Caffé bene

The décor, kpop music (not too loud), and ambience are pretty well done. So a point for that. Ordered yogurt smoothie, which is not too sweet. However the price is a quite steep, 6 for a medium cup, which probably would keep some younger crowd away.

I’ve been to the Caffe Bene locations in Los Angeles and this small café took me by surprise. It was nicely decorated but with limited seats. I ordered a gelato waffle and the gelato itself was not smooth. It was quite hard and icy, but the waffle tasted fresh and great. Customer service was pretty alright too.

Bought two slices of Lady M cake here– one green tea flavor and one original flavor. Both taste like dish soap and plastic… I had Lady M cake before at all kinds of places so I know how the taste should be… Definitely not going back …

Major ripoff in what you get size wise. Hot chocolate tastes bland and single cappuccino is a joke with a burnt bitter taste from the espresso. Just another shop where owners seem to care more about making a buck vs. serving quality food and drinks. I’ve had better from Starbucks and we all know they are not all that.

Cute little intimate setting for a hang out with girlfriends or to go get some work done. Came here for the first time to grab a coffee with my sister and it was very tasty and comfy. I tried the Caramel Latte Macchiato and asked for it not to be too sweet. I think it’s a great place to stop by, I would come back!

I was overwhelmed with the menu selections, but in a good way. I went in for a coffee and decided to order a Café Saigon, their version of a Vietnamese iced coffee. Definitely not as overly sweet with condensed milk nor too strong as, say, a Lee’s coffee. Just right with the sweetness and caffeine strength (hands weren’t shakin’!) I saw a good selection of macarons and decided to order a couple and THEN saw their brick /​honey toast. I couldn’t refuse and also ordered the caramel cinnamon honey toast. I am a sucker for honey toast and theirs was perfectly buttery and soft in the right places. I just went in for a coffee and walked away with sweets galore. The cashiers were so sweet to also offer me samples of their gelato, but I just couldn’t do it… yet!
Not to mention their choice of music (90s r&b) intensified the experience of being here.

Stopped by to kill a few hours. It’s small and cozy inside with the friendliest servers! Didn’t expect much when I ordered the mushroom sandwich (all it says on the menu is portobello, onions, whole grain mustard, mozzarella, dried parsley) but boy… what a delightful (i can’t think of another word) sandwich! It’s warm, toasty and there’s some magical dressing on it. Delish!

I got a small machiato coffee. It was tiny but very strong and it was only one shot. I also had a slice of a berry custard. I forgot the name but it was good, not very sweet. They have cool replicas of the food items on the counter. They look too real I almost grabbed the waffle to buy it lol

Nicely decorated cosy little café with limited seats. It’s a dessert/​coffee place but limited food choices, only sandwiches and soups. Ordered the desserts and food that is shown on the menu displayed at the cashier but was told it was all not available. Sooooo… why did they place it out there in the first place? Saw Christmas menus and decorations all around the shop, why? Christmas is over!
Food critique:
Cookies and Cream Waffle
~ Raspberry taste frozen, hard and icy
~ Cookies and Cream ice cream is ok
~ Waffle is soft and crisp
~ ³⁄₅
Minestrone Bread Bowl
~ Ordered Clam Chowder Bread Bowl but they say they do not have that on the menu though their menu is display right in my face at the cashier counter. Got a minestrone soup instead. It wasn’t a soup at all, more like a dry stew bread bowl. It was so dry and salty that I barely ate it!
~ ²⁄₅

Lack of food assortment in the menu. Not much to choose from except gelato and cake. The other caffe bene I’ve been to has a much better and bigger offering.
Iced coffee is also mild and it tastes diluted

Looking for affordable milk tea with boba? Then try Caffe Bene… but I think that may be the only thing that is less expensive. Everything else there looked a bit pricey. The milk tea was quite sweet and the boba wasn’t of the best quality. I suppose the milk tea tasted better than the boba. Not sure if I would come back for it, even though it’s cheap. I believe it came in three sizes and the large milk tea was $ 1.50 with boba. You can always get it hot or on ice… Mixed feelings about this place, not really liking the prices of the other menu items.

I’ve passed by this caffe bene a few times and it was my first time here today!
We ordered a green tea latte and a vanilla macaroon!
Girlfriend says the green tea latte deserves somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars. She also said that she usually doesn’t like macaroons but was pretty satisfied with the vanilla macaroon she got :) I also had a sample of their gelato but it wasn’t to my tastes.
Service was great! Staff was very friendly and brought our drink out to us when it was ready (came on a Saturday night at 8pm). Even said to tell her if anything was wrong with the drink!
As mentioned in other reviews, the interior is pretty nice and modern. Super clean and seems like it would be a pretty decent place to study! They are a Korean café, so they play Korean music! Pretty nice switch of tune from a normal Starbucks. Definitely come check this place out if you’re bored of Starbucks and want a new place to go!

I am sorry it has taken so long to update this review! After seeing the reply that explained that a power outage caused the delay in opening on the day I had tried to visit, I dropped by a few days later. I appreciate that they took the time to explain and invite me back.
I had the banana honey bread and a latte. Both were decent and a reasonable alternative to Starbucks. I wasn’t blown away but I would drop by again for a pre-​work coffee fix.

So glad to see another Caffe Bene pop up, I had to stop in as I really love their frappes!
Service was great, the store super clean and the décor simple but cool and modern.
Huge variety, I am going to have to branch out sometime, but for now I love the mocha frappé with an added shot.
Made to order perfectly, I did think it was a bit pricey and wish they had larger sizes as well, but still it was excellent and very well worth coming back for!

Woohoo, Caffebene and Café Concerto (coming soon to Santa Anita Mall, Arcadia) are coming to my hood now!!! Nothing like a lil piece of ktown in the 626 area :)
Caffebene located in San Marino on Huntington Drive — popped in and was hankering for some yummy macarons. I usually frequent the Caffebene on Berendo Street, and decided to check this place out. Got six macarons for $ 12. Same price as the ones in KTown.
From Favorite to Yuck:
**Orange Liquor — the best one! Orange Liquor was not too sweet and on point!
**Blueberry
**Apple Pie
**Red Velvet
**Key Lime
**Pumpkin Spice — nasty!!! Tasted like pumpkin scented soap. Do not recommend!
**Honey Ginger — way too much ginger — overpowering and my throat burned.
Despite the two gross macarons — it’s great having Caffebene here! The two Caucasian servers there was nice and cool. Though the male server was stacking my macarons like Oreos in the lil box, and asked him to place it sideways — the right and proper way to stack macarons, lol!
Overall, I dig this place. Can’t wait to come back here and try out their brick toasts, other macs, savory food and drinks, yay!
Parking: Free 2 hours street parking

I don’t know if the people who wrote those bad reviews went back to take a second look at this place, but it’s definitely worth it. I got their teriyaki chicken sandwich and their strawberry waffles (felt very fat that day). It was very good. The strawberries were very good, not sour at all. The teriyaki chicken sandwich could use a little less sauce, but other than that it was delicious, I finished everything.
My friend got the iced Saigon coffee, she said that it tasted really good. She wanted to feel energized to study and so that coffee really helped.
I definitely recommend this place if you want to study because its not crowded like Starbucks, or any other boba place. I got a lot of work done!

My new favorite spot to study. I’ve been coming to this location for the past 3 or 4 days and I always find myself coming back to study. The ambiance is amazing. Although I wish the counter seating was all leveled.
Anyways, since I’ve been coming so much I thought it deserved a review. I don’t usually write reviews because I don’t like rating business by the number of stars they deserve. However, i wish i could give café bene many many stars. I love their holiday flavors and my current favorite drink is the gingerbread latte. I’m actually very happy they opened a location only 15 mins away from me. I also love the waffle deserts. They are always very generous with the amount of fruit or gelato they put on top of the waffle.
Overall, I love this place. Much better than starbucks. Never noisy or overcrowded. Which is why i always find myself back here. Well to end this review, the only thing i wish they could change is to get a shorter chair for the unleveled part of the counter seating. haha. :D I LOVE CAFE BENE!

Caffe Bene is a great franchise chain. I usually go to the one in Rowland Heights but thought I would try closer to me.
This location is BADDDD!!! I came in, no one greet us. We were staring at the menu trying to decide what to buy and none of the employees would offer to give us any recommendations or any recognition. One employee was on her cellphone and the other was just standing there waiting for us. We got a single scoop of gelato (green tea), the white grape mojito and a spicy chicken sandwich. The white grape mojito was good until I got to the raspberries on top, they were old and mushy. The chicken on the sandwich was still cold and it wasn’t as delicious as I thought it would be.
So I gave them a second chance, as we all deserve a second chance but it was just worse. We got some Café Saigon, regular coffee and strawberry honey bread. They were alright but employees had their friends over and they were so loud and obnoxious. We couldn’t enjoy them and left. So unprofessional, management is so bad here (if there is ANY).
I truly rather go on a long drive to Rowland Heights or other location than this location. Sorry not sorry.

I was pretty surprised to see this KTown/​DTLA staple pop up in San Marino, but it’s definitely a pleasant surprise. Located right across the street from the San Marino Starbucks, this Caffe Bene follows in the footsteps of its brethren with a very decorative storefront filled with hipster decorations and soothing, acoustic Korean music playing.
The coffee itself here isn’t that great, and is actually a little pricier than Starbucks, but I would say the quality is at least a little better and there are a few new choices of drinks if you’re getting bored.
Overall, I would say this place is a decent spot to come hang out with friends or maybe have a short coffee date, but not somewhere I would go to grab coffee or even get any work done because there are so few seats, outlets, and the wifi is rather unreliable as well.
Parking is also not the greatest as this place is located directly on Huntington drive, but the few spots on Huntington Drive have 2 hour parking for most of the day. You can always drive around the side streets and park there if needed as well.

There’s parking on Huntington in front of the store and they also have a lot in the back.
Pros:
…
Cons:
–Everything here is ridiculously overpriced! $ 2+/per macaron!!! A small latte is almost $ 5. and of course half of it is ice
–There’s about 5 tables and people like to think that their backpack/​purse/​laptop case also deserves a seat when it’s busy :)))) so there’s pretty much never any seating if you want to study.
–The staff is ridiculously loud and obnoxious when there’s no one there

I’m loving the ambiance here. Caffebene recently opened in San Marino across from the Starbucks. I’ve heard of their other shops but I have never been to one of them so I’m happy they opened one near home. Parking was easy with street parking out front and to the side and a parking lot out back.
I ordered the Strawberry Mojito, per the cashier’s suggestion. It was great! Sprite with macerated strawberries, slices of lime, and mint. I expected it to be super sweet but it was the prefect sweetness. It is a bit pricey for around $ 6 though. There are numerous other drinks on the menu, such as coffee drinks or smoothies, so you should be able to find something that catches your eye. Not only do they have drinks, but they also have sandwiches and macarons.
The service is great. The cashier and the person that made my drink were both extremely friendly and helpful. Always smiling and cheerful. Helping as much as they can and keep the place spick and span. Props for that!
The wifi is actually pretty decent. I was afraid when the cashier said it is ad-​supported wifi through AT&T but it has not bounced me off once and the page loads are OK.
As for the ambiance, that I had started this post with, it is great. The soft tones of the kpop in the background, the lighting and décor, the wood paneling, it all seems very Korean. I feel like I’m in a small café in Korea. The place can probably get loud since it is so small and I feel sounds might echo but if there aren’t many people here, it is the perfect place to study or just catch up with some friends.
Definitely coming back for this mojito again or their other drinks. You should head over as well to give it a whirl.

I came here over the weekend to spend $ 15+ to enter their grand opening iPad mini drawing hehehe.
To meet that $ 15 minimum I got a teriyaki chicken sandwich (~$ 9), a cinnamon pumpkin latte (S: ~$ 4), and also bought my friend her strawberry mojito (~$.5.50). The sandwich wasn’t particularly special. Large chunks of chicken doused in teriyaki sauce with some baby spinach between a crispy French roll. I wouldn’t pay nine bucks for this again, especially considering some of the middle pieces of chicken were still a little cold.
I guess I’m pretty basic but I definitely prefer Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte over the latte I had here. My drink tasted like regular milky coffee with a touch of cinnamon spice, but not much of a pumpkin flavor at all :(
My friend’s strawberry mojito however, was actually quite fantastic. I only had a sip, but it was very refreshing, with real strawberries and mint. Yum yum!
There is VERY limited seating area in the café. I was quite disappointed to find that most tables only accommodate up to 2 guests (and no, it is impossible to put tables together or move chairs or anything of the sort without blocking the tiny hallway/​walkway) so don’t bring large groups here unless you’re only coming for takeout orders.
I hope I win the iPad! :D

Caffebene is a korean coffee shop that has slowly expanded from the west side of la (koreatown) to the east (Rowland Heights). This new location is right in the middle of the spectrum in San Marino and is owned by a chinese owner.
Soft Opening: 9÷7−9÷19
Grand Opening: ⁹⁄₂₀ (Spend $ 15 or more to be entered to have a chance to win a 16 GB IPAD mini. Other prizes can be won: caffebene mug, powerbanks, caffebene mug, free medium size drink, and caffebene pen)
Credit cards: Accept credit card with no minimum purchase
Wi-​fi: Wi-​Fi enabled
Pricing: A bit high.
Location/​parking: Located across from San Marino Athletic Club and one store up from Unique Cleaners. Plenty of parking along Huntington Dr. or in the back. Make sure you pay attention to parking parking restrictions if you park in the front (2 hour parking from 8am-​5pm).
Ambiance/​décor: Very soothing with korean music playing in the background. Might be freezing so bring a jacket. Can be a great place to study, but I have notice that the outlets are located in weird areas of this store. You might see power cords in your way when you go up to the register when you’re entering from the back or going to the restroom. Furnishings have a modern look with limiting seats. There’s about 3 small wooden tables along the wall, a table that seats 4 up front, and a small bar top facing the street that seats 3.
Restroom: Very nice and clean! :)
Service: Loved the service. Holly, Aimee, Deja, Christina, and Jenny were great! Very friendly, attentive, informative, and provided great recommendations. They were unfazed by my questions about caffebene and answered them to the best of their abilities. Food and drinks came out fast. On my second visit, Deja refilled my ice coffee when she saw me give up my seat to accomodate a party of 4. First time going to a coffee shop that offered to get me a refill for a good deed. Very nice!
—-Ordering system:
1) Go to the counter and order,
2) Get a pager after transaction is done,
3) Wait for pager to go off and pick up your order from the counter.
Food: I had the spicy chicken sandwich-​$ 8.95. It consisted of korean style marinated chicken, whole grain mustard, bean sprouts, baby spinach, mozzarella cheese, and dried parsley. I thought all the ingredients meshed well with the tender marinated chicken.
Tip: Make sure you eat the sandwich really quick. The marinating sauce can make your sandwich soggy and a messy eating experience. Just have a lot of napkins in hand while eating.
Drink: Small Iced Misugaru Latte– $ 3.95 (powder concoction of black sesame seed, black bean, black ride, brown rice, and barley). Very good and very nutritious. I ordered this drink and halfed sugar. It tasted like a healthy version of a horchata and was a the doctor called for on a hot day.
Dessert: Carrot cake– $ 4.95… I thought it was good, but sweet. I just scraped off most of the frosting.
Till next time Caffebene! :)

Although I’ve visited the other Caffe Bene stores in Koreatown and City of Industry, I was very excited for a coffee shop that wasn’t named Starbucks to arrive in my hometown. When the café finally soft opened, you can bet I checked it out as soon as I could and, as a San Marino resident, duly showed my support for a local business (not sure if I’d call this Korean café chain a small business anymore though). It’s the tiniest Caffe Bene I’ve seen, and it was full on a Sunday afternoon with anyone from local high school students doing homework to their Asian mothers exchanging gossip.
You can’t go wrong with any of the coffee and espresso drinks as they are Caffe Bene’s signature items. I’m more of a tea drinker and like their iced teas. For this first visit though, I tried something off the seasonal menu — the White Grape Refresher, which was refreshing but pretty pricey for an ice-​blended slushy ($ 6.95, really? I guess it’s expensive using real grapes). The bingsu (Korean shaved ice) is also popular but a bit expensive as well, unhelped by the fact that it is somewhat of a rarity in the 626. The high menu prices aren’t surprising considering rent in San Marino is extremely high, plus their target customer is one who will dole out more money for the fancy café ambience.
The interior décor is just as sleek and aesthetically pleasing as the outdoor signage featuring a wood accent. It is a welcome change to the hodgepodge of shops that scream WASPs. The café is extremely small and fits just 15 guests max; there are only 4 small tables for 2 along the length of the shop, a table for 4 in the front, and bar seating for 3 overlooking the storefront window. The great thing is that there are some power outlets/​plugs on the wall to charge your phones and laptops. Unfortunately, there is no free wifi as of the first week during soft opening, but apparently they are working on it though there is no timeline when it will be installed. (If you’re a Time Warner Cable customer, you can use TWCWifi that is available throughout San Marino’s commercial areas.)
Don’t forget to get a stamp card! Service is friendly and the baristas are attentive. There is street parking available in the front on Huntington Drive, or you can enter through the back entrance if you prefer to park in the couple of spaces behind the café.

Came here to get out of the heat with a nice cold treat. We ended up sharing a mango sorbet ice parfait which was savory. It had plenty of chunks of mango with shave ice swimming in condensed milk and a scoop of mango sorbet.
Parking is pretty easy. There is parking in front or the back with a back door.
The ambience is cute, but the place is quite small. It might be a bit confining for those claustrophobic when it gets busy.
All in all a nice place and friendly staff. Don’t forget to get a stamp card!

I’ve been to this chain in Ktown several times and I’m glad a closer one opened up in my hood. It’s located in a quiet city along Huntington Drive with plenty of street parking. This is a Korean bakery/​dessert café place that I happened to stumble across by accident while driving around San Marino. The grand opening date starts 9÷20÷15 and I was lucky enough to come during their soft opening weekend.
They have plenty of dessert options, of which bingsu (shaved ice) is their signature dessert. I ordered their mango bingsu which included mango, mango sorbet ice cream and condensed milk for $ 13.25. This was definitely a serving size for two people. It was refreshing and not too sweet… just the way I like it.
This venue is extremely small so not ideally meant for big groups. I would say the max capacity looks like it would only sit about 15 people at most, comfortably.
I hope this place does well! Definitely cute décor and ambience with friendly wait staff.
Oh, and don’t forget to ask for a stamp card too!