The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Coffee is good, if they get your order right and if you get your coffee. Clean bathroom, but no toilet paper available.
I ordered an iced Americano, but they made me a hot one. I simply asked for a cup of ice to pour the Americano into yet it was hard for them to comprehend. My fiancé still has not gotten his iced latte…

This location is rather clean! The staff is not super chatty, but are personable. Which is awesome! They are not trying to charm you to death!
I am angry that they got rid of my Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeño bagel!
But their teas and coffee are dee-​lish! Good pastries! I don’t have to beg for the soy milk or almond milk. And I like the honey straws!
I wish that they served tacos like the stores in Cali, just sayin’

A pleasant, welcomed relief to be greeted by a CBTL amongst so many Starbucks in NYC. Even better when the location has California artwork (see the pic I posted). This location has 2 oddities to it in terms of setup, both of which other Unilocalers pointed out.
–an oddly placed community table that makes it look more like a computer workstation
–toward the back, gifts for purchase behind a TINY glass door (think curio cabinet, but a glass door like a regular door).
I was greeted quickly and my beverage was made fast as well. I got the jasmine dragon phoenix pearl green tea. Ahh, it tasted just like I remember.
I asked for where the bathroom was and felt like I was bothering the employees who were discussing social media.
An okay overall experience. Mostly, I was just happy to be graced by a CBTL.

Tried to redeem a coupon via Tattle but Karina the cashier told me they won’t accept it, which is fine, but she turned to her coworkers to complain about me trying to redeem it… The coffee isn’t good enough for me to forgive that and come back.

This place is bizarrely popular considering what you’re getting or rather not getting. No foam on my almond milk latte and my egg wrap had olives in it, entirely my fault for not reading that but eew! (Sorry olive lovers). Also the layout is very weird, they have everything you almost need at the tables in the middle except stirrers, nbd.

Horrible experience. The guy at the register was SO RUDE. They didn’t even have a menu. When I asked if they have hot chocolate he didn’t even answer my question and handed me a receipt with its price. Never had such a bad experience in any other coffee shop. The hot chocolate was okay. But I will definitely not be returning!

As with most coffee beans, the actual place is nice and a step up from the other famous chain.
Coffee is good. Food is expensive and not great.
Can be a bit hard to work at night as the baristas seem to have a party/​play really loud music or have their friends round after 9.

This particular location is terrible. Took them 15 minutes to prepare two wageted down cappuccinos. Got a macaroon that was rock hard and then took them another 10 minutes to get the manager and refund the $ 2.75 we paid for the macaroon. They told us the macaroons were fresh from today, but threw the rest of the display away after we complained — unlikely had they acually been fresh. Lots of great places to grab a coffee on the UWS — this is not one of them.

It’s a steamy hot summer day in NYC. The type of day where you’re feeling thermogenic, the sidewalk looks like a griddle you could fry a sunny side up egg on, and it’s simply scorching out. You’re craving an ice cold blended caffeinated beverage as a means of escaping the heat, if only momentarily, and you want a place to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of the UWS scene for just a little bit and enter into a California/​LA vibe. This store manages to provide on two of the three. The décor and accouterments are intended to evoke Los Angeles/​Hollywood, where this chain began. The beverages are refreshing. However, there is just simply no relief from the heat in this store. I don’t know what it is with CBTL, but they just don’t seem to like providing the customers with air conditioning. Maybe they’re hoping you’ll buy more cold beverages to avoid heat stroke or it’s close cousin, syncope. But at the end of the day, there’s just simply no relief from the heat here. They’re incredibly close-​fisted with the dang AC. To make matters worse, the complimentary tap water here always seems to be off-​tasting. In other stores, it’s a real delight, a mechaye if you will. (I figured to throw in a Yiddish word since the store is kosher, as evidenced by the lovely certificate on the wall). But here, the water tastes off, due to the addition of an unusual medley of fruits, including oranges, lemons, cucumbers (all good in water), and the real black sheep kicker, what appears like Maraschino cherries at the bottom of the water tank. I don’t know who got the idea that cucumbers go well with cherries. At least it’s another option to stave off heat stroke. The bathroom in this location is also lacking in cleanliness, and always has a terrible odor, as if the toilet bowl is malfunctioning

Always love coffee bean and tea leaf but I was a little disappointed at this location when I saw flies near the trash can. Counter, containers and sink are all pretty dirty. Maybe I am just extra observing today. Staff were friendly though.

I always drop by this particular Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the way home. In love with their iced vanilla latte (somehow Starbucks’ one just doesn’t taste as good!) I especially like how their iced drinks use crushed ice. Don’t know why it makes a difference but it does!
Took off 1 star because their staff can be really friendly or unfriendly sometimes, and their TV displays have not been functional for a while.
But otherwise, it’s a clean, quiet, well lit and conducive environment for a conversation or to do work! Starbucks always seems too… dark.

Very rude people that work there will never come here again. Coffee was not how I wanted

The coffee was ok and the shop looked nice, the guy at the cash register acted like I was the worst thing he’s come across. He was SO RUDE and practically threw everything at me.
The service wasn’t apathetic it was down right insulting, I live a block down and will never be visiting again

Pretty nice place. I’m from California so I’ve been to better ones, but this is a nice place to remind me of home and it’s always a nice change up when I’ve been going to Starbucks too much. They usually make the drinks right and are pretty nice. It’s a chill spot

The iced brew this morning was not very good. I think other places taste better. I like the coffee bean company but this place is not a place I would go back. The coffee tastes burnt. Also the girl at the register was not that great. I bought 4 pastries and typically they would ask if you need a bag, but she didnt. It’s not a big deal but the bad coffee is a real downer.

Nice place. Michael Albert artwork hanging up, which I love. They have a teacher/​student discount for 10% off. Coffee is good and the staff is friendly. Love the atmosphere.

Meh I’ve experienced better at a coffee shop.
I went in yesterday with a friend to grab a cup of coffee and perhaps a seat. We had been walking for a bit and wanted to rest a little. The first thing that caught my attention was the lack of seating. Specifically that all seats were taken! It looked more like a computer lab than a coffee shop. No one looked as though the would be moving in the immediate future so we decided to get the coffee and go.
We waited on line behind an older gentleman who ordered a very complex coffee and proceeded to pay with change. About $ 4.00 in dimes, nickels and quarters. So more time waiting and standing. He left the cashier with about $.20 for a tip. Talk about generosity.
My friend and I each ordered the same thing. A small latte with skim milk. Our names were taken and we proceeded to wait. Eventually we heard our names and «nonfat vanilla.» Not exactly what we ordered. My friend spoke to the barista and her order was corrected. I left mine as it was. The coffee was pretty good but I couldn’t fathom how she got the order so wrong. Perhaps she’s new.
Overall it was an ok experience. I wouldn’t go rushing back. They did offer free ice water which was a nice touch. Located right near the station to add sugar and milk to your beverage.

Nice servers and good almond crioissants.

These cafes are popping up all over. Unfortunately, they aren’t consistent from location to location. This one is on the small side, and that has some serious downsides. Plus, the staffers aren’t that good at what they do.
Though small, the layout here works well. There’s a communal table in the center, several tables along the wall, and some comfy leather chairs by the floor-​to-​ceiling windows up front. Those let in a lot of light and make the space feel less cramped. Yay for that.
Bad part is that the outlets are only over by the wall and so you have people competing for that space. There’s also a weird area toward the back where some freestanding tables are smushed up next to the sugar/​stirrers area and also a random glass trophy case. I’m really unsure why that’s necessary.
Chairs are pretty comfortable, even at the communal table.
The coffee drinks are pretty good, and if you’re already addicted to this chain’s usual fare then you won’t be disappointed. However, you may have to wait a while. Every time I’ve been in here the folks behind the counter have not been very together. It takes so long for them to make drinks that people regularly forget that they were waiting for one, which leads to endless calling out of names and drink titles until someone goes OH RIGHT, THAT’S ME.
Personally, I find the food and drink here too much on the overpriced side. Free Wi-​Fi has a way of drawing me in, though.

Good neighborhood place for a great cup of coffee and a bite to eat. We tried the oatmeal and a cup of joe while waiting for the cream puff place next door to open. Friendly staff — a comfortable place to read the paper and plan your day.