Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Chill. Delicious. Spacious. Lots of outlets. Good place to study, work, hang out. Nice employees.

The space and ambiance is a nice change from your standard Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. All types of seating from tables to stools to comfy single seaters. I definitely was enjoying this spot, until you remember there is a NYSC right above you. For the most part you probably wouldn’t know, until you hear someone dropping weights and the whole building shakes a little. Once or twice wouldn’t be bad, but if course no one does just one or two, but a set, and usually not just one set either.
My suggestion, go here when people aren’t likely to be at the gym. If you figure out when thatbis, please let me know.

Spacious coffee house on 2^nd Ave. and East 34^th St. It was pretty quiet on a Sunday evening. We got a latte and a coffee apiece and both were fine. Nothing special about either but they didn’t disappoint. We shared a banana nut muffin which, again, was adequate but nothing superb.
I think the greatest draw is that the place is pretty roomy inside and has a variety of seating options: small tables for 2, tables for up to 6, leather (ette) chairs that can be arranged to sit individually or with a group, a high-​top work table, etc.
The place was fairly well maintained. The bathroom, too, was pretty clean but it also doubled as a storage area and they were out of the paper towels to dry your hands with. Instead, there was a roll or large toilet paper placed there. A little annoying that but what are you going to do?

How do I review this place? 5 stars all the way on staff, food, comfy seating and ambiance are awesome! But 1 star on a very important matter. Their WiFi has been broken for over six months. Coffee Bean is now a GHOST TOWN! Sad to see.
I have a hot spot and unlimited data, so it’s no big deal for me. But for most, no WiFi means no business for Coffee Bean. I’ve seen people come in, setup their and notebooks/​tablets before ordering. Once they discover that there isn’t any WiFi, they hightail it out of there and head to Starbucks on 32^nd and Second.
What takes so long to get WiFi fixed? They have Time-​Warner, so what’s the holdup? Coffee Bean corporate is clueless. They also own Orange Leaf next-​door and ran that into the ground… therefore syanora! Orange Leaf is now vapor. Exorbitant prices combined with miniscule portions.

Just a standard coffee bean. We ordered 2 small teas, but they gave us large teas anyway.
Totally unnecessary since it dilutes the teas.
I like the public space outside, but people seriously need to stop smoking. It’s bad for all of us.

Crushed ice is the best thing, I also love the coffee & tea here! This location has a lot of room for seating inside and outside so a lot of the NYU Langone employees come here for breaks.
They also sell macarons here and it has its separate cute little display case :):) I recommend the tea lattes!

Why would I give a place I frequent so often only two stars? Because of all the times I have been here over the past few months the Wifi has NEVER worked.
Why do I keep going here even though they have no Wifi?
They have lots of seating, four types of iced teas, a large selection of loose leaf hot tea, and pastries, all of which I have enjoyed every time I have been here.
Basically, when my favorite café is too crowded to sit, I can usually find a seat here.
I have asked the staff a few times about the Wifi, I always get the same answer: Try to log on to OrangeLeaf, we are unable to restart our Wifi if it is not working. Now I feel obligated to buy stuff at OrangeLeaf since I am using their Wifi. I think other CBTLs are run better, I’m not sure what is off with this one.
I have not tried the premade salads and sandwiches. Now that it is winter they also are selling a few types of hot chocolate mixes in large canisters.
I am not a coffee drinker so I have not tried it, I heard it’s good and they sell some in packages to take home.
In the summer it was always so cold inside I could only buy stuff and then sit outside in the area open to the public. Now that it’s winter the temperature is just right.

CB & TL is a west coast transplant to our fair city. This chain offers typical coffee house fare — coffee, tea and espresso drinks both hot and iced. Cookies, brownies etc, but they also have waffles and egg sandwiches if you want something more substantial. I love many things about this location. Here are a few:
They’re located within a promenade, open to the public, maintained by the building management. It’s a great place to enjoy coffee with friends, dogs, or solo on a nice day.
They provide a self service water dispenser for their customers. I like to drink a glass or two of water before drinking coffee and this saves me the awkwardness of requesting the water and, subsequently, the painful refill.
Their variety of food is delicious. Like other coffee chains, they offer breakfast and lunch items, but CB & TL’s sandwiches are really tasty! Their coffee is also great. It never taste bitter or burnt, which I can’t say for some of their competitors.
Because there are fewer of these locations, it’s a treat to come here. It’s a nice place to literally «meet someone for coffee» especially because of the outdoor promenade. There is a big communal table to work at and a few other chairs. Not the most intimate but you could definitely enjoy spending time with another person here. Or by yourself.
Keep doing what you’re doing CB & TL. NYC welcomes you.