Beans Central

If I could give it zero stars I would. Horrible experience. Not surprised it’s closed. Groupon refunded my money. I walked out.

Finally cracked and tried this «high tea» thing everyone keeps talking about. Only because there was a coupon.
Parking is available on the side streets.
The shop is pretty cozy, and would be nice even for a simple coffee. Staff are plentiful. The tables have receptacles, which is nice if one needs to charge a gadget.
The coupon included a pot of tea (free refills), as well as a 3-​layer platter of little finger sandwiches and desserts. I got confused over the tea samples. Too much variety. They all smelled so good, but unfortunately the tea never tastes like what it smells like. With that said, pretty much everything is good.
The platter came with a bunch of tiny finger sandwiches, such as smoked salmon, and alfalfa. Really dainty looking. There were also croissants, and various desserts such as a lemon berry with coconut. All of them were good, but this is really just a snack. With the coupon (half price) it was a good deal, but I really can’t justify paying full price ($ 35) for the experience.
This place does close early. As in «if you work banker hours you can’t come here» early. Something to keep in mind.
I’d probably be back at some point, but probably just for the coffee.

They only have high-​tea available on weekends as they are more of a café on weekdays. Their high-​tea is 35 $ for two people; there are 9 different kinds of tea to choose from: green tea, red tea, decaffeinated, you get 2 types of sandwiches: smoked salmon and imitation crab, scone and croissant, and dessert pastry. I honestly would prefer more variety and i also find that the portions weren’t enough. The coconut lemon tart was a bit too sweet for my liking. Service is good and it looks like its a small-​run family business. I paid 16 $ for the high-​tea special online but I probably would not pay full price for it. Free parking available on side streets.

We walked in to order coffee and croissants and walked right out when we noticed that there were fruit flies crawling on the pastries. It’s too bad because my last visit to Beans (about four years ago) was pretty good (the coconut cake was delicious). Unfortunately, I won’t be back.

First time in for an espresso and wasn’t good. The pour is way to long and is more like a coffee. Espresso should be short with crema. I wanted to line this place and will probably come back for a sandwich as they look good. With jj bean close by really master your coffee skills.

Great coffee (parallel 49). Paninis are my favourite thing on the menu. Comfortable seating. Family-​run business, owner is super attentive with costumers.
A bit too dark inside for my liking. Staff is a bit timid but friendly otherwise.

When I walked in, I was like this is an interesting Café store. Nice music.
However tugged was this lady sitting by the couch that was really angry looking at my mom and I. And she said quiet loud pointing to my mom and I, «of you keep this up you will not have any Caucasian customer «. She then started to bang on things very destructive and the other customers in the restaurant said something to get about her asking what was her problem. She was later asked to leave. Hopefully the lady feel disgraced. I am not upsetted by her behaviour because she is the one being asked to leave no me.
Other than that the food was quite good. Very fresh. Had a few choices on tea. I ordered the groupon high tea special for $ 20.
Would come back here for sure

Best sandwiches!
I love the feel of this coffee shop. I often come here and have a sandwich and coffee and it feels like I’m at a friends house.

I saw these reviewed on the front page of Unilocal on April 18, 2015, therefore book marked it.
Firstly this shop is small, however, they pack a lot of punch in the personality department. There is a bohemian ambiance that is created.
There is limited seating, however, there is a couch and a communal table.
The table is for groups of 4 or more, however, the owner allowed me to do my art for 30 minutes before closing.
This shop is only open on the weekdays between 8 — 5 pm, therefore, it was either this week or not at all.
They have a lot of unique flavors and names. Very extensive menu.
Bonus points ’cause they’re one of the few coffee shops that actually has coconut milk as a diary alternative.
I had the London Fog, sugar free made with coconut milk which added a unique addicting dimension.
Price was $$$, almost $ 5 for an 8 oz. The coconut milk was an additional 75 cents, however, with everything else it was still an expensive drink.
So why the 4 and not 5? Their hours need to be more accessible.

Delicious soups and baked goods. The place cute and cozy, great for rainy days. The staff is very nice too! The only cons are the short hours and that there’s limited seating.

A very cozy little nook to get away from the city life and snuggle on a couch to read in your favourite little corner– the panini is a fair size and surprisingly filling for what it’s worth on the price tag whereas the caramel macchiato still has some room for improvement. This is by far one of the cutest café I’ve encountered thus far and would love to chitchat with friends here more often if I’m in the area.

I came here with my mom for a quick breakfast before she went to the airport. Unfortunately, our experience was not great.
My mom and I ordered two breakfast bagels, a cappuccino, and an italian soda. The cappuccino was ready fast, and made with parallel 49 coffee (definitely the best in Vancouver). After that though, everything went downhill. Only one girl was working on a Tuesday morning, and since this coffee shop is fairly busy she ended up taking coffee orders and filling those for 10 minutes before she even started the italian soda or bagels.
Once the line died down, she put ice and syrup in the italian soda cup, and then filled it up over 80% with milk, followed by a splash of club soda. I have never had an Italian soda prepared in this fashion, and I’m not a fan of milk. Googling after the fact told me that Italian soda’s are sometimes prepared in this fashion (50% half and half cream, 50% soda), but this was news to me (and I’ve ordered Italian soda’s all over the country). I tried to explain to the girl what I understood was an Italian soda, but she didn’t understand and just refunded me the money, which was fair enough.
By this point we were really hungry and our bagels weren’t even in the toaster yet. The fact that the fridge unit next to the cashier was dripping water over some of the pastries (they were saran wrapped, but still…) really lowered my confidence in the quality of the kitchen behind the scenes. Since the line was growing again, we just decided to get a refund on our bagels and have breakfast elsewhere.
I fully understand that everything wasn’t this girls fault, she was friendly and stuck by herself in a busy coffee shop. However, there are obviously a lot of management problems that have to be addressed.
Come here if you want a coffee, but I can’t recommend it for anything else.

The coffee in my latte was so badly burnt it smelled caramelized as I stirred some honey into it. The soy foam receded into (granted, still pillowy) clumps shortly after.
This was a mixture of flavourless with lashings of burnt. Walking inside, specifically to avoid the coffee chain nearby, was like being plunged into the darkest of winter because it was so dimly lit that I couldn’t easily see the change I was trying to get from my wallet. Other reviewers have praised the food but I can’t get past the coffee.
Famous roaster or not, it depends on what you do with it.

Décor /​Ambience ³⁄₅
— Cozy and farm, feels like you’re in someones living room
— around 5 2-​person tables, around 2 couches, and 1 or 2 4 person tables
— Clean
— Quiet, no loud music, would be a good place to get work done or to catch up with friends.
Service: ⁴⁄₅
— Very friendly staff
Food/​Drink: 2.5÷5
— I didn’t try any food but I saw a few people eating sandwiches, and they have a selection of smoothies on their menu also
— I tried their drip coffee — found it too acidic and watery for my liking (~2 $)
— also tried their Americano of which I found to be a little on the sour side too
— perhaps a selection of roasts for drip would be nice, I don’t like acidic but i’m sure there are those who do.
— I saw they had a large selection of teas and other beverages too
I’d come back to try their other beverages, to catch up with friends, or to get work done on my laptop.

If you are in the Cambie Village and need a good cup of coffee, and perhaps have a cosy place to sit, do yourself a favour and go to Beans. Many people will be tempted to pass by this wonderful little coffee shop and go to the Starbucks just 2 blocks up, but you would be missing out on better coffee, friendlier service, great food and supporting a local business.
I moved to the Cambie Village several months ago, and one day, I decided to try to baby blue painted coffee shop. I don’t know what drew me in, but I’ve been going back almost weekly ever since. When first entering, you will see some comfy chairs and couches immediately in a sitting area to the left, chairs along the wall on the left, and the counter and kitchen area to the right. So, if you want to come for coffee and chat with friends, or a coffee and read a book, or a place for a bite, caffeine and work on a paper, Beans will have a seating place for you.
Beans serves 49 Parallel Coffee. For a coffee lover, this is a very good thing (I find 49^th Parallel one of the best coffee roasters in Vancouver). The coffee is flavourful and strong, without being burnt or overpowering. A large cup of drip coffee will cost you about $ 2 for a large, while a large cappuccino will cost you around $ 4 and a large mocha being $ 4.50. Ciders and hot chocolate are also available if you want something other than coffee. As with most coffee shops, Beans also offers almond or soy milk, as well as different flavoured syrups. If hot drinks aren’t your thing, then you can get everything from iced frapps and iced mochas ($ 4-​$ 4.75) or Italian sodas and iced tea (~$ 3).
If you are wanting something to eat with your drink, Beans offers a great selection of baked goods, soups, and sandwiches. I highly recommend their homemade muffins (I really like their apple cinnamon muffin for ~$ 2.50) and cookies. I have yet to try their homemade soups, but my friends that have gone (as well as other Unilocalers that review Beans) have had nothing but high praise for the soups being both incredibly tasty and large portions.
If you’re in the Cambie Village and are looking for a bite to eat, a sweet treat, or some java to power you through your day, Beans is a great alternative to other coffee shops in the area. I certainly recommend you check them out.

The espresso is great here and when I was there at least there was NO LOUD MUSIC playing, which actually made it easy to sit and have a quiet conversation.
The staff really had a hard time filling what was, I thought, some pretty easy requests; #1– an iced latte to stay doesn’t mean put it in a plastic cup anyway
#2 — a half decaf latte doesn’t mean you use half and half cream, it means one shot of espresso is caffeinated and one shot is is decaffeinated! These were very difficult concepts for the server to grasp apparently.

I wish I could love this place! It is in my hood and it’s a great alternative to the neighboring Starbucks. Unfortunately, the coffee is average at best. On the plus side it has a very nice, homy feel, the staff are friendly and my daughter loves the hot chocolate!

It’s a neat little coffee shop, coziness and all. Very home-​like w/​the chairs, tables, and a few love seats too.
Ordered the blueberry banana smoothie, recommended and fresh. Just wished they had plastic wrapped straws lol.

What a lovely little place! Chained my bike up out the front in need of a good latte, and I certainly got one! An instant «Hi how are you?» from the guy serving is always a good start :) And he’d bring it to the table? Cheers! (Although I still always have to get up and go add honey). He even asked what type of milk I’d like!
There was a mini library there too, how cool is that? Coffee and books go hand in hand. Lovely soft seats to sink right into, relaxing music… and a guy talking loudly whilst eating *sigh*. Some things cannot be controlled ;)
Free wi fi also. Highly recommended little place! One star down purely because my latte was a touch too strong and I’m a creamy person (that sounds wrong!).

In «Cambie Village» there lies yet another Vancouver neighbourhood café called «Beans» or Beans Central.
Big surprise, I know. Me, Unilocaling a Café ;-)
Typical in some ways with bagel breakfasts on the menu this cute café also offers some different lunch options.
Flavoured with a Thai influence are the daily soup and a hot specials. I had the Coconut Chicken soup. A nice option for my limited diet.
Also available are sammies and hot drinks. The Beans are 49^th Parallel. This coffee snob gives Beans a nod and a thumbs up.
* Wireless!