Caffe Bene

This is a great quiet little café to hang out with a cup of their Saigon coffee or a cup of iced tea.
The café interior is quaintly decorated and there’s a lounge in the back where people can study or read. Aside from drinks, they also have ice cream, hot sandwiches, and shaved ice desserts.
While I didn’t order any food, I had the green tea tower (shaved ice) and it was massive. The deep bowl had a layer of green tea flavored shaved ice topped with crushed almonds, red beans, green tea ice cream, and whipped cream. It was really good but impossible to finish by just one person.
The price leans a bit on the pricey side, but the atmosphere isn’t as hectic as other café such as Starbucks. I also like that they don’t have loud whirring machine like the ones in Starbucks that goes off every one minute.

I love this place plainly for the atmosphere and ability to relax and study.
The coffee isn’t the greatest, in my preference, unfortunately, but the appeal makes up for it! However, maybe my opinion will change once I’ve been here a few more times to try different things! I wish they had one closer to where I live, but if I’m ever in the area, I’ll choose Caffe Bene to study in first!

A good spot to spend a few hours studying. Caffe Bene is pretty expensive, and I don’t necessarily love their drinks or patbingsu (the green tea patbingsu is a large serving, but it’s mostly just green tea ice. The last inch has one scoop of red bean, some green tea ice cream, almonds, and layers of whipped cream. Definitely not work $ 12.50.)
However, it’s quiet, well lit, seats are comfy, and there’s free wifi, so it’s a good spot if you want to kill some time or to spend an afternoon doing work.

I love it here but rating low as I feel it’s overpriced. please could you check on your prices. Ambience is awesome too. Pastries and desserts are good.

This is a cute and quiet little place to catch up with friends or to do some work. I had the shaved ice and it was good! The portion was so big though that I had to share with my friend and even then we struggled. I can’t wait to go back!

The bubble tea was delicious but way too expensive in my eyes. The cup was ¾ ice and the large cost almost $ 6. Definitely not worth your money.

Can’t go wrong with their waffles and mojitos
Not a coffee person so can’t speak for them
Avoid their mango shaved ice like the plague, absolutely terrible… (Try their chocolate shaved ice, I believe it’s a seasonal item but it’s really good)
Shouldn’t say anything else bad about them, I visit these guys once a week and don’t want anything to happen to my waffles…

Slightly overpriced but the desserts are delicious. I had the whipped cream and banana waffle. I love the seating and the atmosphere. As for service, it was okay.

Been here a few times and if you’re in college or wanting a spot to study, this is probably a decent place to do it. And while you’re at it, getting some pat bing su and coffee.
The desserts at Caffe Bene is decent. Nothing great but it’s the comfort of being able to come and chill for awhile with friends or study/​work is the draw that keeps bringing me back here. It’s not overly crowded or noisy. I would put the noise level lower than a normal Starbucks with their coffee machines whirring, music playing overhead, and people chatting.
Service is ok.
Parking: Large shared lot
Price: $ 5+
Wait: 5 – 10 mins after ordering

Based on my handful of visits to this Caffe Bene location, it is near perfect.
But let’s get the bad out of the way.
FOOD
I tried the Asian Shrimp Sandwich because I was really hungry and didn’t want to pack up all my stuff for the local restaurants or food courts. It was pricey, $ 7.95 before tax, but I thought if the sandwich is that pricey, it’s gotta be amazing! Well, I was very wrong.
The bottom of the sandwich was soggy; the bread and sauce were sweet, which was kind of weird and unenjoyable; and the star of the sandwich, the shrimp, was hiding… you could only feel the texture of the shrimp in between bites but no taste or flavor.
At least I’m not hungry anymore…
OKAY, now that’s done with, let’s get to the GREATS!
ATMOSPHERE
Very cozy and I will adore any café that puts up holiday lights and Christmas decorations. The café is clean and you gotta love the various aromas that seep from the barista area! Outlets are easy to find and the café has never been overcrowded any time I’ve been here, so it makes choosing your seat very easy.
SHAVED ICE
I love love love the green tea shaved ice. The matcha ice cream is very flavorable. The flavored ice is superb. Every bite is just delicious and the flavors all work very well with each other. I would suggest a minimum of ¾ people per shaved ice order though… because that thing is HUGE.
DRINKS
* Green Tea Latte: yum yum yum! Pricey, but delicious!
* Misugaru Latte: it was okay. It was kind of watery, so I prefer making my own misugaru lattes at home instead because it’s cheaper and I can make it more flavorful.
* Caramel Cinnamon Misugaru Frappé: delicious! The grains from the misugaru really stand out, which is a very good thing. I got a small version of this during happy hour, so I felt less guilty about the money I spent for a good drink. :)
Really curious about the green tea tiramisu and crème brûlée. One day I will give them a shot! :D
Can’t wait for the new Caffe Bene location to open up in the city. I’m from Southwest Philadelphia, so hopefully this new one will be closer to home. Still, I really like studying here when I just want to get away from home.

I’m giving this 3stars, generous in my opinion, and only because they have happy hour on weekdays at 3−5PM.
— Biggest disappoint:
The Bubble tea hurt my Asian pride, big time. The Thai Bubble Tea was similar to a diabetic drink and the bubbles were hard/​not fresh. Only their Green Tea Latte was acceptable. Ask for less ice.
— Shaved ice was more bland, and with less ingredients compared to the Café Bene I’ve tried in Boston.
— Misugaru latte was more watery compared to other korean cafes I’ve tried. I only get this during their happy hour.
I would like to commend the staff though. Each time I’ve gone, a pleasant crew was always there to greet and serve me and my friends!
Also I absolutely adore their interior design towards the back. It is the epitome of a relaxed studying area or to chat.

Came here after dinner for dessert because I was in the area. Although it’s a bit pricey, the shaved ice was definitely worth it considering the size of it. Surely wasn’t a one man job and it’s something nice to share with a lot of friends. Also I wasn’t really expecting red bean to be under all the shaved ice, but it was a great combination. Take it from me, an individual who usually dislikes the taste of red bean.
The place overall is pretty good. In my opinion, it’s basically like the Korean Starbucks.

So glad I found this place. Nice and cozy. Perfect café. The staff are super welcoming. I tried the peppermint latte which was very good. Another visit I tried the caramel misugaru which was different but I enjoyed it.
Only thing barista forget my 10% discount but it happens not a big deal. Such a nice place !!!
Love it.

I saw this on my friend’s Facebook.
Then I go to try! :D
The first visit I bought Misugaru Latte, White Grape Mojito, Espresso Mouse & Tiramisu Glass.
Love that all!!!
Never drink a Misugaru before, and this is the best!!! Taste like roasted rice (maybe) so yummy!
The Mojito too, taste like real Mojito just non alcohol.
The Espresso & Tiramisu are sooo good! Not too sweet & I like the glass too!
I will write a review again for the next visit ;)

Mitsugaru latte MmmmMmmm
Clean cozy and MmmmMmmm
Mitsugaru latte
Polite workers and MMmmMmmm
Mitsugaru latte

This place is so lackluster despite the cute décor and atmosphere of the café. I honestly really wanted to like this place but almost everything I have tried, I didn’t like. One thing that just sealed the deal of me never ordering drinks from here again is their lemon tea. I don’t know how someone can mess up a iced tea with lemon/​ade. It literally tea and lemon juice. The lemonade that they mix into the drink has this incredibly bitter aftertaste like you left the lemon in the tea for days. I highly do not recommend.
One star for the décor. One star for their patbingsoo or shaved iced (which I also think is overpriced.) I personally would choose elsewhere but will be willing to go if I was in a group that wanted to come. Other than that, I will not be back.

Drinks
— overpriced & unimpressive
— White Grape Mojito consists of blended white grape that leads to a chunky consistency that does not really add much to the drink, and ultimately tastes more like a strange grape juice than a classy mojito
Atmosphere
— poor customer service; uninterested baristas who don’t bother to wipe down any of the tables
+ the only positive — lots of table space for studying
My visit was truly disappointing as this is one of the only Asian-​styled cafes in the Philly area. If I return, it will only be for my desperate attempt to find a quiet place to study (which the place provides) coupled with delicious Korean food next door at H-​Mart or Dubu.

The first time I went here I was very disappointed. I ordered the red bean shaved ice with gelato ice cream. I was basically paying $ 11 for some ice and beans, there was little to no syrup in it and the amount of ice compared to the beans was completely off. I went the opening day which is why I don’t want it to affect the rating too much. Hopefully they have improved on this now that they’ve been open for longer.
I went again today and decided to try the waffle and green tea frap. My boyfriend ordered the waffle and gelato. We choose the pistachio gelato and it was rich and tasty. We weren’t expecting much because it was literally a waffle and a scoop of gelato BUT our first bite into it was AMAZING. We killed it in less than five minutes. It will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth and great to get as dessert after having a savory lunch/​dinner! The only downside is the size of the waffle. It’s pretty pricey ($ 6) so I wish the portions were bigger. The green tea frap was okay. I think it needed more matcha flavoring or sugar because it tasted watered down.
Overall the service is great! I took forever to order but they were very patient with me. Also, the ambience here is great for studying and casual dates. The interior is very dainty and cute and you’ll feel very comfortable. The food is very photogenic (Instagram worthy)!
I will definitely come here again to update my review on the shaved ice and satisfy my craving for the waffles again!

This place is an all-​around «safe» place for dessert, coffee, sandwiches, and bingsoo (shaved ice). As with other Caffe Bene locations around the US, nothing stands out in particular, but everything is A-​OK. They have waffles that you can dress up, sandwiches (reminiscent of banh mi), gelato, and cakes. They are not big on bakes goods/​breads like PB.
I never enjoyed their coffee, but would go to Caffe Bene for their Misugaru, one of their trademark items. Misugaru is mixed grain powder that has a bit of a nutty taste, and is known for their health benefits– many Koreans used Misugaru powder + milk as a meal substitute, but the one at Caffe Bene has a lot of sugar, so I wouldn’t advise that here.
The bingsoo’s are large, but they lack the old-​school, tons of fruit, syrup, mochi mix. The bingsoo here is minimalistic, if that’s your thing. It’s a bit overpriced. We also tried the Mango Mousse cake, and that was good.
The best thing about this location is their seating. Higher ceilings, many wooden tables and open atmosphere will attract many people to this location since their competitors lack the spacing. There is a parking lot in the back, and it also connects with the Hmart parking lot.

I’m so exciting to have Caffe-​bene in my town. Such a great place to hang out w/​pals also to killin time.
They have various kind of drinks and sandwiches.
Only downside is their coffee… ma iced americano was lack of aroma but their sandwich was very tasty. The LEMON-​MOJITO is ma new must have drink.