Caffe Bene

The area is wonderful, very relaxing and peaceful place with excellent music. However, I was disappointed when, after I bought something and had been there for half an hour, I kindly asked for a cup of water, to which a rude blonde employee rudely asked if I bought something first. I said yes, and she would still only give me a small cup. (I had to pay 50 cents to get a decent sized cup of water) She asked if I wanted ice, and I said yes thinking she would give me ice and water, to which she gave me a cup of just ICE. I am very confused and don’t know if this was a joke, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this place unless they get nicer staff.

Drop in here often for a quick espresso or to while away the time. Very friendly staff (in particular, two young women, whose names I do not know — one tall with blonde hair, the other dark hair, ski cap. Always personable and in a cheerful mood). The espresso here is amazing, a far cry from that watery swill they serve at Starbucks. Mostly a younger crowd, typing away at their laptops or fiddling with their cell phones (NYU students?) but it’s quiet enough if you just want to kick back for a little while and have a conversation if you happen to be with someone. One of the better ‘sanctuaries’ around the city.

Had the waffle with strawberry and crème. Was delish!

@LaurenW (below) ie ‘property’
I liked your comment. Although I swore never to Unilocal,I frequent this café and to be honest, the customer service is the Best I’ve Ever Had. Ive been to The Bean, Teavana (ugh), countless Starbucks, and Other Benes.
So spoiled that you expect the bathroom to be always fully stocked with toilet paper for your needs and would go so far out of bounds to ask the barista whos currently taking (and making) orders to touch the bathroom!
Talk about sanitary except it seems you only need to be looked at to feel dirty.
Offensive review and to be honest I haven’t been offended since I was last turned down for an interview. Gettin crows feet btw?
You seem like a bully nitpicking at the smallest triviliaties, overlooking how this Café houses the best atmosphere I’ve ever been to. But I bet you wouldn’t talk about how delicious your sandwich was because you’re simply a negative bully.
Sorry to go so hard on you but you seem out of line for taking the time to even complain on Unilocal instead of getting paid for working a job.

I expected something mediocre and I found a good coffee and nice pastries! The place is big with many tables, a bit dark but welcoming. I loved how you can choose your own baked goods, everything looked delicious and fresh. Coffee was also fresh and rich, a good place for breakfast or snacking if you are in the area!

I used the bathroom there today (May 31) after purchasing a coffee and sandwich. The bathroom was out of soap, toilet paper, and paper towels — which is pretty gross. I didn’t really know what to do after I used the toilet. I was on my way to an interview as well making it even more stressful. Being out is one thing, but the way I was treated when I asked for help is the reason for 1 star.
Well– I told the tall blonde young woman working at 10:45am they were out of the above materials in the bathroom. She responded defensively «We have hand dryers» — I asked … Well, great, but how does that help with the toilet paper or soap situation? She literally looked at me with a scowl and said nothing nor offered an explanation nor asked someone to restock. Literally stood there and glared at me like I did something wrong. I felt so awkward and dirty. The chef handed me some towels (that guy rocked) but the woman was extremely rude. I won’t be back, a shame because the place is good otherwise!
Horrible customer service and disgusting experience.

Very nice venue and okay staff for the most part
Connecting to the Internet requires a password which is on the receipt, and I was not given a receipt after purchasing two drinks. So I go ask for the wifi password at the front and here is how the conversation unfolds.
Blonde cashier: it’s on the receipt.
Me: I wasn’t given a receipt.
Blonde cashier: well that’s bad. (Paused for a good few seconds) Did you buy something? (In the snottiest attitude)
Me: I got two iced tea lemonades.
Blonde cashier hands over the receipt and turns around and continues to chat with her friends.
There may not be much of a conversation here but the interaction with her left me with a really negative experience. Ultimately the place is really nice and clean.

This location is DRASTICALLY better than the Caffebene in K-​Town. The wifi (is a little slow, but more than stable enough for Google Docs) works properly, the baristas are all really friendly and listen to your order carefully, it’s a lot cleaner, there’s a water pitcher, and the music is soft and pleasant jazz music instead of Chris Brown at 80 dB. The macarons are even significantly fresher, even if all the pastries might still be sourced from some unknown frozen foods supplier. And there is a cute courtyard outside in the back! I’m proud to be a regular here.
I recommend the lychee-​rose macarons if you want something pink and sweet (but not too sweet) to make you feel better, pomegranate iced tea if you want a something inexpensive and hydrating, and the misugaru latte, a Caffebene specialty. They do have soy milk here, btw.
Only cons: there aren’t enough outlets… always the problem. But hey, if you’re lucky!

actually one of my favorite reading location… I mean it’s also right next to strand
indoor area has a lot of book and some boardgames, outdoor area is just amazing with all the wood panels and lights~
if you are lucky and no one s carrying loud conversation then it’s the most ideal location to read in a warm afternoon~ (the outdoor area)

I love Caffe Bene. This location wasn’t as spacious and appealing to the eye as other locations (still awesome though, just comparing), but it had an open patio. I went at night, an hour before closing time and sat in the patio. Awesome weather with no one back there –take a deep breath of that city air– ah, relaxing.
Ofcourse, I came for my Chai Tea Latte ;) I think out of all the Chai Tea Lattes that I get, I like the one made here the most. It was not overly sweet, and I felt that nice ginger taste (although the drink was warm instead of hot, I will associate it to the place being close to closing time)…

5 stars for reaching out and trying. Thanks to the owner (I think she was the owner) sending a super nice personalized message to me asking me to try again, I came back to try again. To be perfectly honest, I was very pleased. The coffee tasted way better than it did the other times I came. I tried a cold brew and also an iced coffee. It tasted a lot higher quality than I expected (sorry for being honest).
All in all, pleasantly surprised, and definitely appreciative of the owner reaching out to me. Good job!

Wow, this place is wonderful! It has everything that one could dream of in a coffee shop: free Wi-​Fi, nice ambiance, nice crowd, bathroom, desks, and electric plugs for electronics.
Definitely worth coming for to get some motivation, energy, and inspiration! :)

This is a very cute Caffe Bene in a great location. Very nice outdoor area in the back to chill and relax. On the quiet side if you need to get some work done. Nice overall atmosphere and the staff are very polite and attentive.
You have a decent menu to pick from and the waffles are quite yummy!!! There are a lot of options to pick from for coffee in this area. Café Bene is definitely one of the better options.

OK! Caffe Bene. Coming from Korea and trying the Caffe Bene’s in Korea, I can safely say that it didn’t disappoint. This is because in Korea, Caffe Bene isn’t exactly the best café available. And this place… well it wasn’t the best either. They pride themselves in their «medium» blend coffee, but to be perfectly honest, I can’t even tell because it is a little too burnt. The ice coffee is just this weird water saturated with coffee grinds. Very unappealing. Either way. I do love Caffe Bene, but not because of their partially dirty interior, or their lackluster coffee, but because of their Garden in the back. The Garden itself is worth the 3 stars that I give it. It is this quaint little outdoor wooden patio where you can just go outside and read, people watch, or even just sleep. It has nice lighting stuck in between a couple apartment buildings, making for a very nice, secluded surrounding. The coffee isn’t great, but it is still coffee, and if meh coffee comes with a great study location, then I’ll take the meh coffee and deal with it.

Love this place for its amazing clean décor, espresso drinks and fast wifi. I find the staff extremely professional, even when its been really late at night. I love that they can make a mean cortado. Everyone in the café seems to be busy with their laptops but I think its also a great place to hang out with friends and have a quiet conversation. You can sit for as long as this place is open, its open quite late unlike other coffee shops. The décor is pleasing, they seem to have lots of options to eat which I have never tried out, should sometime soon. Always clean, and now they even have a patio. I think this might just be the best caffe bene location in Manhattan.

Such a great spot for studying and chilling. A thousand times better than The Bean right down the block. It’s nicely decorated, with free wifi, and they play nice soft jazz music in the background! They have good coffee and tea, and I haven’t tried any of their food but the cheesecake looks great and is much cheaper than a lot of the ones I’ve seen around. I can kill hours here just sitting and reading or doing stuff on my computer, and it has a very calm vibe to it. They have a cute back patio, but the weather has been too bad to use it lately so I really hope to check that out in the spring! Definitely one of my new favorite spots!

This is one of the better Caffe Bene’s that I’ve been to. Well kept and maintained. What separated this one from the others I’ve visited is that it’s very quiet. Usually I can’t study at other caffe bene’s because of their loud environment and all the chit chat, but this one was very peaceful. A lot of students were studying or doing work when I was there. There’s also books to pull from their shelves if you ever feel intrigued to read something different.
I haven’t ordered much off of their menu, but I usually always get the large chai latte with almond milk. Throw a little bit of cinnamon powder in there too for an extra kick!

Blonde girl behind the counter is rude and rolled her eyes at me– can’t get a salad or ingredients for a sandwich on lettuce or spinach (what they said they had). Maybe if you advertise as gluten free you should be more accommodating.
Certain a teas were unavailable which I wouldn’t normally complain about but when someone is rude everything becomes awkward. The guy at the register was very nice and apologized. Will not come back here– too many other options. This just happened a few minutes ago.
Can look at my review history I’m usually positive in interviews. They just killed my yoga serenity

Instant 5 stars because of this beautiful sign, (one punch man is fantastic a+ taste) tasty drinks (somewhat pricy but it’s to be expected of its location and still decent compared to other cafes in the area) and cute venue. There’s a decent amount of seating and the patio is so awesome when it’s warm out. The staff is also very energetic.

Red velvet latte was amazing! I love coming here to study or spend time with friends. I look forward to trying more of their treats!

Great atmosphere but the baristas forgot to make mine and my friends latte. And proceeded to argue that she had already made it.
Also, free WiFi but no outlets. Least customer friendly café.

This is probably one of the cutest caffe bene locations in NY. The back patio is the perfect chill hangout spot when the weather isn’t so bitter. It is also one of the cleanest Caffe benes that I have been to (they do have a bathroom passcode to keep out hobos). Service is consistently spot on.
If you are hanging out here, you can expect to be very productive… but hungry. Eventually you will want to order all the waffles in the world until you are desensitized to the constant smell that permeates the whole store… that is how they get you.
I think the only downside is that there is such an abundance of options you would never know where to begin/​what to order. Ask the cashiers and they will tell you exactly that when there is a huge line of people in front all you hear is hot chocolate and vanilla lattes when weather outside is frightful, and iced caramel latte macchiato in sweltering heat.
Many people stay for hours to work/​design/​study/​meet/​play games. There is a selection of books, manga, cards for humanity and various other random stuff for you to explore. Go to the wonderful world of caffe bene and see for yourself.

First of. The space is beautiful.
The selection of drinks is virtually-​every beverage that was ever invented. Red velvet lattes, yes, white mocha, smore’s chocolate… Gingerbread lattes…
Literally…everything.
I don’t understand the visious review of the person saying «we don’t need caffe bene in our neiborhood, Go to The Bean»
The Bean doesn’t have Bubble Tea dude. Its not only your neighborhood. Not everyone needs to have everything organic and glutten free. I don’t care. I like my coffee from Caffe Bene. Extra sweet. Extra BUBBLES.

The spinach quiche was suitably quichey. The shaved ice is huge. The ice is pretty finely shaved and they’re generous with the toppings. However, the ice itself was lacking in flavor.
It’s a good spot in that it’s open late and has wifi so you can hang out after dinner when most coffee shops are already closed.

Great service with delicious treats, like: waffles, mojitos, ice cream and sweets.
Beautiful location to write, work, or Tinder date, yummy coffee, lots of wood, and decorated in good taste.

If there was a zero star option this place would be it! This is my first time giving 1 star to an establishment.
Horrible customer service — it’s SO Slow. I went 3 times a day for a week straight. I will never go back. The coffee is not great, tea selection is not great, and, their pastries are over processed. It reminds me of a starbucks want-​to-​be.
Go to the Bean instead of this place, it’s a few doors north on Broadway and 12^th. It is AWESOME. Much better coffee, pastry and tea selections. Another spot is Le Pain Quotidien directly across the street from Caffe Bene.
In addition to the food/​beverage/​service, the owner (a women w dark hair who I was told was the owner) overcharged me. She pulled a price out of the air and didn’t apologize for it. When I questioned her pricing she snuck away to the back and had the unhelpful clerk deal with it. This experience was really disappointing.
Bottom line, we don’t need Caffe Bene in the neighborhood. We have The Bean, Le Pain, and Mad Men Espresso (on University and 10^th). Please support them instead. And, if you are craving Icecream go to Max Brenner just a few blocks north on Broadway.

They have a couple locations around the city but this one is my favorite. Service is good and quick and the coffee is always fresh and delicious. A fantastic little place to relax and enjoy a cup, either indoors or in the little outside area. Free Wifi too. Try the cinnamon pumpkin latte (seasonal) — so good!

Unbelievable space inside and wonderful, peaceful patio. Right in the heart of Union Square, it’s nice to find a quiet spot that’s away from all the chaos. Employees are always friendly and they have solid food and coffee for a decent price.

Great atmosphere and free WiFi are all I need for a study space, and on those counts Caffe Bene is a winner. The best things about this place is the super-​cute backyard. It’s shielded from the noises on the street and shaded by a leafy tree so it’s comfortable even in the dog days of summer. Just be warned, the WiFi doesn’t work very well outside.
They have a selection of books and magazines in the back in both English and Japanese, as well as a couple games (Jenga and Cards Against Humanity!!)
The food seems decent as well, though the signature dipped waffles are covered in enough frosting to give you a cavity, much too sweet for me. The major thing keeping me from rating this place higher is that their teas are subpar. I’m not a coffee drinker so if you are maybe this won’t be a problem.

Great place where you can sit, relax and enjoy a good coffee, they have a wide selection of freshly baked desserts and not only desserts.
I loved the place, I loved their coffe and their waffel, would love to go back there.
They have a back yard too, lovele, cozy and nicely furnished.
just try it.

Thank god there’s finally one near (NYU) campus! I wish it had opened earlier, I love this chain.
Staff is really friendly, the interior is what you would expect, but there are some nice large tables for studying by the front window and in the back. It looks like they have some kind of garden or open seating area in the back, which I’ll be excited to explore next time. Cute date place and nice study spot.

UPDATE: Their back yard is open and its surprisingly cozy for the neighborhood; hanging lights & potted plants. Yup, awesome place to read
I come here every morning for a medium latte before work and they’re consistently tasty (I’m surprised to find many other cafes in NYC use so much milk since moving here not too long ago). They offer a variety of pastries and other foods, which I appreciate. This is very convenient for a guy like me who has no choice but to eat breakfast on the go. I recommend trying both the teriyaki and spicy chicken sandwiches (FYI when they «spicy chicken»…they really mean spicy). Their waffles seem to be a popular choice (i always see them making one when i’m there)
The employees are welcoming as well (though service is a tad slow… perhaps they’re new to their jobs), but they seem energetic and outgoing; they properly greet every customer that walks in.
I also enjoy their spacious venue that offer plenty of seating. They have an open-​air patio in the back, but unfortunately it wasn’t open to the public yet (I look forward to reading outside once they do). I’m really glad this cozy place opened up near my office!

Opening pains… Hopefully just teething problems.
Came here one Wednesday morning en route to work.
Menu is fun, Korean-​western café style with a fantastic dessert menu, waffle and ice cream bar and good range of coffees. They also have a pastry stand that you can use a cafeteria tray and pick your own.
Problems… Oh problems…
The woman working the cashier was helpless. To be fair, technology was failing her (credit card machine not working) but people are desperately waiting for coffee so why not just tell them cash only and move on vs dwelling on tech that she can’t fix?
Same problem with my order– one of the pastries had no labels and she took a full 5 mins trying to figure out what it was (pastries are all around $ 3.50 so she might as well have punched that in), and then forgot my drink order. At the end she got the pastry wrong anyways… See my ‘carrot muffin’ photo
Menu has potential. Staff really needs to get their groove for the morning crowd since three other cafes are on the same block