Hard Bean Coffee & Mad Brothers Gaming

We stopped in this shop one day on the way up 896 to Newark because OK, I admit it, I’m a sucker for local independently owned coffee shops and I’d never noticed it before. Any coffee shop that’s going to make it has to have its little niche, and this one also offers a game area, which is mostly video games. I’m a little sketchy on the details because I was after caffeine and not video games, but from what I gather, one could theoretically haul a busload of kids in there to play against each other on various video game consoles. Or just go in and do your own thing while your addictive console of choice is in the shop, I guess, or til you pay off your internet bill and get it turned back on.
But the coffee was yummy, the owner was nice, and the game area didn’t distract from the nice little coffee shop vibe out front.
*this is a review for an old visit, as I haven’t been up there lately, but someone just reminded me of the Middletown coffee shops and the fact that they weren’t on my coffee shop list here