
Unfortunately, someone pushed me from the back, which I spilled the coffee (just a little)… The male cashier who recommended the coffee earlier walked over and asked to see if I would like a new one. Since this is not their mistake, I said to him that I am ok. However, the male cashier offer to make me a new one and asked his colleague to make me a cup of coffee (wow, great services!!!)
Great experience, 1 star got taken away because the patio area was a bit dirty… Everything else was great!!!

Probably one of the busiest coffee shops in the AM. However, I run here every morning after my morning run and grab coffee. Staffs are very friendly and I start off with my poison for the day =)
1. Double espresso
2. Americano
3. Double espresso with a scoop of dark chocolate powder over ice… on a rare occasion.

Other than the fact that it’s kinda sketchy, this place is pleasant.
PROS
The employees are nice and the drinks are good. I ordered a Caramel Capuccino, and the cashier asked me if I was sure. He suggested getting the Caramel Latte instead cause it has more in it? I don’t know. I’m not much of a coffee person. But I listened to his advice and the drink is pretty tasty. The bathroom requires a password, which might keep it more clean than a public bathroom? Even though the password is on the TV. Anyone can go in, really. But at least they’re trying to keep it clean and safe.
CONS
Parking. Apparently there is free parking in the back, but I’ve never checked. There is barely any street parking, and this Coffee Bean is located right next to a big street (Wilshire). It is also located right next to a Metro stop, but I mean… not many people I know use the metro as their main mode of transportation.
Sketchy. Yeah so this place is basically downtown, with tons of different people going through it everyday. If I didn’t go to school right next to it, this would be the last place I would go to get a quick drink or to meet with a study group. Of all the Coffee Beans I have ever been to, I have never been approached by a security guard telling me to watch my bags. Until I came here. I asked him if anything happened, but he claimed it was just for safety measures because «there are those kinds of people around the area.» Hmm… Well at least there is a security guard around if anything does happen.
Also, there were no outlets around the area I was sitting at. All of the other areas were full. :(
In conclusion, I would only come here if I absolutely have no other choice.