Beetlebung

Nice café, great atmosphere on a rainy day. Only problem: the nearest restroom is a public restroom down the street. Not great on a rainy day.

Horrible service!
The coffee drinks were very good as were the scones (hence the 2 star review). The service, HORRIBLE! The guy at the counter treated us like we were a nuisance and keeping him from doing something more important (the shop was extremely quiet).
I asked him a question about a local tour and he looked down his nose at me like I threw-​up on his counter.
To the management of Beetlebung — we had a reservations at your restaurant in Oak Bluffs for dinner. After this experience, we cancelled it. I will not support your establishment until you teach your staff some manners!

Had lunch here with a friend last weekend (end of June 2014.) Some vegetarian options were available, that could be made vegan. As well as lots of smoothie options. Apparently this is a new location. The vibe is very nice. It was nice and cool in a hot summer day. The lighting was fantastic (Moroccan hanging glass lamps everywhere.) The food was good, but they put in my order and then somehow it was never passed onto the kitchen (there were only a handful of us in there so really no excuse for this.) My friend received her meal within 5 minutes. Ten minutes later I’m still waiting and had to go up to the counter to ask what had happened. They apologized and offered us two free (large) cookies, which was nice. I’d definitely go back again, but suggest management educate staff to always check in on guests up front to make sure things are okay.

Had a wonderful smoothie while hub got a smoked blue bagel. Great shop, too. Food was fresh and fabulous.

My son and I had several excellent sandwiches (one of which was a grilled tuna and cheese panini) and iced coffee last week when visiting my in laws in West Tisbury. The food and coffee were the best! The interior is revamped and a very nice improvement from my last visit in 2011. A great place to go to eat, drink and check out the shop connected to the café. And, it’s very close to the beach.

First things first: The name Beetlebung comes from two words, the beetle being a large cask to hold whale oil, and the bung being the stopper to hold the oil in the cask. What does Beetlebung have to do with coffee? Nothing, really, except that this coffee shop is on Martha’s Vineyard, one of the oldest whaling communities in the country. So, the name is a shout-​out to the whaling past of MV, something that was outlawed long ago but is an integral part of the island’s history. That’s enough for me.
I adore Beetlebung. Here’s why: they have delicious teas in several varieties, and they’re all loose-​leaf, which makes a huge difference to the tea drinker (myself). They steep them properly before handing them over to the patron, which also makes a huge difference. And, Beetlebung has awesome, AWESOME t-​shirts. My favorite on the island, actually.
Being less than a block away from the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal, this is an ideal spot to come hang out if you’ve missed your boat or got there early — they have free wi-​fi and plenty of snacks like panini, muffins, macaroons, and brownies to keep you satiated whist you wait.
The cozy interior is very welcoming on a cold-​ish, windy day. There are a few tables and booths, but most of the seating area is taken up by their retail section, which is not, I repeat NOT to be missed. Their tees and caps and mugs and what have you are just so cool — perhaps the coolest Martha’s Vineyard schwag you can find. They take designs made by local artists and feature those on the items rather than their name or the name of the Island — like a Rorschach lobster, or a wood-​block mermaid or even a painted school of jellyfish. Very cool indeed.
Like I said, I love this cozy little coffee shop. It’s quaint and funky and all that is good. Love it!