Caffebene

Walking around NY, we came across Caffebene.

Decided to grab a drink. The cashier was friendly and quick. He told us that the wifi password and restroom code was on our receipt. Tried their Lava Flow drink and it was OK at best. There wasn't a whole lot of flavor in the drink. It was still nice to have a cool drink on a hot day. There are plenty of baked goods and other sweet treats here. Plenty of seating is available towards the back of the bakery and some seating at the front. Restrooms were clean enough.

I find it very weird this location gets scathing reviews. Sure I didn't get accosted by a homeless man, but in terms of goods and services, they're pretty consistent-- with me.

I'm just here to say they have outlets and the coco lime thing wasn't very limey. Fix that?

Please?

All I smell is the sweet aroma of waffles in the air.......

I needed a caffeine boost the other day after shopping for some gear in the area.

Decided to take a seat in here as it was nice and empty on a snowy Sunday evening.

Can't complain at all really. Service was ok. Also ordered a tasty sandwich to go along with my skim cafe mocha. Yeah, skim. Hey, gotta watch my sexy figure!

Sat up front at a large communal table and checked email while relaxing a bit. Large spot with plenty of seating in front and back areas. Saw lots of outlets too for those looking to charge up. Seems like a bunch of stuff on the menu to nosh on. Wifi and bathroom code on your receipt so don't lose it.

A decent alternative to Starbucks.

I ordered the green tea gelato with a waffle and ehh. This is probably the worst green tea gelato I had so far. The waffle was crispy and probably glazed with sugar since it was evenly dark. The waffle was bland and usually the ice cream saves the waffle but not here..
The mocha frap was similar to a starbucks frap - sugary goodness.
The tomato soup was interesting; it wasn't your normal runny tomato soup. It was creamy and they definitely had a twist to it since it was orange and I couldn't make out the special ingredient but I enjoyed it!

I LOVE the ambiance here. Check out the pictures I took. This is a great spot for chatting and people watching - lots of stylish people come here!

I come here occasionally because I at least like their iced coffee (but I do not like their hot coffee) and it's a convenient location to go to if I need to get some work done, but honestly, it's not that great, and the small annoyances are almost not worth it.

For one, the wifi hasn't worked for me in months. Second, the employees are not friendly at all. One cashier was busy chatting with one of the other employees while I was waiting, so I looked down at my phone for a few seconds, and the next thing I knew, she was at the register glaring at me like I should have known she was ready to take my order, not even bothering to say anything to call me over or draw my attention. And then she gave me the stink eye the whole time taking my order and payment.

Third, they don't provide complimentary soy milk at the condiment bar anymore - they charge for it. Also the chairs in the back part of the seating area are awkwardly low and slanted. Like, it's nearly impossible to sit back and use a laptop or something on the table because you're tilted so far away from the table. I have to sit at one of the stools at the counters or tall tables, but then have no back on my seat.

Thank goodness there are other coffee shops to go to around there.

This seems like a good place for getting work done if you bring your laptop. Enjoy the free Wi-Fi. Do not, however, get the cheesecake. Just don't.
This is kind of random but There's some pretty grainy hair conspicuously hanging off of the wall see photo attached.

A little over $14 for a small free tea latte and a small Choco devil ice parfait.
The cafe is a decent place, the staff a little intimidating, always hovering over you as you decide what to get.
They're friendly and try to recommend things though.
Will definitely return to try their waffles.

To me, caffébene is not much different than Starbucks, but I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I prefer tea as my pick me up drink.

However, they serve quality tea bags in steaming hot water for $2.45. That's super cheap by NYC standards. It hit the spot. A double shot cappuccino is $4.50. Cookies are a bit expensive at $3.00 though.

Check out the bottom of your receipt for their WIFI password.

So I was only able to get coffee but there were so many yummy snacks that I was tempted to try! I love Americano coffee but no place seems to get it as good as Europe, Ireland to be exact. Ever since I tried Americano overseas Ive been trying to find a good place over here and I finally have.

There is a lot of space because the place goes all the way back but it is definitely cozy. As far as the snacks they were very expensive. $3 for a macaroon about $5 for a pastry. The more creative you get as far as drinks, naturally they cost more money.

The service was quick, they weren't super friendly but not miserable either. I definitely intend come back to this place even if its a different location.

I was looking for a cafe with WiFi around Union Square so I can get some blogging done. I came in here around 11AM-11:30AM on a Friday morning and it was pretty crowded and noisy.

The design of this Caffe Bene is slightly different from the ones I've been to before. The front of the coffee shop has a few seats and a section in the middle where you can pick up pastries, snacks, and etc. The middle and back of the cafe are where all the seats were. There was a range of high tables and low tables. The table and seat I sat in didn't feel very safe and almost like it was going to collapse. I was also told that some of the outlets in this Caffe Bene didn't work (that's always nice to hear).

In addition, in order to gain entrance into the restroom - there's a code on the receipt and steps on the keypad of how to get inside the restroom. The restroom wasn't kept in the most clean or beautiful appearance. It was quite dirty as most public restrooms.

I think that this was probably one of the worse Caffe Bene's I've been to. The cafe didn't feel very cozy, comfortable, or a productive work space. The moment I walked in - it felt dark and dingy I think I prefer the one in Chinatown better - at least it's bright, fairly clean, and has a sufficient amount of outlets.