Sweet Bean and More

RIP Sweet Bean. You will be missed.

For all of you that love Starbucks and all of the other commercial coffee shops this place is not for you. This is by far one if the better places in the area to grab a coffee and a bite to eat. Food and service is fantastic.

love the spot and the service. The braised beef was really good as was the egg salad. Make sure you get the gelato… and sit outside

The very friendly staff and clean restaurant is an added touch to this breakfast and lunch joint.
With good coffee and made to order food, how could you go wrong? I tried the chorizo burrito and my husband had the sausage egg croissant, both of which were hot and tasty.
They have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Very friendly and welcoming staff!
Amazing breakfast and lunch.
Ordered 2 Limonata Pellegrino’s and she said she would only charge me for one.
Recommended to anyone for breafast, lunch, coffee, or gelatto.

I love this place! It’s perfect for good coffee and great menu options in a relaxed environment. There are several sandwich and salad options, and they also have soup. It’s great for breakfast as well!
I didn’t expect that what appears to be a coffee shop would have a great breakfast and lunch offering! It definitely beats generic chains The variety of the offering is impressive.

In a state not my own (I’m from Hawaii), I found it enjoyable. It filled my requirements for what I was looking for: within walking distance from where I was staying, and somewhere I can sit and enjoy a coffee and something small to eat.
I went in and no one was there. The whole time I was there (about 45 minutes) only 1 other person sat down to enjoy his chocolate muffin & coffee, everyone else ordered and left. The menu seem like a lot of stuff from what I’m use to in a Hawaii coffee place standard. The lady was nice, and help me pick something out, making suggestions on sides and what not.
Their coffee was OK. The brisket sandwich I had was yummy! Hit the spot. The décor is sweet. With little glass jars filled with dry pasta, and wicker baskets that hold different types of cook books, why wouldn’t people just want to sit down and hang out? I sat near the window, took pleasure in my lunch and watch the world pass by. To me, that’s a nice way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.
Over all, it was an pleasant experience with friendly staff.

I don’t understand why this place is always empty. It is soooo good! Best breakfast sandwich around and excellent coffee. Only $ 4.50 for breakfast sandwich and coffee. Omelets and other breakfast foods are amazing too… never been here for lunch, though.

Pros:
Food, Parking, Coffee, Location, Menu
Cons:
PRICE PRICE PRICE, Atmosphere, Food, Service
THE PROS
The Sweet Bean is a good but not great coffee house. It has bonus points for being in part of the neighborhood that needed a coffee house aside from the Starbucks down on Paulina.
The food is good and some of the dishes are better than expected. They have an extensive menu to choose from and for me the coffee is good. Not Metropolis standard (IMHO)
Parking is fairly easy because it is located on Wolcott, which has a row of parking. Sometimes a bit of walk, but still near by.
I want to be honest here, I like The Sweet Bean. The location is brilliant for a coffee house. On a main street and just a couple of steps from the 76 bus, so it is good to step in and get a cup of coffee on the go and not miss your bus. Just a tad noisy since it is on a main street (if you are sitting outside to eat)
The CONS
Seriously, price for me, for most of the food is a bit expensive. I do not know if it is because they think they are in a more upper middle class to yuppy hood that they feel most folks wont even notice/​care about the price and dish it out. (i could be completely wrong)
Especially for the simple things, like a grill cheese sandwich ($ 4.50). For that price, I would expect something grand, but what I got what I classify as ghetto grill cheese. Two thinly pieces of bread and MAYBE 2 cheeses on there and a small portion of fruit. That for me is more of a $ 2.50 price range. Seriously?
Hell, in the ghetto one can get more food for that price and a lot better at times too.
Atmosphere is a bit stale for me, kind of cold. The chairs can be uncomfortable and the inside can seem a bit claustrophobic.
And sometimes, NOT ALL THE TIME, the service is a bit lacking in care. There has been more than a few times I just waited and tapped my fingers to be serviced as the people in the back just talk among themselves.
I say food in my con because all of it is not great and sometimes my hot order is a bit cold.
OVERALL
A good little place that gives you the diversion of what the area is and has become over the years.

My gf works around the corner from Sweet Bean so we decided to venture in during lunchtime.
The owner was super friendly and bubbly, explaining various menu and drink items that they serve. I told her how cute the place is & that I’d be telling all my friends about it. Her eyes lit up when I said that… and before I knew it… she was giving me complimentary yoguccino’s, turkey club sandwiches, and spumoni gelato’s.
Of course, in return… I took pics of menu items, emailed ‘em to her and posted them on facebook, metromix, etc etc to get the word out. What can I say? I could tell how proud and passionate the owner was about the café. She made sure that her customers were pleased w/​menu items. Now. that’s good service! =)
The food was fresh, the yoguccino was a nice, creamy, fruity concoction, and the gelato… well, I heart gelato in general so that was a no-​brainer.
** I went the second time w/​2 of my friends and she didn’t charge me for 2 orders of gelato. Man o man… I love a good deal, esp when it comes to food.

Pretty middle-​of-​the-​road to solid. I’ve had good and bad experiences here, but I appreciate that it’s not Starbucks and they have food!

There is a great way to describe this place. I live 2 blocks away. If I want to walk to get a meal, this is a great place to go. If I want to drive, well, I could do much better.
The food is good, but limited. The menu is small. Nonetheless, it is worth the walk. I guarantee though they will fuck up some part of your order. I have been going here for three years, and like death and taxes, my order gets fucked up. Not fatal, just a little different. So is life though.
I give it 4 stars because they try hard, the food (although limited) is good, and I go regularly. To be honest, on Saturday morning, in West Lakeview/​Roscoe Village, I would go here over the breakfast spots on Roscoe.

I love the steak burrito… I get it about 4 times a week.

I finally tried this place for the first time yesterday, and I wanted to write a review as an apology for not going here sooner!
I’ve always missed the «and More» on the sign, and had only expected Sweet Bean to be a little coffee shop. But when I stopped in and saw their awesome breakfast menu, I knew I was in for a treat.
I’m giving it 5 stars, one for each of the following things that made my day:
1. A totally adorable independent coffee shop full of great coffee and breakfast options.
2. A delicious iced mocha on a warm summer Saturday.
3. An amazing chorizo breakfast burrito for a reasonable price.
4. A cute outdoor seating area where I could enjoy said burrito.
5. A nice selection of gelato, which really is the way into my heart.
I will definitely be back to Sweet Bean and More!

I live a few blocks from the place, they have really good breakfast, I have never tried it for any other meal. The omelet is always my favorite and the fresh fruit that comes with it is always good. This place isn’t anything new or crazy, just good breakfast for good prices.

Great little café. I’ve visited twice so far, both times for breakfast. I really like the egg sandwich and it is very reasonably priced! My friend raves about the french toast!

A solid three stars. I’ve lived by this place for years and only recently tried it. We walked over one sunny weekend morning for some breakfast. I waited outside with the pooch and the boy ran in. We were happy with our tea and food (I had the parfait) but there was a pretty incredibly long wait to just get carry out.

This is a really cute café. They have an assortment of pastries, breakfast items, sandwiches and coffee drinks. I just had a coffee and chocolate muffin and my friend had a brownie. The pastries and coffee were just ok. It’s a nice spot to go to if you’re heading to the Streets of London Salon which is right down the street. I did see someone with some french toast that looked absolutely delish. I would need to try the food before I give it a four or even five star review. But it is cute and quaint and I’d go back if I was in the area.

Sweet Bean is right around the corner from my work and I love to walk over there for lunch or swing by for a morning coffee.
The food/​coffees are great but the staff is sometimes missing from the front counter or just lounging around. Maybe because business seems sorta slow.
Their lunch sandwiches taste GREAT, are almost too huge and come with a really great side salad. but they’re $ 8 and up. They have a half sandwich and side option, but its $ 7.50 so whats the point?
Suggestion–
Please provide a half sandwich option that is reasonably cheaper than the full sandwich (which comes with the side anyway!) and I’ll come here much more often.
Also if you dine in with food you get a real plate and flatware and the barista brings your order out, very nice.

This place is adorable! It is right underneath my cousin’s apartment so we headed here for a quick breakfast before going to downtown Chicago. The prices are a little expensive, but small coffee shops are always pricey I guess, for what reason I don’t know. The staff was extremely courteous and friendly. The coffee (house) was great, and the warmed up chocolate muffin was delicious. I recommend this place, especially to catch up with old friends or just grab a cup of joe on the go.