Bean & Barrel

I used to like this place a few years ago. I don’t know if they changed ownership or management; but something just seems different. Service is slow, food quality is inconsistent and they don’t draw a fun crowd like they used to. For the price it’s not worth it. The place was a ghost town for New Year’s Eve. A few years ago the place was packed!

I have to drop this place down one more star. I really want to give them one star, but am too nice-​I still think their food is good, so I had to give them 2. But I’ve tried some of their other drinks and they’re just not good. Cherry Italian soda tasted like watered down cherry robitussin. And the vanilla latte was just bad. If you just avoid this place for non alcoholic drinks it’s great! But my main reason for going here is to get coffee.

As someone else alluded to below, something is up with this place. I’ve been coming here routinely for over a year-​and-​a-​half, and the service and especially the food have gone down in quality during my last 4 – 6 visits. It’s really a shame, too. This place used to be a gem.

I have been a long time Bean customer, but in the last 3 of 4 visits the service has been all but nonexistent. Hiring a new chef is almost pointless if nobody serves you. The «manager» clearly has favorites and will serve people he knows that have just walked in, while you’ve been sitting for 25+ minutes waiting for any service at all. Don’t expect any service after your meal has been brought to your table either and good luck paying the check within an hour. This place was once a neighborhood favorite, but driving to Southpoint or Chapel Hill is now more worthwhile.

New owners? management, staff … had Ruben sandwich the other day hoping the food would have gotten somewhat better under new management and a new cook. NOT
The sandwich was small and a meager portion of everything for about $ 10 … very disappointing. They do have a new and good sounding menu to come out in Aug … we’ll see!
Meanwhile the management should visit Virlie’s Grille in Pittsboro to learn how a Ruben is really made. I hate paying $ 10 for 2 slices of bread with very little in between. They do still have good daily drink specials, but the food needs some major adjustments.

We have frequented Bean for years and have always loved it. We ate there last night and were disappointed with the atmosphere. The manager/​owner was addressing the employees in front of the patrons in a loud manner. That should be handled in the kitchen. Very uncomfortable. Not sure if we will be back.

Casual, modern and welcoming. Great food and coffee drinks. Especially love the mocha frappers!

Used a
certificate to try this place while visiting my son at UNC. Sometimes when you mention that you have any kind of coupon, the attitude and service nose– dive. Not the case here! We were greeted by a young man named Zach (or Zack) had some really nice casual conversation and ordered some wings and the Fried-​Green tomato sandwich. Nothing too complicated and everything was great. Took a reuben to-​go for my son and he loved it. He mentioned that the 1000 island was especially good and not slathered on too thick. our server mentioned that they have a new chef that is trying out some new things. Will definitely stop back in May when I’m back down.

When I worked at UNC, I drove past here every day. They serve Larry’s Beans brand coffee, one of my faves. The drive thru is convenient.
The first few times I went the shop clerk was rude to me but then she left. They mostly got my order right. It was only coffee w/​a splash of cream but sometimes there was too much cream. But, I’m picky about my cream to coffee ratio so I’m still giving 4 stars if for no other reason than mostly getting it right and they serve Larry’s.

I had the Mushroom Swiss burger. This burger was amazingly delicious. Great taste and very filling. Was a very pleasant atmosphere with polite and friendly staff. A little bit pricey bit well worth the money.

Great little spot in chapel hill!

Had the Steak Frites this week end and it was awesome. This is my favorite place in the Triangle.

Love the Bean!!! Great food and very friendly staff! Awesome veggie burgers and the grilled pimento cheese and fried green tomato sandwich is my fave. To drink I’d have to give the spiced chai latte my vote. I hear there are amazing martinis and I’m looking forward to trying one soon!

We purchased a
certificates to give it a try for brunch recently. It’s a nice little, cozy place that I didn’t expect to find in this tiny strip of shops. We walked in and immediately felt how low key it is. There’s some comfy chairs off to the side where some folks were reading the Sunday paper and having coffee and then a smattering of filled tables.
They have a nice menu for brunch and we opted for eggs bene and I tried the reuben since I’m on that kick right now. The conrned beef was very good and the bread was nicely toasted and not greasy like when the bread is put on a flat top. My dining partner was very happy with the eggs benedict too.
I’d like to come back and try some of the lunch and dinner items based on my brunch experience and see if it takes on a different vibe during those times too.

I stopped by for an afternoon to eat lunch and do work. I was greeted around noon and welcomed immediately. I was asked if I wanted coffee or lunch, and I opted for coffee. I sat at a table in the back and did work for several hours. Then, I decided I wanted a bite to eat and asked for a lunch menu. After that, someone checked on me every little while to make sure that I was okay. I held on to my food for a while, as I was still on the computer, so it was pretty hands off, which suited my fancy. Overall, the service was pleasant – much better than I expected from some of the other reviews.
I opted for the house salad and truffle mac and cheese. The house salad was really good! It had a nice mix of spiced nuts and vegetables with a choice of dressings. The truffle mac and cheese was just okay. I have a problem of wanting to order cheesy things at restaurants and then getting disappointed when there isn’t enough spice/​flavor/​interest. I know it’s my own fault for ordering something so hit-​or-​miss, but I also think it can be a good test of a restaurant. Anyway, the Bean & Barrel mac and cheese wasn’t bad, but it was a little bland and a bit oily as opposed to creamy. But I could definitely taste the truffle oil. I enjoyed it – and ate entirely too much of it (it was a huge portion for an appetizer), but I wouldn’t order it again.
The atmosphere is really welcoming. Few places can pull off being both a coffee shop and a restaurant so well – much less a bar too! I was able to curl up in a back corner and watch the day go by. Folks stopped by for a drink or for coffee and to read, while others ate. The space is large and open, with a bar area to one side and more of the «coffee shop» side to the back. There was also a bit of outdoor seating. I’d go back for coffee but not sure I would eat there again.

Last summer, when the yoga teaching business is at its slowest in this area (and before I got my current restaurant management gig), I worked at Bean & Barrel as a barista/​server for a few months, so keep that in mind as you read my review. I genuinely like everyone that I worked with there and overall working there was a positive experience.
The good:
–Chef Sam Allen, a great guy and a great cook.
–Laurie (his wife), the general manager, is a sweet person, great at interacting with guests, and just generally knows how to run a restaurant.
–Pastries from Ninth Street Bakery
–Larry’s Beans Coffee
–Pretty good music playing most of the time
–Good lunch menu with several tasty options
–Multiple big tv screens going with news and sports
–A private room for a business meeting or larger party
–Great selection of Mighty Leaf teas
–Fantastic brunch
–Convenient for residents and visitors to Governor’s Village, where decent food is hard to find
The not-​so-​good:
–The Frappers (Bean and Barrel’s version of a Frapuccino) are made from a powdered mix that just doesn’t make a great drink, in my opinion. Ditto for the chai. I much prefer a chai latte made with a good-​quality liquid mix.
–A bit on the pricey side.
–Very spotty waiter service during the day (although there is one young lady whom I’ve encountered a few times recently who is awesome) and sometimes in the evening. My Mom and I went in for an early dinner last week (5:30ish) and were not greeted warmly at all, so we went to Tarantini across the way instead (yum, but that’s another review). My feeling is this is the exception, though, and not the rule.
–The drive-​thru. While convenient for some, I think it takes a place that’s classy down a notch in that department.
I’m sure I’ll be back soon, and hopefully will be able to upgrade my review to 4 or 5 stars after a few more positive experiences.

Friendly staff. Welcoming. Easy going bar and coffee shop.
Bean and barrel, it is very good. I enjoy dining here. They have excellent daily specials. Given our area, I would rate this as a five star for its bar.
Love the Wed Wine nights!

I have been to Bean and Barrell four times and three and a half times I’ve been really disappointed. I had thought it may have been my bad timing before and i really wanted to try again… This last time we thought we would try the Sunday Brunch (today). After a few minutes of waiting in what was at most ten percent capacity the waiter told us we could sit anywhere… that was the only communication we got from any of the four people working the 10 people in the store… we sat, moved closer to where the servers were working with others, never were given water, never greeted or, told someone would be with us shortly… all the while we watched several people who worked there, move glasses from one shelf to another, walk by several times, not leave us a menu… and after 15 minutes we simply got up and walked off and drive to Franklin St to eat brunch.
Had anyone even said hello, brought water, they would have made money from us today… we live three miles away and would love to come here to eat brunch over the next ten years… or more… but since no one Thought to even hand us a menu… or coffee… we will happily spend our hard earned money elsewhere where the people working understand that people come to a restaurant to eat food… not sit at a table and feel invisible.
I wondered why being the ONLY coffee, wine, bar, light meal place near a 500 plus gated community like Governors Club, more people from that community don’t come here… now we know… the servers don’t want to serve you… so, now they won’t. It’s unfortunate, we would have liked to have brunch there…

I have been to the Bean & Barrel on at least 3 – 4 occasions.
The first time I enjoyed a really good burger that was fresh and hot. Service was friendly and accomodating.
The place has consistently gone downhill on every subsequent visit.
My last visit was on 1÷7÷12 to meet old friends. We arrived first. We literally stood in the entrance of the place for five minutes without being acknowledged before seating ourselves. There were two people working behind the bar and the place was not particularly busy. No one came over.
Our friends joined us and we had to go to the bar and ASK for someone to serve the table. A young woman came over but had an attitude. We had to get up to find a menu and she was «huffy» when we asked if we could have a minute before placing the order. We had to ask for WATER, napkins and condiments when the food was served. She never came back to the table after we were served except to bring the check.
Since I am NEVER going there again all I can say is that the food was LOUSY and the service outraegeously inhospitable.
Perhaps they are geared to serving the folks from Gov. Club. Well, the folks we were with live in Gov. Club and frequent B&B. They were outraged at the poor quality of food and service.
There are soooo many other better places in Chapel Hill to eat w/​o having to drive out to a strip mall across from Gov. Club where you get lousy food and a «wish you weren’t here» attitude!

Things I like about Bean and Barrel:
1. It’s out of the way: it’s not too close to campus, so you need to take a little trek to get down to Governor’s Village. And this is a good thing: it’s not nearly as packed as opposed to many Chapel Hill coffee establishments, meaning more seats and more couch space.
2. Beer and coffee selection is good: whether you want to pair database creation with a latte or a Shock Top, you have that option (I prefer the Shock Top… factor analysis goes really well with a summer beer).
I have not had a chance to try the food yet, so I don’t have comments on that. But it is a great and out of the way place to get some work done.