60 Beans Kitchen & Coffee

One of Astoria’s gems. The atmosphere in here is hard to beat, especially if you can grab a coveted space next to the fireplace! The baristas here are always friendly and the coffee is great.

Décor is modern/​rustic. Seating is quite comfortable and the staff of knowledgable and friendly. However, the product is not where it should be.
I ordered two cappuccinos for a friend and myself and they were both so cold.
Wish they had more dessert options.

After buying my coffee and finding a seat, I set up my computer to start working and I was told to put it away because they have a «no laptops after 5pm» rule.

Overall this place gets 5 stars, though some elements of my review only get 2 – 3 stars. I’ve broken the review down into Former Coffee-​only Shop, Segueway into coffeeshop/​restaurant and Dinner Restaurant:
As a Former Coffee-​only Shop: 4*
I liked this place as the coffee was good, the ambiance is overall nice (they not only had some cushy chairs for conversation, but a bar counter down the center where you could sit or stand and another bar counter along the windows where you could sit. They also have a good variety of pastry/​food offerings especially considering they are primarily a coffee shop.
I tend to prefer smaller, more intimate coffeeshops however, so the only reason I often come here is because it’s the closest to where I live. They also have WiFi.
They really should do something about stools in front of shop which have metal legs resting on a stone floor. Ugh! The noise when people move stools across the floor is horrid. Please invest in some of those felt pads that you can stick on the bottom of furniture and chairs! ;-)
Segueway into coffeeshop/​restaurant: 2*
Around Nov 2015, 60 Beans changed the setup inside. Gone is the center counter along the side where ‘loners’ could sit/​stand. Gone is the sectional type seating in the back. It’s all been replaced with small, wooden tables with a chair on either side all elevated onto a long ‘box’. Not particularly inviting looking by day (though at night with the lights dim and candles lit it looks fine).
However, it has caused much confusion, and a feeling of alienation, by former customers. And I assume new customers are also confused, particularly if they arrive close to the time when the place is switching over from coffeeshop-​only to primarily-dinner-restaurant-but…yeah-you-can-still-stand-at-the-front-bar-counter-and-drink-coffee-if-you-want.
I’ve also noticed a few times that I arrived with my laptop just an hour or so before their new WiFi cutoff time, and I ordered coffee and food… get all settled in only to realize… they now have a cutoff time for WiFi… and it’s not even an hour from now? (If I’d known that I would have gone to a different coffeeshop!)
During the morning/​coffeehouse hours, the tables/​chairs along the side intended for diners later in the day, can be used by coffee drinkers or otherwise folks on their laptops. What ends up happening is that many lone coffee drinkers/​laptop users are commandeering a table, and then the chair on the other side is either wasted, or else a brave soul asks to sit directly opposite their new-​found stranger friend, which results in lots of awkward determined stares into each of their own glowing devices, as if the other person two feet from their own face does not exist.
I reccomend that they make it much more clear about the morning coffeehouse thing vs the evening restaurant thing. I know there are other places (I think I heard of some in Bushwick?) where the places take on like a dual-​faced plan… in the a.m. they are one thing… often going by one name… and in the evening they are something totally different, perhaps with a different chef/​manager and again, going by a different name.
Maybe they can have two different ‘V-​signs’ to put on the sidewalk. For the a.m. hours it says in the top portion ’60 Beans COFFEEHOUSE’ 700a — 500p’. Then a horizontal line and underneath that it says ’60 Beans CAFE (NO WiFi) 500p-​1100p’ …or something like that.
Then maybe during evening hours, the sign (with spotlight) is reversed with the CAFE/​dinner mention being at the top, and at the bottom of the sign it ‘reminds’ people to ‘stop by in the a.m. for coffee and free WiFi’…
Either way they need to better differentiate the coffeehouse 60 Beans from the dinner/​restaurant 60 Beans.
60 Beans as a dinner restaurant: 5*
I’d seen their dinner menu and read something about the chefs and… I finally decided to try it out.
The first thing I was unsure of was… should I expect someone to greet me by the front entrance… do I walk to the back section to indicate I’m there for dinner? Either way I eventually wandered towards back for someone to notice me. I indicated I was there for dinner and was seated in the back.
At my character limit so … Food (overall) Sublime. Beet salad with goat chs/​kumquat almost brought tears to my eyes. Duck pâté plate perfectly executed/​presented. Beet pasta was more ‘sweet’ than anything. would prefer more complexity in that dish… maybe use chopped sage throughout instead of few whole sage leaves for decoration? Wine excellent. Service excellent. Music? AWESOME. Cranb chscake excellent but since you are clearly all about the details/​aesthetic, I’d reco ramekins or if must be mason jar, ones without obvious peach-​colored rubber seal… even an ivory seal would look nicer. And… for ppl like me on shorter side, benches with hard edges that slope UPwards under (dangling) legs uncomfortable. Maybe try cushions along benches?

This restaurant experience was a last minute discovery when my husband and I had been previously bummed to have struck out on other plans for date night (Hamilton lottery, A View from the Bridge play). I had had an unused
gift card for several years, so decided to try to use it for date night. I surfed their site searching for a place in our neighborhood with good reviews. After sifting through a bunch of lackluster places and getting discouraged, I stumbled upon 60 Beans.
At first I was a little confused that what was once simply a coffee house now was offering a full dinner menu, but the menu looked interesting and I saw some good reviews here. We had no idea how lucky we were when we made the reservation! Now I want to shout it from the mountaintops that this place ROCKS for dinner.
BEST dinner we’ve had in ages! My husband and I shared the following:
1) Duck Confit with pickled mustard seeds and country toast — very tasty. Only thought is that the slenderly shaped pieces of toast made it a little challenging to spread and balance the confit, but I saw a pic here that show pieces that were wider, so perhaps it was just our particular loaf of bread.
2) Salt Cod Croquettes with fennel garlic crème fraîche — a little too hot at first, but once cooled ever so slightly were delicious. Nice and crispy outer crust, soft and tasty on the inside.
3) Roasted Beet Salad with sage pesto, pistachio, truffled goat cheese, endive — wasn’t sure how I’d like this, as I’m not a big beet fan, but the combination was great.
Then we each had our own entrée:
1) hers — Squid Ink Campanelle with mussels, braised squid, smoked leeks, preserved lemons, fermented chili paste. This was adventurous for me, and was the perfect choice. The level of heat was absolutely spot on in both my and my husband’s opinion.
2) his — Rigatoni with beef shin ragu, roasted tomato, horseradish — he liked it very much; said the combination of the shredded beef with the pasta was a new texture combo for him and it worked well.
The flavor combinations were sublime on every course — complex and well-​balanced, interesting, perfectly seasoned. As another reviewer mentioned, I can’t even pick a favorite of the various things I ate as they were consistently delicious. I’ve only had that kind of artful and consistently pleasing taste experiences a handful of times, such as at a high end restaurant such as Eleven Madison Park, where you spend $ 300pp! (dare I compare? There are levels, of course, that I wouldn’t; I’m solely speaking toward consistency and artful flavor combinations) To think this stellar quality is available blocks from my house for closer to every day kind of prices is a little dangerous for me to consider.
Finally, and despite the fact that we were full at this point, we just had to see what the chef had dreamt up and shared the cheesecake with a balancingly tart cranberry topping and delicious fennel graham crust. We loved the presentation, in a little retro glass jar with an open clamped lid.
Our server, Jackie, was great. Helpful, kind, and attentive.
I also wanted to mention the peaceful, romantic, and delightfully retro atmosphere replete with figment bulbs. We sat at the hightop tables, and I was so pleased to find that the bench seat I chose (which at first didn’t appear as comfortable as the chair my husband had) was perfect for my shorter legs, as there’s a deep ledge for the feet. If you’re 5’4″ like I am, that ledge is the perfect place so your feet aren’t dangling.
Run, don’t walk, to 60 Beans!

I miss 60 Beans Tea & Coffee. The perfect place to go to drop in the zone and get some stuff done after work. Delicious lattes, mochas, pastries, and great staff made for a super experience.
Now it is 60 Beans Kitchen & Coffee. At 5:00 pm new staff roll in and inform you that you can only stay if you turn off your laptop. The crowded coffee house empties out and you are left with empty tables and upset people. A girl sitting next to me had just settled in with her laptop and her tea when we were told to put away laptops. I packed up and left only to find her sitting at the outdoor table in the dead of winter with her laptop finishing her tea in a to-​go cup.
Hopefully, 60 Beans Tea & Coffee will return ready to provide a fantastic experience for guests with laptops who arrive after work. Until then I have started my search for a new location where my laptop and I will be welcomed with open arms.

I’ve lived in Astoria since the 90s and had more excellent meals than most folks get to have their entire lives (It’s Astoria, good food is everywhere).
That’s why 60 Beans is so exceptional. I believe it raises the bar for cuisine in the hood. They first perfected my coffee and pastry routine (their pastry selection, while edited down to a few great choices (the cronuts are my fave) surpasses even local favorite Martha’s. Then they started serving dinner, so I figured let’s try it…
The dinners we have had there are incredible. Last time we had: duck confit served in a little jar perfect for spreading on savory toasted bread, mussels in a delicious broth full of crumbly pork, freshly made pasta in a surprisingly complex meat ragu which included horseradish, smashed fingerling potatoes in their own buttery coriander sauce (!), and the dessert, a custard which sounded KIND of good turned out to be VERY good. What amazes me was that of the four things I tried the last time we ate there, no one dish was my «favorite». Each dish, even the dessert, was equally strong. That’s a first.
My partner and I want to go back at least once a month to see how the chef continues to shape this menu and dazzle us for years to come.
My one gripe is that the back dining room has cheesy coffee shop grade «framed art» in the back. I’m being picky, but I’m an artist by profession, so I notice these things. I say scrap those silly frames and get some seasonal flowers on shelves. Ok I’m done.
Thanks 60 Beans. You are the best place around!

I really like the place, looks different and unique
I was with my friend we loved the coffee and staff extremely friendly!!!

Ok so I love Brooklyn Bagel so when I heard they owned this too it was a must try. In the area and stopped by & boy oh boy am I glad I did!
The cold brew comes out of a tap, so cool! It was rich & bold & awesome! Bk bagel has great coffee but I may prefer this, good work!
I got the hibiscus donut, dough was great but I didn’t really love the flavor. A little too earthy & savory for me. I expected a more tart sweetness. I also got the Nutella filled donut & hollllllllllly Lord, best donut I may have ever had. I think it was $ 6.50 which is really absurd but this donut was heaven.
Looking forward to going back & trying more things!

Awesome pork shoulder panini. Great amount of meat, very flavorful pesto-​type sauce. Great coffee here too

Loved the small town coffee shop feel. Free wifi, window seating with a view. Coffee was great with $ 1 refills. They are associated with Brooklyn Bagels so we bought our bagels and walked over to 60 beans to sit and order coffee.
Loved the mood and ambiance.

When 60 Beans first opened up, I was so happy there was a place for people like me to do work outside of my home office. I stuck with 60 Beans even though Caffe Bene was just 2 blocks away and now that Caffe Bene is defunct, 60 Beans is trying to be a restaurant. I’d be lying if i said that I didn’t feel a little bit betrayed. I really hope the owners are reading this to understand customer needs and what I don’t need is another restaurant.
The coffee shop vibe is great, coffee and tea is perfect and the space for doing work allows you to be productive. I usually get the tea which comes in a pot and they allow refills of hot water. The beer is also a great option if you don’t have to do serious work.
The cut off wifi at 5pm as if its some polite way to tell customers «Get the f$#* out because we have to no make serious money now with our dinner crowd» and from a business perspective its a tasteless way to go about projecting that message.
With that said, its 4:13pm and my wifi is almost disconnected.

If you live in Astoria, or pass through Chelsea, or crave a daily cup o’ joe, or enjoy an occasional bagel wit’ a schmear, chances are you know of Brooklyn Bagel. Despite the name – which actually harkens to the style of bagels made within by secret bagel ninjas – the wildly successful company is based out of Astoria, and even opened an upscale café on Ditmars known as 60 Beans, serving high end java, cold brews, and pastries in a gorgeously designed space.
This past month, the über-​hot coffee spot took a brave leap forward, donning a new moniker and concept that expands upon simply coffee. Renamed 60 Beans Kitchen & Coffee, the space now offers a lovingly edited selection of charcuterie, small plates, salads, freshly made pasta, hearty entrees, and a few sweet endings. Though the front display case still illuminates a selection of delectable gourmet doughnuts from the wildly popular Dough, visitors interested in more substantial fare will be pleasantly surprised by the offering of New American cuisine.
Owners Peter Voyiatzis and John Rocchio hired chef/​partner Domenick Gianfrancesco, formerly of Craft and Craftbar NYC, to lead the kitchen. Gaining unanimously favorable reviews and high praise in its soft opening, his new menu is poised to shine brightly on the Astoria restaurant scene.
I began with a board of homemade pickled radishes and chicken liver pâté, whole grain mustard, and wagyu smoked beef tongue with black garlic for sharing. Roasted beets dressed with pistachio and pesto offered an earthy but light reprise as a second course. A salad of bitter green frisee dressed with smoked croutons and anchovy vinaigrette was astonishingly vibrant.
But the real star of the show is the homemade pasta, which is prepared daily by hand downstairs. Toothsome rigatoni arrives blanketed in a bolognese of lamb, which is lightened with a fennel gremolata, then dusted with a whisper of pecorino shavings that melt into the medley like snowflakes on an open palm. Yes, the pasta is precisely that transcendent.
Cider and wine accentuate the selection of coffees and teas, so begin with a glass of spirits and finish your meal with a delicate macchiato.
While a few Unilocalers seem perturbed at the growth from a coffeehouse to restaurant + café, I simply say, «be patient, keep an open mind, and let this one percolate»… this place could be a true game-​changer.

So disappointed that my favorite coffee shop has turned into a restaurant. The coffee, service and atmosphere are absolutely wonderful except now, 60 Beans has traded in their coffee house vibe for that of a restaurant. While the menu looks appetizing (I’ve not tried it yet) I don’t believe having one is worth sacrificing the best coffee shop in the area. Specifically, the wifi is turned off at 5pm to make room for the dinner crowd, which essentially shuts out the people who want to get work done, after work. If the coffee shop is trying to be both coffee shop and restaurant then be both!
Came here last night, got awesome service from the barista, got a delicious hot beverage, sat down and got comfortable only to find out that I would have to leave because they didn’t have wifi anymore!
I guess if you don’t work a 9 – 5 and can make it in before five then this is the place for you.

There are no words for how sad I am that my go-​to coffee spot is now a restaurant.
As if Astoria needed another one.
Gone are the comfy couches and spacious layout. They’ve been taken over by uncomfortable wooden benches, making seating more limited and more awkward since your options are either to share a table face to face with a stranger, or wait it out until seating becomes available. The free wifi that used to help me meet deadlines well into the night now ends at 5 pm, making room for dinner patrons on their new, needlessly fancy overpriced food menu.
I didn’t sample their menu, so I can’t speak to how good the food is, but as far as I’m concerned, Astoria doesn’t need another restaurant. We’re lacking coffee shops where students, freelancers and the like can come together and work in a comfortable setting, with strong coffee, free wifi and a public restroom.
You’re probably thinking, «But don’t all coffee shops have those three things?»
They do not.
Kinship has no public restroom and Love Café has closed down, leaving us with nothing but a bunch of uninspiring, overcrowded Starbucks to work out of.
I’m grateful that I recently stumbled across Gossip Coffee, which, while more crowded, at least still offers the basics.
I hope that 60 Beans gets back to its roots soon and gives up on this whole restaurant charade. Until then, I won’t be back.

When 60 Beans opened, the dude and I didn’t pay much mind — our espresso maker at home takes care of things, and when we’re lazy, Astoria Coffee & OK Café are more our speed.
But when we realized 60 Beans sold Heartbreaker espresso beans from Café Grumpy, saving us a regular trip to Grumpy in Greenpoint or Grand Central, we were jazzed — especially since 60 Beans offered a free drink with each bag of beans.
So, for months we’ve savored a complimentary latte or cappuccino when we picked up a fresh bag. It was a nice treat to enjoy a taste of the fresh Grumpy roast we were taking home with us. I remember one time when we didn’t want a drink, and a particularly friendly dude there gave us a punch on their loyalty card instead. Thanks dude!
So tell me how one day, when my guy picked up the usual Heartbreaker bag and requested the usual latte, he was stared at by the two employees there like he was threatening to rob the place. They insisted that the free drink was limited to drip or iced coffee only. Espresso was not an option, and they seemed personally offended that he’d think otherwise.
Ok, policies change — but 60 Beans has gotta let us know what’s going on, and maybe its staff could have considered giving us the benefit of the doubt on this one. After all, we buy espresso beans, and baristas of all people could understand that we’re not into joe.
Maybe 60 Beans can take a cue from its mom across the street: Brooklyn Bagel, where employees know us by sight and make the guy’s usual bagel order without him saying a word. True, we’re not buying beans as regularly as bagels, but we’re glad they notice our loyalty. Compare to 60 Beans, where the stereo employee open-​mouthed gape and offended denial were the opposite of customer service.

Love love love this place.
It’s definitely my favorite café ever and I don’t even live in the same borough.
Outdoor seating, indoor seating. Fast and friendly service. DELICIOUS COFFEE.
The décor is always so cute and everything is always so clean, including their bathrooms. I usually come here once a week and trek it from the Bronx to have a nice cup of coffee or espresso outside.

Sometimes I just visit for the huge, soft delicious chocolate chip cookies ($ 2.50), then I learned about their Dough’Ssants. They only feature these on the weekends from Chickalicious. I keep on meaning to try another, but their apple-​brown sugar topped, lemon-​stuffed one just keeps on doing it for me. Do I even have to say more?
Love the space. Even on a crowded weekend afternoon I can usually find a bench to plug into and get my writing done. Occasionally they have live music.
They have beer on tap and happy hour! But, stay away from the Cherry Original Sin on tap. It doesn’t have anything to do with their tap, it’s just not so good. I prefer McKenzie’s Black Cherry cider.
Great cappuccino. I prefer OK Café’s iced house brew. 60’s Beans’ is a tad too strong for my taste.

My happy place!!! I’m here between traveling all week and spend the better part of the day working and enjoying my favorite Ice Mocha and my favorite yogurt treat: Greek yogurt with dates and figs, a spoon full of honey and some granola. It’s heaven!
It’s something I look forward to every week and love the experience. Staff is super chill and music is always awesome! And they take charge… free internet.
Don’t forget to ask for a punch card for a free ANYTHING!

Dropped by on a Sunday afternoon which was also Easter, and was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t as packed as I’d expected. It was my first time visiting and I was so confused by the layout. It looked sort of like Starbucks in terms of ordering and pickup being separate areas, and it would’ve helped if I had bothered to take a look around and seen the overhead sign…
So here’s a 60 Beans Layout Guide for Dummies:
You order and pay at the front counter directly ahead when you walk in.
Then you pick up your items down the counter past the machines.
If you’re sitting down, you might notice a silp of notice that asks you to bus your plates/​drinkware to the «back station» — this is located behind the pickup area.
Self-​service stations (napkins, straws, cream, sugar packets, etc) are located by the front counter as well as by the row of chairs facing the service counter.
Other things that are good to know:
— Free wifi, password is posted on a sign by the front counter.
— Outlets are directly underneath the marble countertops by the windows. Bend over and you’ll see them.
— Couches (and a fireplace) at the far back. Good for groups.
— Self-​serve water at the station by the front counter
60 Beans is set apart from other coffee shops by its décor. The design is largely wooden, but the marble structures and light fixtures dropping from the ceiling lend a modernized tone. I especially liked the wall art sandwiched between the windows and the front encounter — it was a black/​white photograph of an Astorian road under the train tracks from an older era. It added a vintage touch to the place which I thought was very fitting.
I came here with the intent of getting some work done so I only got an iced latte, but I would definitely like to come back and try some of their pastries which I was eyeing.