Caffebene

Stopped in at 8:30 AM on a Monday for a large coffee. Had never been here before and wanted to give it a try. The large coffee came to $ 3. They were out of half and half. Coffee was nothing special. Didn’t care for the taste. It was the kind of coffee that really needs cream and sugar to taste good. Had a real earthly, dirt-​kind of taste.
Won’t return.

Love the atmosphere of the coffee shop, not lovin the custom service. Yes, we know you hate your job. At least pretend like you enjoy it, that’s how you get tips! The guy that rang me up and took my order was not happy or did he care to be there.
I got a mango peach smoothie, that was good. Nothing spectacular, just good.

Here is my expectation for a coffee shop near Times Square at 9am on a work day: wait in line, rude staff, wait for expensive coffee, no seating
Caffebene is not like that at all. The staff are nice. It’s quiet in here with plenty of comfortable seating. The dining options are good without being exorbitant.
New York is an amazing place with exotic fare at every corner, but sometimes you want to sit back and relax. Caffebene fits that mold.

Stay away!
Tepid coffee, bait n switch desserts, crappiest wifi on 7^th avenue. Utter and complete disappointment!

Nice layout at this location, was looking forward to hanging out here with some tea, sitting by the window waiting for class. Tea is a little pricey, service kinda lack-​luster and slow (the server kept looking at me like he was very surprised I had ordered something). I sat by the window and sipped tea for awhile, I can’t explain it but I just didn’t feel that at ease. I don’t know if I would be a fan of their sugary waffles and bread either, but it’s still a cool place to go to.

I don’t usually do bad reviews, but sometimes, you just can’t help it. I needed a place to study for an hour after work, and thought that Caffe bene will be the perfect location. I love their location on 32^nd and didn’t assume that there would be such a tremendous difference in service just a couple of blocks away.
There was 2 people in front of me, however, it took the server, 10 minutes to get to me. I know that it’s the odd hours of the night, but when you have a long time piling up waiting, you don’t just go around to the back, looking for change and chit chatting with colleagues around you. You find a way to reduce the line size, so that your customers are happy. The best part of it was that, there were other people that could have helped him, but no one chose to come outside until it was already my turn.
I gave them the extra 3^rd star simply because my Americano was pretty good and everyone was generally nice. But when you are working in New York, please have a better sense of urgency, aka be quicker on your feet.

This Caffe Bene location has a soft spot in my heart because of all the several branches I’ve been to, this one has the friendliest staff.
Not because I know them personally (I don’t) but because I can say this considering how often I am here because it’s close to my subway station going home.
I started coming here when it was brand new. The overall interior design is still gorgeous but it’s sad to see that management is not spending some money to do repairs on the chair cushions. It spoils the ambience to see holes in them, with the foam inside showing.
While the food and drinks are good, the thing that really spoils it for me is the horrible wifi connection. Lately, a lot of us can’t even connect.
I’ve complained to the staff often and I feel bad for them because all they could say is that the parent company chose this specific Internet service provider and wants to stick to it, despite how slow it is.
I also don’t like it when their excuse is that too many people are using it and to wait much later when it’s less busy so I can connect. Am sorry, you almost will never experience that problem at a Starbucks and their drinks are close to the prices of Caffe Bene. So what’s stopping me from just moving the money I spend at Bene to Starbucks?
Here’s my argument:
Either you want to offer wifi to customers or you don’t. And if you do, make sure it allows customers to connect fast. You can’t do it half-​baked because you’ll end up disappointing customers who came here because you offered wifi.
Also, the crowd here is surprisingly fashionable and cute to look at.

— Hi, I’d like a Macchiato, doppio…
— Ok, a caramel macchiato, $ 6:50.
— Ummm, no. I want a basic Italian espresso with 2 shots with a small amount of milk added.
— Then Why didn’t you say that? (followed by blank stare)
— (Blank stare back with knowledge that this is going to be crap). ($ 4.50 crap.)
— We use really special espresso beans, you know.
— Oh really? Where are they from?
— Korea.
— (I literally drop my phone and try not to laugh…)
Dear god. How can you work in a pricy coffee house in Manhattan and think espresso beans come from Korea. Yikes! Won’t be back here, ever.

This is about to become one of my favorite spot
It was super clean the staff was friendly
I enjoyed the time I spend there
They have a lot of option which is great
Free wifi so grab lunch a book a magazine
I wish they had them everywhere the same way they have Starbucks everywhere

I’m giving this place four stars more for the location, setting, and layout more than anything else. It’s right at the corner of 7^th and 36^th street, and there are large glass windows on two sides that allow you to people watch while you enjoy your drink or meal.
The seating is really nice and it’s roomy inside. The layout is much better than most Starbucks. They have a large selection of muffins and pre-​made sandwiches if you want a meal or snack.
I just had coffee and used their free wifi. The coffee was OK. The music choice in the background was kind of relaxing.

This Caffe Bene location is right by my office, so I find myself stopping in quite often.
This has to be one of the most appealing coffee shop chains around. There is a lot of seating room, and the feeling of it is warm. The music is great for ambience, but doesn’t over power your conversations or your headphones.
There is an extensive menu of drinks, treats, breakfast breads, and sandwiches. Some items are placed in the fridge to grab and go, and these are finished when there are no more on the shelf. I’ve done some rounds of the menu, and I highly suggest the honey bread, especially the honey and cinnamon one. I find eating this very comforting and happiness inducing. My go to drink is the Café au lait, but I also really love the mango passion fruit smoothie and the matcha latte.
The people who work here are very pleasant. At very hectic times it can get a little crazy, but for the most part, the employees stay on top of it all. There have been a couple of times, my drink order is missed, and someone will notice I have been waiting longer, and they ask me what I ordered and they make it right away. Also, if you are busy and stay in the shop for a while, they aren’t trying to push you out. You feel comfortable here.
I don’t know if he is the store manager or an assistant manager, or what, but there is this one guy who is phenomenal. I mean, above and beyond. Not only is he very friendly, but he runs around making sure everything gets done. He works very hard. If people leave stuff out on the tables, as soon as he has a moment, he will take care of it, if another employee has not already. If he notices me waiting, he reassures me that my order is on its way. He doesn’t just send the other employees to do everything. You can see how it is a team effort.
Sometimes they are out of certain things, but they always do the best they can to suggest something else and are very apologetic.
This is my opinion of this location after many times going. Keep up the excellent work!

Nope! U r not the Caffe Bene we know, and after my last encounter here, I won’t be back again.
Ordering honey toast? Sure, let me put it upside down in the bag so no one can take picture of it AND the honey drips everywhere when you take it out.
Ordering croissant? Sure, let me heat it up for you, eat it myself, and reheat a different one for you.
What? It’s smaller than the one you picked? Well bread shrinks with heat. That’s my answer whether it’s scientifically correct or not.
And on top of it, let me give you some attitude.
*the part about them eating my bread is not made up. They literally came out and told me «someone just ate it»

They’ve got a wonderful chai tea latte and great green tea as well.
They get busy at times and you may end up waiting and waiting and then they’ll realize that you’re just standing there and ask you what you’re waiting for. It happened to me twice so far; one more time, I’m going for a different location.

Cute spot, and a decent space to sit and do work for a while since there’s free Wi-​Fi (although the connection can be a little spotty), as well as power outlets scattered throughout.
I’ve had their green tea shaved ice (tasty and huge!, probably best to share with a friend), as well as their red velvet cookie (not too impressed, kind of dry and not what I expected). I also tried their focaccia bread with salami (tastes like pepperoni) last time I was there, which they heat up for you in the back. It was alright, nothing too special, but good for a light snack.
I don’t feel too strongly about this place either way, but would stop by again!

I came here for lunch today. They have both communal tables and separate 2-​person tables. The décor is cute and they have free WiFi. They have four or five sandwiches available for lunch and that’s it. I got the chicken teriyaki sandwich, which I enjoyed, and I tried the Asian shrimp sandwich, which was so bland that I had to go ask for a dressing or sauce. Got the taro bubble tea, which was extremely thick, too thick for the straw even. The consistency was off and the bubbles tasted like plastic. I’ve had a lot of bubble tea and this wasn’t one of the best ones.
HOWEVER, I got the waffle and gelato dessert, and while it was simple and not worth $ 6, it was delicious. I am just going to make that myself at home though from now on…

I came here on Labor day and I was so shocked when they told me they ran out of waffles. It was impossible because it was just the afternoon. I guess the holiday brought alot of hungry people to this café. I end up ordering a caramel and cinnamon honey bread with a hot green tea latte. The green tea latte was alright. I can taste the texture of the powder. The caramel and cinnamon honey bread was drenched with whip cream on top but it was still ok since I have a sweet tooth for sweets. It was very sweet.
The cashier was very kind. He made sure my order was accurate.

I came here on a holiday afternoon during lunch hours and they ran out of waffles. For a shop that promotes waffles as one of their best items and not having a steady supply is ridiculous. Also it was only the middle of the day.
Alternatively, I ordered the
Banana & Walnut Honey Bread ($ 7.45) — The first few bites were good but overall nothing special for the price. It could get overpoweringly sweet and heavy from the amount of sugar and bread so share it. (⁷⁄₁₀)
Note: Later that day, I went to the Cafebene in Koreatown and they ran out of green tea, red bean, and mango ice cream. I guess a lack of supply is a common theme in this establishment.

Free wifi and a very cute atmosphere – like typical Korean cafes. My friend and I got the red bean bingsu (that’s ice parfait, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Korean desserts) and it was HUGE! Thank god two of us were sharing.
I also bought a red velvet cookie, which was very sweet, but pretty decent. The edges were crunchy, and the inside was super soft.
There are several locations around the city – overall, I like Caffebene. No complaints here.

The coffee is extremely average– the cart guy on the corner is most likely a better choice. The place is very nice and spacious with lots if table and seating. Has to has to get better product.
**update to previous– I took the coffee back to the barista for it being too milky and watery– because the iced coffee was so bad– and he said I was «responsible for how much milk I put in the coffee». Are you kidding me. Then it took the manager 5 minutes to glfigure out what the difference of an iced coffee and and iced latte is so I could pay the difference. Reason for not comping my drink? «Espresso is very expensive.» Wow. That’s enlightening. Manager couldn’t even figure out how to do a return. Get a grip guys or you won’t be around for long.

It seems like this place has been «Coming soon» forever, but it’s finally here! I didn’t release «Korean bakery» was such a coveted niche, but Midtown West has definitely cornered the market. Caffe Bene will definitely draw comparisons with Paris Baguette (just a few blocks uptown on 7^th); both have fresh baked goods and pastries/​cakes. But Caffe Bene focuses a lot more on coffee (hence the name, duh).
Anyway, the space is gorgeous. Tons of wicker seating. Large workspaces. Semi-​casual meeting areas. Well lit. I can definitely see myself coming here for professional purposes.
Staff is friendly, albeit a bit slow with drink-​making (I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt since they’ve only been open for 4 days).
They sell sandwiches at a similar price point to Pret. I like their coffee better than Starbucks, and they’re definitely going to take a bite out of Macaron’s business around the corner.
The Spanish latte is good, but not great. Made with condensed milk, so if you’re not into sweet, I’d avoid it.
All in all, a very welcome addition to the neighborhood. Doesn’t hurt that it’s across the street from my office!