Beans n’ Bites

Huge portion considering the low price, and the food is good, too!

They run out of cunapes at noon, and don’t make any more.

Small café place on a quiet street. The menu consists of asian noodles or sandwiches and some drinks. They have one table outside and a few tables inside. Food comes out fast and hot. Average meal is about $ 7.50. Taste is not bad but nothing too special. Overall a nice quiet place to grab some coffee or food.

Surprising little place tucked away in a land of pricey eating establishments.
This place might be labeled as Beans N Bites but the outside of the restaurant says 3G’s Café so turn on your map app and don’t miss it. It’s across the street from the lot that is on the right hand side of Cambridge Ave. Plenty of free parking at noon on a weekday. It is located VERY close to campus and within walking distance — if you can get yourself to California Ave, this is even closer. A nice option for people who are living in EV grad housing, or just on the east end of campus.
The restaurant is tiny and there’s not a lot of seating. However, the serving sizes are big and the food is not bad.
Two things to try:
Dan Dan Noodle — comes with fresh cilantro, bean sprouts and cucumber. A fairly big bowl for 6.95. The meat sauce is indeed spicy (there’s a lot of confusion in these reviews about which of the dan dan noodle versus zha jiang noodle is spicy. It’s the Dan Dan noodle that is spicy. The sign even tells you that), and there’s plenty for the amount of noodles they give you. The noodles are average, nothing special or homemade, but I’m just glad I can get a nice bowl of pretty good noodles for that price. Brought home about half. Only complaint is that the menu said there would be a seasoned egg, the pictures here appear to show it included, and I never got one.
Spicy wontons — Yum! These were pretty good. Topped with minced garlic and cilantro, and the hot sauce is not dangerously spicy but just enough to be flavorful.
My friend had the wonton noodle soup. Again, huge bowl. All the noodles are roughly the same price.
Coffee was only ok here — I had an iced latte and it was nothing to wag your tail about, and somewhat pricey. Go for the bites, not the beans.

This little place is really good, can’t remember the name of what I have eaten their but it was so yummy! The only thing is that if you want to buy dinner they are not open. They close early so you will only be able to eat lunch or really early dinner. But don’t let this fiol ya this place is all about the food!

I was excited to try this restaurant but unfortunately it failed to impress me.
Noodle is too soggy and dandan noodle not as flavorful as I hoped for.
The braised pork over rice is dry, not good.
I’m Chinese so I eat these kind of stuff constantly and I just don’t find it as good as what I had before.

Came here for lunch and took that food to the dome (i.e. I inhaled that goodness). Eight hours later, I was still full and hadn’t eaten anything else all day. Here goes the Bean n’ Bites breakdown…
FOOD
*Spicy wonton dumpling: LOVE the chopped garlic on top. (No such thing as too much garlic, ya dig?) Cilantro also adds some decoration. Otherwise, this is your pretty standard dumpling in hot chili oil.
* Dan Dan Mian: Has a spicy kick. If you don’t crave the heat, the Ja Jiang Mian is a similar dish with less spice.
* Braised Pork Over Rice: The pork is flavorful, with the meat flavors permeating into the rice. Comes in a mid-​sized regular bowl, but it sure can fit a lot of food.
* Bolivian Salteñas; These are similar to empanadas. I tried the chicken and beef one, and I preferred the chicken. There’s beef, carrots, and peas inside. My favorite part was the flavorful meat juice that oozes out. Also, the pastry crust has a tinge of sweetness in it.
Between two people, my friend and I shared all this food. We were both in a food coma afterwards, feeling the side effects of all the sodium we just consumed. No regrets though– it was some good food, and I basically got my daily dosage of carbs here.
SERVICE:
One female food server/​cook was EXTREMELY friend. We asked her for salteñas, and she said they were out but she’d make a special one for us. So she then made a chicken and beef one. I appreciate this level of customer service.
ATMOSPHERE:
This is a smaller restaurant with about 7 tables (including those outside). Seems like a popular place for students.

Fast and good. Noodle are great. Nice shanghainese owner.
The spicy meat noodle is awesome.
I also did try the dan dan noodle, which is also very very good.
Staff is friendly, speed is fast. Great go-​to place for chinese noodle.

Good to have Asian food nearby
Minus for noodle that is cooked slightly too long
Will revise score after trying their rice dish
Need to put price of drinks on the wall if possible

I’ve only had the noodles, and unfortunately I think they reflect too much of the same theme and too little variation. The dan-​dan mian is too much like the zhajiang mian, and the cold noodles are too similar a rehash.
Personally, I think the place is good enough to get your noodle-​fix in Palo Alto if you’ve been away from home too long. Also, I found the noodles too oily and and without sufficient vegetable content, making the meal feel too incomplete.

I would like to see this place boom. Has potential because the food is delicious. Some pointers:
Spicy won ton was good, but it got a little cold. Spicy sauce could also be a little bit more thicker.
Ja jiang mien was good. Just needed a little bit more salt.
Coffee needs to be worked on. I think the coffee and milk tea thing would do well. Who doesn’t want a coffee or milk tea after chines?
But service and price was great. Also, the menu had some decent options. Keep at it! Will come back.

Got the braised pork rice and was quite disappointed actually. How does something so fatty come off with bland flavors? There was quite a bit of rice but unfortunately the sauce did nothing to flavor the rice. I was really looking forward to trying this place out because I am a little obsessed with braised pork rice. Even the soy sauce egg tasted almost like a plain egg! So disappointed.
Even more disappointed that this place replaced 3Gs café which served up Bolivian Food. I loved 3Gs café!!! Really confused with Beans and Bites because there was also quinoa soup and cunapes served up but the place seemed predominately Chinese with Chinese entrees and some sandwiches. Hence the name Beans and Bites? So confused… I didn’t see Beans on the menu. Maybe the owner’s name is Beans? Or they are trying to infuse Latin (Beans) with Chinese (and Bites)? I don’t understand the concept of this place.
Bring back the all Bolivian menu! And step up the game on the Braised Pork!

I have ordered the dan Dan noodle To-​go and the portion is huge. It doesn’t taste like the original one, but a bit different style. It’s very tasty still though.
I also like that they make it very fast (not sure i it’s fast food, but better quality for sure.) XD

Holy crap. This may be the restaurant in Palo Alto I’ve been looking for.
I got the dandan noodles, and it weighed something similar to a newborn. For like seven dollars. It wasn’t gourmet, but who cares? It’s within biking distance from Stanford, it’s good and greasy (in the best possible way), the restaurant is clean and bright and warm, there’s parking if you drive, and I’ve never had more bang for my buck anywhere on the Peninsula.
I’m going to come back a lot to study and grab a cheap lunch between classes. Palo Alto around Stanford could really have a market for cheap lunch for college kids, especially since on-​campus restaurants are so bad. Though it’s too late for me, I hope people will start catering to this market. If this restaurant gets the word out to students, it could do very, very well with them.

Very casual and friendly place. The mix of Chinese and Bolivian food (alongside American style coffee and sandwiches) is definitely unique, but both the Chinese and Bolivian options on the menu have a warm, homemade feel to them and are very satisfying. Very friendly staff and good coffee. Not to mention the free wifi! Will definitely come back!
It’s a shame they closed up the outside area at the back, but maybe it’s just for winter.

I love Mom and Pop (and daughter) spots like this. Continuous open hours. Super friendly service. Food menu served at any hour of operation.
Hidden on Cambridge Avenue, adjacent to busy California Avenue, Beans and Bites is a small and easily missed coffee and food spot that is definitely worth a visit.
In its prior incarnation, it was 3 G’s Café and served very popular Bolivian food, such as cuñapes and saltenas. As Bolivian cuisine isn’t on my usual hit list of cuisines, I never had stopped by nor heard of them.
Recently, under new ownership and a new name, they still serve café drinks, sandwiches, the above-​mentioned bolivian snacks, but have added Chinese street food. It’s the last addition that piqued my Unilocal radar.
A few small tables line the café and the menu is largely a picture menu on the glass partition as they transition to their new name. Chinese food items included spicy wontons, ja jiang mien, dan dan noodles, and rice dishes. My order:
Ja Jiang Noodles — All the noodle dishes are served hot and are dry noodles without soup, though I was offered to have it as a soup if I wanted. A nice bowl came out after I had placed my order and it’s filled with piping hot and fresh noodles topped with a savory pork meat sauce and warm vegetables including bean sprouts and carrots. You mix the entire entrée together and the ratio of sauce to noodles was great. I especially liked the fresh noodles and how temperature perfect they were for mixing among the ingredients. Total comfort food and very reminiscent of my mom’s cooking. $ 6.25.
Spicy Wontons — As a fan of spicy wontons at 5 Joy in Foster City and Sichuan Chili in San Jose, I always love ordering these. About 6 – 8 wontons came to an order and I initially chose regular spiciness which was a bit mild. The owner said I could make it extra spicy, so took it back, added some of their homemade chili sauce (a great mix of peppers and chili) and let me mix it in. Great home-​made flavor and, again, the wontons tasted fresh and piping hot. Not quite my favorites-​level, but very tasty and a winner for the area. $ 6.95.
Salteñas — These Bolivian-​style pastries were popular with the prior owner and it’s fantastic they still offer. Juicy, savory and delicious. The best I’ve had in the Bay Area (better than SF Ferry Building and Redwood City’s Donut House)
Overall, I had a great quick bite. Beans and Bites is a fantastic addition to the area and I look forward to coming back. I left very happy and full.

Beans and Bites accepts credit cards, but no longer accepts American Express.

The Bolivian foods, especially the saltenas and the peanut soup, are absolutely wonderful. The new owners have added additional Chinese menu items that remind me of my Mom’s cooking. I had the braised pork over rice, which was tender, well seasoned and included choice pieces of pork belly. Service is helpful, friendly and efficient.

Copied from my review of 3 G’s because it changed owners and name. So apparently 3 G’s Café has new owners as of 2 weeks ago!
My friend called me over because he told me that 3 G’s started serving Dan Dan Mian, Ja Jiang Mian, Lu Rou Fan and other Chinese dishes. Obviously i was kind of surprised and I had to go!
We got multiple orders of Lu Rou Fan as well as the spicy wontons (紅油抄手). The Lu Rou Fan was pretty decent. The daughter out of the father daughter owner pair said even though she’s Shanghainese, she Taiwanese friends who say her Lu Rou Fan is pretty decent. I agree. It’s not quite the same as what you would get in Taiwan, because the pork would be ground up more instead of sliced chunks, and it would be a bit more salty versus sweet, but it was pretty good.
I had a bit of the spicy wontons and they were good as well! It was like a healthier twist on the normally greasy and oily spicy wontons.
Update:
I’ve had the Ja Jiang Mian, the Pork with Mustard Greens, and various other items on the menu. All pretty good, if slightly different than what I’m used to.

Came in here and was surprised by the menu. I have never tried spicy wonton before, but I tried that and it was AMAZING.
Their coffee is also really good and gives you that homie feeling. Don’t be afraid to try out their new items. They certainly know how to make them.

So fans of 3G’s may semi worry The owners have sold to another family. Though some of their treats are still available, there are also CHinese dishes amongst the sandwiches and Bolivian items. It’s an interesting mix. The iced chai is still solid though they were out of cunapes today. The transition has just been a week so it may take them a bit to get it back together