Caffebene

Worst Caffebene that I’ve ever been to. Stood at the counter for at least 5 minutes before one of the two FREE baristas greeted me and took my order. I ordered the Thai tea bubble latte which came with NO bubbles and NO flavor of thai tea at all; it just tasted like sugary milk. While the store was quite full, there were a few empty tables. But those empty tables were filled with trash that previous customers have left behind and that employees have neglected to clean. There were also trash all over the floor and the milk/​sugar area was filled with trash, as the trash was overfilling. Again, the store was not busy at this point and employees were just standing around. This is easily the worst café that I’ve ever been to.

Me — Can I have the red velvet latte iced?
Caffebene — No
Me — Matcha Latte?
Caffebene — We’re out of matcha. We can do the red velvet latte iced, but there will be tapioca in it
Me — Umm… okay…
My actual conversation to get an iced latte. Why it had to come with tapioca, I’m not sure, but apparently that’s the only way to get an iced red velvet latte. The menu is a bit smaller compared to some other larger locations. This store is also pretty dirty. The seats were worn, tables were messy and the bathroom was letting out this stench that no one should be exposed to.
If you’re lucky enough to get a decent seat, then this will be a good place to kill some time, but I wouldn’t willingly go out of my way for this.

I like the Caffebene chain but this location falls below the standard. It’s almost always unkempt, the staff really needs to step it up and clean more. The service is mediocre, it seems as if they’re doing you a favor by taking your order. Although they have plenty of seating, it’s unusually dim inside. Overall, it’s just okay. A good place to get your caffeine fix and be on your merry way.
I’m optimistic that they’ll step up their service here, they could do better!

Good atmosphere and one of the better places to chill around if you want to study and are in Chinatown but warning, it can get noisy, just not crazy noisy compared to other places.
Other than that, their iced black coffee is very bland. I would come here if I wanted to relax and write something (bring your headphones though) but coffee-​wise, maybe somewhere else.

This is Laguardia level airport food at best. The worst ‘bagel’ I have ever had in NYC and it’s an embarrassment to Manhattan. I would take McDonald’s over this every day of the week.
Let me say this again — Absolute, total and complete shit. I cannot recall a worse breakfast sandwich in the tri-​state area. There was this on time in New Orleans airport that came close, but now that I think about it, this isn’t just airport food bad, it’s airplane food bad. I would rather be hungry all morning that eat this ‘food again’

Caffebene gibt sich einen europäischen Literatenanstrich, mit Bücherregalen zum gelegentlichen Schmökern. Nun stehen da aber auch 7 Jahre alte Automagazine und ‘Math 1. Grade’, so dass es mit der Literatur nicht weit her ist. Der Kaffee schmeckt, die Sandwiches werden mit ‘it takes 7min’ verkauft und kommen dann nach 28min. schmecken aber richtig gut.
Mott St ist mitten in Chinatown, so dass auch dieser Laden von Chinesen betrieben wird. Auch alle Fälle ist es hier deutlichen weniger stressig als bei der Konkurrenz von StarB.

Even though I feel like the Caffe Bene hype is played out, it was nice to see a fancier coffee shop in chinatown, that wasn’t starbucks. Their coffee is good but nothing out of the ordinary for me. They have some cakes, pastries, and dessert items that are decent as well. I had 2 hours to kill and this was a great relaxing spot. Grab a drink, bring a book or laptop and you are golden. They don’t try to kick you out at all. The walls were lined with books, chandeliers and some vintage decorations. I’m glad I stumbled upon this location, will bookmark it for next time!

Overall, I will never come back to this location; it is probably the worst tasting milk bubble tea that I have ever, possibly, tasted. This is my second time at this location and my last experience will deter me from coming back to this location.
Problems:
1) Placed my order for a large bubble milk tea. Staff just seem to skip my drink order and work on customers drink that came after mine. Yet my order was placed before the other customers.
2) Staff noticed that I was still waiting and ask to see my receipt. Then the staff started to make my drink order. The staff member gave me a medium bubble milk tea. Seriously, if you asked to see my receipt, I hope to get the correct drink.
3) Once I informed them that I order a large, the staff pour the medium drink into a large cup and top it off with milk. I was beyond shock that they did this!
4) The drink tasted horrible and it was not worth the $$$. It was due to the fact he just top off the drink with milk. This was probably my breaking point. I had to go back up to the front and inform them that this drink was horrible.
Worst EXPERIENCE at this CAFFEBENE! I will probably stay away from this location. I come here for the space (One star) but the experience and drink (Zero Stars). I can easily just travel uptown to another location so my order is not ignored and is made correctly.

A Korean coffee house bakery is cropping up nearly everywhere in New York (copying the concept of Starbucks). This location sits in Chinatown Manhattan. I always admired their flavored waffles, pastries, Macaron cookies and teas. Seating is available on premises. Staff is clearly LEP capability and rather inattentive to fulfill orders when I ordered a Raspberry Macaron cookie. Many appear to be students on a part time schedule for weekends or after school. My sales receipt was clearly at the end of the register tape which obviously the staff is incompetent to replace with a new roll of register tape. Immediately following my doctor appointment, with a family member, the two of us venture here for stillness in hopes of variable pastries and hot tea. Disappointedly no Jasmine Green Tea.

I love Coffee bene
M glad they finally open one by my job and I think they should populate more
I love Starbucks but you kind of get tied of Starbucks
Their staff are so nice professional and helpful

Caffè Bene is the feel of Starbucks with the variety of a Seven Eleven and Excellent Grilled Sandwiches that rivals it’s main competitor across the street-​Paris Baugette. Fortunately, as I was in the mood for Coffee, the order of their filling sandwich includes a Small Coffee.
Sodas and Juices in bottles on the side fridge and all different types of drink including Virgin Mojitos on top of their coffee based selections. Inside is very spacious and feels like a home environment with a large table in the back and in the front, smaller tables can be formed together to a large table. You can be rest assured it is an excellent place for groups and meet ups.
The cashier is nice and this is a place I would go to anytime over Starbucks as it is actually welcoming and the food taste pretty good. Keep in mind, it is Starbucks priced and not a typical Chinese bakery.

I love caffe bene’s. My Unilocal review juices flowing.
I love that there’s a location here in Chinatown. There’s usually always seating and people sipping on there one drink for 1 – 2 hrs.
I still hate the chairs. My back does not like it and my knees keep banging on the table.
The double shot cappuccino is not bad at $ 4.50. and there’s wifi. PW is near the pickup area.
Not a bad place to lose couple hours people watching with AC.

This is another typical caffe bene. Nothing different really stood out. There are a lot of space for you to study, catch up with friends, and just sit and relax. I came here with a friend recently and ordered an ice parfait, Mango Yogurt. It was really good. It wasn’t too sweet and we devoured it. If I ever need a place to just hang out with my friends a bit and I was in the area, I would come here. Oh, if you did not already know… there’s free Wi-​Fi :)

Had The teriyaki chicken sandwich. Was recommended by the staff and it was great. Had to mangle bubble tea without the bubbles. That was good too. I haven’t tried the other stuff (desserts) in the place but the sandwich I had was pretty good. I will come back and try some of the other things. Did the couriers like Starbucks but a laid back in a little bit higher scale. Lots of people hanging out doing homework reading and taking their time. Reminds me a little bit of Taiwan, where bubble tea is from. The one $your pass is a misnomer. Sandwiches or eight dollars and drinks are about four or five so right away you’re at 12 or $ 13. If you want dessert you could go to 20. But the place is nice. visit hang out have a dessert.

Finally, a real café were you can sit and relax. This ambience blows away all other spots. The place is so nice and comfortable that you can actually study there. The seating arrangement is done in such a way that it fosters relaxation.
Now on to the offerings which, by the way, makes me wonder what they are trying to cater to most — the coffee or food crowd. It’s hard to tell. And come to think of it, ambiguity is good because they should be known as a drink and food establishment. Copying Starbucks will only lead to disaster. Anyway, I thought Caffebene’s coffee was great and so was the waffle. Their selection of snacks looks absolutely delicious.

Holy guacamoles so I have been a huge fan of this place since I had a late night coffee session at their other location Queens. Not to mention I am a raging coffee addict. I go a day without coffee and I am completely lost. I’ve tried quitting but it doesn’t look like it is happening anytime soon. But anyways… I have to admit I was thrilled when I was walking around looking for a quick dessert and coffee!
I came in myself and I have to say the ambiance of this place is just dull. There is nothing lively about this place… It needs some positive energy, positive vibes… One of the employees barely spoke an ounce of English but whatever I didn’t mind nor going to yell at someone where English was their second language. But then when the cashier handed me a black circle thingy that said Caffe Bene on it. and I had asked him what it was for and I couldn’t make out what he said so. I went ahead and asked someone else…(I felt stupid lol) Apparently it viberates to let you know that your food is ready so you don’t have to stand around, you can just grab a seat first.
I ordered a Machiatto… I think Starbucks does a better job. Just slightly.
I also had a Vanilla Bean Gelato over Waffles, my god it was delicious! Mind you, I rarely eat waffles. My type of meal whether it is for breakfast or lunch is a nice juicy steak over rice. I’m a very weird eater when it comes to food. But Vanilla Bean Gelato over Waffles I’m hooked.

I know this is a huge chain and maybe doesn’t have the best ambiance compared to the hipster coffee joints just down the street. But when it comes to providing lots of seating, a quiet atmosphere, outlets, and free wifi, I honestly haven’t found a better option in the area. For that reason, and for the smiling, friendly service I’ve received there, I can’t complain.
Last time I was there I had a Misugura drink, which is a sweet blend of grain powders and a very nostalgic flavor for me. It was super sweet but still tasty. I also had a pre-​packaged chocolate chip cookie that was a little hard, but not stale or anything. just not the soft, gooey messes I usually like my cookies to be. They also have savory snacks, waffles, honey bread… all sorts of fun Korean coffee shop type snacks to try. Keep in mind that it’s a big chain and their food is prepared as such. If you want my opinion I’d stick to the coffee and tea and maybe check out a different place for a more fresh and authentic dessert, but when you have a sweet tooth it will definitely do the job.
So though I can’t really understand why some people seem so against this place, I’m also kind of happy about it because that means there will always be a seat for me when I want a comfy, quiet place to work.

Don’t understand the hype of this place. The food did not taste good. In fact, they served me burnt food. I originally ordered the choco more smore dessert. They said they ran out of brownies and offered me another option after I had paid for my first option. I chose another option and it was the Real espresso lava. Its price was lower than the s’more dish that I had paid for. When I was telling the staff about it, she cut me off and said «oh don’t worry about it.»
First of all, I wasn’t done talking.
Second, do not assume and jump to conclusions
Third, you just cheated me my money
I told another staff about it after receiving my dish and she said she would fix it for me. However, nothing happened.
When he Real espresso lava arrived, it looked bad. My friend and I were both able to smell the burnt scent coming from this dessert dish. We tasted half a tablespoon of the chocolate, the oreo cookie pieces, and the lava cake itself. It was terrible. The burnt scent was from the oreos, the chocolate were just pieces of store bought chocolate that they place randomly on the dish, and the lava cake was not moist. It was not runny like a lava cake is supposed to be. The whole dish was overdone. Only reason I didn’t have it return to the kitchen was because I no longer was interested in tasting anything else from this place.
I’ve wasted enough time tassting it and getting disrespected.

I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot about Caffebene that I just knew at some point I had to go try it some day. My boyfriend and I were passing by the Mott Street location over the weekend and decided to check it out after din ner.
First off, I really and truly love the décor and ambiance. It’s like an fancier and upgraded version of Starbucks. i like the relaxing and cozy environment here. It’s very spacious, clean, and organized. It’s perfect for a post-​date coffee & desserts, studying, catching up with a friend/​s, and catching up on work.
My boyfriend and I didn’t know what to order so we stood looking at the menu for 2 – 5 minutes. We wanted to find a dessert/​food we can bring back home to share with his family. We ordered the strawberry waffle and strawberry honey bread. We waited around 15 – 20 minutes for the strawberry honey bread and I know because I checked in on Unilocal and it says how long ago I checked in.
Strawberry Waffle — I felt like we were tricked by this. First off, it didn’t look anything like the one on the website (false advertisement?). The worse part is that the strawberry waffle was literally hard like a rock! There was a layer of white chocolate or strawberry cream that was covered on the waffle and it was so hard to bite into and way too sweet! The waffle wasn’t fluffy nor moist. What a disappointment!
Strawberry Honey Bread — This was the dessert that my boyfriend and I had to wait on for 15 – 20 minutes. I thought if we were waiting this long that it may be worth waiting for and that it may actually be good. The presentation of it was pretty and adorable. The dessert itself wasn’t good at all. It was a giant piece of bread with a layer of cheese spread above and slice of strawberries. It was a little funky at first and also really mushy. I was kind of expecting toasted, golden bread with a layer of cheese spread and then strawberries. This dessert was another disappointment.
In the end, I do feel like my boyfriend and I kind of wasted our time waiting for the strawberry honey bread because it wasn’t assembled nor did it taste well. I think I was more disappointed in the strawberry honey bread than the strawberry waffle even though I could have broke my tooth biting it. I don’t think my boyfriend and I will try these desserts or any other desserts that are related to these particular ones. However, I will consider giving Caffe Bene a second shot and try their beverages instead.

I like the atmosphere of this new caffe bebe and I love the location (Chinatown and next to little Italy).
BUT if you are going for a boba, there are MUCH cheaper alternatives (like half the price alternative) literally everywhere around you.
But if you need somewhere to sit and relax,” that is more low key, this is the place to go.

After Paris Baguette, Tous les Jours, we now have another Korean import, café chain in New York City — our newest café around the block is Caffe Bene and it is more ambitious than its predecessors. As my friend had corrected me, the name is pronounced Caffe ‘ben-​né’, not Caffe ‘bean’. Ok fancy pants.
A bit of background on Caffe Bene brand. It’s the glorified ‘Starbucks’ that has saturated Korean market and expanded into China as a medium-​end (not exactly high-​end) café chain frequented by young people going on dates. Coffee in general is very much an acquired taste and a luxury in Asia.
This Caffee Bene has a fancy espresso machine but baristas with average coffee making skills. It has a cozy, lounge-​like interior, however the patrons sitting inside are mostly middle aged Chinese men and women, which includes moms with their children taking advantage of the comp Wi-​Fi, but such customer base is hardly surprising for Chinatown location. The prices of baked goods are also fancy. A bun or croissant is $ 3+ a pop is a contrast from $ 1 per bun in Chinese-​owned bakeries just a block away. Irony is through the roof.
The Americano is not great and latte is made with a lot of milk, and whether that is desirable or not depends on personal preference, really. I noticed Asian-​owned cafes tend to add more milk in lattes. Bene’s pastries are so-​so, usually a bit dry. I’d believe Paris Baguette serves better pastries, has more selections, and at more reasonable prices. I can’t think of much reason to visit a Café Bene again.