Beans Grapes & Leaves

I walked in to buy a couple coffees today. I ordered 2 cold brews. Then the girl at the counter told me that would be $ 14.15. Im not easily shocked by pricing these days in NY but I jumped back. Sorry, thats ridiculous! And its in friggin queens, what crack are they smoking!!! I left without anything.

They have a gender neutral bathroom — it’s the same as a regular bathroom except it doesn’t offend anyone … And has a tiny mirror
The Latina barista is pretty cute and and made a lot of bacon when I was here. They make great empanadas — FYI empanadas don’t pair will with coffee, should have had a glass of wine instead
The décor is pretty nice — I’m sure it’s all from homegoods which makes me feel like owner and I have something in common — we like great décor at bargain prices
«In dog years I’ve only have 3»

The service in this establishment is phenomenal. The food, eehhh, it’s ok. But their parties are always fresh. Mmm, blueberry muffin

Being this place is the closest coffee (and tea and wine) place to me, I really want to like this place. It just fails to impress every time. My focus in this review will primarily be the «bean» part of the business. It’s part of the name, they should do it well! Starbucks may have introduced America to the coffee culture with their dark roasts, but it seems like most places now are going for a milder blend. This place is still doing 1994 Starbucks. If there is still a demand for this, by all means, continue to serve it but at least have a second option! Teach your employees about it! They should know something about the products you have them pushing. Look around you, there are great coffee places in the neighborhood who are killin’ it. If you live in the neighborhood you know who they are! The owners should take a few lessons from people who do it right. I’m not affiliated with any coffee shop, but I have been to several. Outside the neighborhood, «Joe, the art of coffee» and Stumptown are just a few… Ritual is another great roaster (west coast coffee shop). They’re out there! Otherwise, drop the «Beans» part from the name because right now, it’s not done well.
Pastries, I got an apple turnover, that looked great n the case, opened my bag and it was wrapped in Saran wrap. Really? I know this isn’t a bakery but still, at least give the impression they’re fresh.
All I can say about the Leaves part of this business is that there is a good tea place that relocated from Vernon Blvd. it’s worth the walk.
The «grapes» portion of this. All I can say is that it’s great that they have a liquor license. It gives them more options and the ability to cater to the evening crowd.
Their hours seem to be good, but without the goods, it doesn’t matter how long you’re open, the people won’t come… and indeed they don’t! This place has to be bleeding cash and without private event revenue, left to support itself, it will close, without a doubt. Great opportunity that’s been poorly executed. My 2 stars are for location, ambiance, and cleanliness, I guess.

Horrible coffe, cold and it tastes like chlorine berrg!
The food is such disappointment as well. Everything, I mean everything is old and expired is just bad (ei empanadas). The funny thing is that they have good wine, yea but what are you gonna have it with.
Management should consider this review…

I used to like this place. But then I paid $ 6.50 for an iced coffee… I’m not sure how it happened.

Pros: on the 1^st floor of my building so if it is raining I can get a coffee without getting wet.
Cons:
–drip coffee will take 15mins to get because service is So so so so so slow.
–will get a headache from confusing menu, their manifesto rant/​wall décor, garish lighting while still waiting for my coffee
–coffee will taste acidic or burnt or watery. Not very consistent in how awful it tastes.
–will likely be out of milk or sugar in condiment area despite coffee shop being perpetually empty.
–trip on one of the 3 signs littering the sidewalk on way in, one claiming it is the «#1 rated coffee shop in NYC»
–makes me wonder why I don’t buy an umbrella.

My baby shower was thrown here. The venue’s space was intimate, the food was superb and the staff were wonderful. I received so many compliments from my family and friends about this place! it is also very close to the train.
I will definitely be recommending this place to many people!

Ok coffee shop in LIC but with many other better options in the neighborhood, I hope they stept it up regarding food quality and service. The coffee was average (and my latte was just regular coffee with milk.) and the food decent to mediocre (good muffins, average egg sandwiches). They are also incredibly slow to serve and cash (it took a good 10 – 12 min to order the egg sandwich and the muffin) and pretty pricey. They do have a super cosy atmosphere and I need to try their ambiance at night so I’ll be back to give them another chance.

Tried to get egg sandwiches here, but was told they didn’t have them that day. So we decided to order the avocado toasts, which are supposed to come with an egg and turkey bacon. It took 15 inexplicable minutes for them to make them (even though we were the only customers), then they told us that they forgot to make the bacon. At this point we just wanted to leave, so we did, with inedible, soggy bread with brown avocado smeared on top. Will never come back.

* PROS *
SUCH A CUTE NEIGHBORHOOD & FRIENDLY AREA!
Their pastries are very unique and different and absolutely delicious! For example, cronuts, varies flavors of cookies and scones, both sweets and savory!
The staff is beyond friendly
The prices are reasonable, especially for the area
They also have a very fun live music event where they serve wine, etc.
— CONS —
Specify when you purchase something with milk if you like a particular type of milk make sure to specify because they do put almond if that’s what they have and if you don’t like that, they will very kindly remake it for you, but to avoid the trouble, specify!

We need WiFi please owner…
And I agree, iced coffee (specifically) is a little on the watery side.

I was a little apprehensive of this new arrival when it first opened. The look and feel is more urban chic then I generally prefer for my café experience and the blend of being a wine bar didn’t sound too appealing.
However, I’m happy to report that this little spot has drawn me in with it’s warm, cozy, vibe, tasty coffee and an assortment of tasty pastries from Ovenly so hooray!
The space is always clean and the staff is friendly. For me there are two additional bonuses. They don’t have wifi, and I love it! Let’s hold an actual conversation, or write, or draw, or contemplate life. all the reasons I love cafes in the first place. Another bonus, they stay open ‘late’ by LIC standards until 9 or 10 during the week and sometimes even later until on Fri/​Sat. Double yay!
They’ve expanded the menu to sandwiches and salads which I have yet to try to but will be sure to report back once I do.

Update: since the business responded, wanted to share my own thoughts as well. The response was helpful in clarifying and solidifying my own thoughts. So, thank you!
Fact: had the manager simply said: «thank you for your feedback, here are actually what the prices are (SIDE NOTE: fair, maybe I got the more expensive items), and we’d love you to give it another shot.» … I probably would have.
Fact: the coffees listed by the manager are great; I happen to like them, normally. My opinion is that the coffee tends to be more watery than I prefer; so the coffee bean quality is fine, it sounds, but I prefer the way it’s made elsewhere.
Fact: I did not like 51^st St Bakery the first two times I went there. The food was good, but the service was slow and processes non-​existent. But they’ve (in my opinion) totally turned it around and run a great business.
Fact: I write my reviews in batches, so yes — I also wrote my review of 51^st St Bakery at the same time. Coincidence, not conspiracy. Is there a neighborhood quarrel I’m not aware of? Please let me know if I need to pick sides. I don’t want to be caught without a posse!

I wanted to like this place too since it’s right outside my building but after my 2^nd trip there, I was annoyed enough to leave my first ever Unilocal review.
First, lets be nice: the décor is nice and it’s clean. It’s a nice looking, relaxing coffee place to hang out at with friends.
And that’s about it for the compliments.
Some of the staff might be friendlier than others, but in my experience they were overwhelmed and in a rush to serve a line of 3 people. One order may take them a good 10 mins since there is only one person handling it so depending on what you order, you might be waiting a while, even if the person in front of you just asked for coffee.
And coffee might be the only good reason to come here. We live in a relatively pricey neighborhood so I’d say we’re used to things being a little costly. I dropped in for a quick snack for my girlfriend and me; just a sandwich or something. I figured I’d go for one of their cold paninis. Panini my ass. What we got was 2 sorry excuses for toast with the borders cut off with a thin slab of meat and some cheese in it. The other one only had a tiny slice of prosciutto. Call me a snob but Paninis are not made with simple toast. Total cost: $ 15. Not heated up, no sauces, no extras whatsoever. A quick review of the other menu options also show they are grossly overpriced. A tiny bagel with salmon and cream cheese was also $ 8. The pastries are all way too much.
TL;DR version: go to the supermarket next door and make your own sandwiches. For the price you pay here you could buy enough ingredients at the supermarket for 20 sandwiches. Stick to the drinks.
EDIT: (response to owner’s reply)
I’ll give you credit for actually checking reviews and responding to them since it shows you do care about the business.
Let me rephrase and boil down some of my complaints to the basics. With regards to the panini, my main complaint was the price and the fact that it’s called a panini. From my understanding and a quick Google search a panini is made with flatbread or ciabatta, or at least definitely not toast. The fact that your tramezzini was listed under the section titled «cold panini» misled me into expecting a different kind of bread but hey, maybe it was my mistake for not knowing what a tramezzini was. My comment about not being heated up or having any sauces was just to illustrate that I felt there was nothing special or extra about the tramezzini to warrant the price tag. If that’s just the price of tramezzini in NY, then I guess I’d would personally rather just make my own.
As for the bagel, I’d be curious to know if the salmon bagel you’re comparing it too is also the same size as yours or if it comes on a regular sized bagel. I’ll admit it did look very good at least.
Finally, about the time it took, it seemed like only having 2 people serving a full bar was insufficient. Also, the first time I went there was just one guy in the morning and he could have used some help.
In any case, I guess I’m just not the kind of guy who would pay those prices for that amount of food, especially if I’m hungry so maybe the place just isn’t for me. Though again, the coffee was good and I’ll add that I like the beer and wine selection.

I live in the area so I stopped by during the evening. Décor is clean and really nice. Have a quite a few wines on the list and some craft beers available. Everything here is marked up a bit and the portions for the charcuterie are small The ‘ramen’ is instant maruchan brand noodles with some chopped vegetables. Pretty sad at $ 6.50.
It’s a nice place, but I think I’d rather just get a bottle of wine and drink at home

My girlfriend brought us two sweet snacks from the coffee shop. Both tasted old and definitely not what you expect from a $ 4 cookie and $ 4 pastry.
The place is new so I will give them another try and a chance to improve my review but for now this place has a lot to improve upon.

Ugh so disappointed. They opened this on the first floor of my building and I was so excited. However, this place has got it all wrong.
The décor is nice and the hours are great, but here’s what’s wrong with the place:
1) you walk in and the menu is hidden behind the left corner. Not visible to the customer barely.
2) coffee prices are Starbucks prices and the taste just isn’t there. I rather make a coffee in my apt using my kerug.
3) the menu is all wrong. Living in a building I want something tasty for those late night cravings. All they have is wannabe croissants and pre made food. Not good. I rather make my own food in my kitchen.
I wish it would have some yummy flat bread pizzas, drink choices like soda for late night, some real food, and not just be a bad version of Starbucks. Also on weekends it would be nice if they have a wine and cheese night for days you want to go out, but not really. Or a Beer flight with mini sliders and yummy apps or a tv for Sunday football.
It’s just lacking everything and ambiance.

This is a warm, sexy, sophisticated space where sexy, sophisticated people are meant to engage in warm conversation while sipping coffee or wine. Prominent signs on the wall seek to enforce a «No Work» policy: Chat, read, enjoy life … but put your laptops away.
We’ll see how long that lasts.
Beans, Grapes & Leaves just had a soft opening, so it’s still very much a work in progress, but it shows a ton of promise. Wines, beers and coffees will vary by season, and the current lineup shows that the owners have put a lot of thought into their beverage selections. There’s also a great choice of pastries, charcuterie, salads and so forth. It’s not the same old, same old that you find in every other LIC coffee shop/​café — they’re definitely going for a more upscale niche here.
The staff is great, especially Joseph, the barista extraordinaire, whose enthusiasm for coffee is infectious. Pull up a stool in front of his cold-​drip coffee tower, and he can entertain you for an hour without breaking a sweat.
But if Joseph is busy or on vacation, will the whole sit-​and-​chat thing work out as intended? I can understand the «No Work» policy during happy hour, but why 10 am or 2:35 pm? This is NYC, not Vienna or Paris. We are workaholics; we don’t sit around all day discussing art or politics.
Love the space, love the menu, love the people. If I could take my computer and work for an hour, I’d be here every other day. Until then, BG&L will be an occasional indulgence.

Beans = coffee
Grapes = wine
Leaves = tea
Beans, Grapes, and Leaves is located in the same building as Gantry Park Landing (apartment complex). Their grand opening party was today! Free goodies all around.
It is a concept store that is trying to get people to interact versus the stare-​at-​your-​computer type café like Starbucks. As the signs around say here — NO WORK! This is definitely more of the happy hour/​lounge café versus the «study» café.
They serve wines from local wineries, craft brews, desserts, and charcuterie.
All the employees here are super sweet and more than happy to serve you.
The cold brew is freshly brewed and not sour — definitely a plus. My favorite, however, was the peony white tea that was brewed hot and made cold to order — it was both refreshing and at proper strength for what tea should be. I had the pleasure of trying various sweets including fruit tarts, brownies, cookies, coconut macaroons, and beef/​spinach spanakopitas. The charcuterie is amazing!
Definitely a welcome and long awaited chill spot for hangouts in LIC.