Bean & Bite

Bean & Bite is almost the cutest coffee shop. It has a good menu, great coffee, but the seating is lacking. It’s set up to accommodate at most 10 people, and the chairs at not that comfortable.
It’s such a missed opportunity because if it were a bit more cozy this could be THE spot for tinder dates and informal networking meetings. But alas, for now, it’s a quick place to get a nice cup of coffee. and that’s not so bad.
4 stars because the service is was a little cold and my cappuccino was more of an extra foam latte than a cappuccino. I’m a former Barista so I think can be picky, right?

Go next door to Peets instead. First I thought I was going into Peets, so I was confused from the get-​go.
Then, as soon as I walked in, the place smelled like poop. It was super overwhelming. And distracting.
I ordered a mocha because I didn’t see a chai up on the menu, but when I asked, the girl said they had chai, so I ordered that instead. Then I wanted a cookie, but the labels weren’t on the cookies properly, so as I was asking what they were, she was propping up the signs.
Finally, I tried my drink and it was disgusting. I threw it away.
Don’t come here.

Went to try and get coffee here during the week. This store is not handicap accessible at entrance for wheelchairs and does not have a handicap bathroom. Don’t bring anyone in wheelchair here… very dangerous as there is no ramp. I thought this was not allowed in DC. You just don’t see this in newer buildings. Too bad… be careful!

I was in the area for a job, and needed a quick lunch. I looked at their selection– absolutely no options for vegans. I ended up going with the veggie salad. The salad had nice greens, cucumbers, glazed peanuts, bean sprouts, pepper and a peanut sauce dressing. The salad was decent, but definitely not worth $ 9. The dressing was super thick.
The café itself is quite spacious and large, but there is barely any food. The pastries were limited. The lunches were already prepared and also limited. Some of the salads weren’t very fresh, I had to look through 5 salad boxes to find one that wasn’t as wilted and soggy.
The service was non-​existent. I walked up to the counter, said «Hello.» Nothing came out of the employee’s mouth. She didn’t even look at me. I paid. Grabbed my food. Said «Thank you!» and again absolutely nothing. Um ok…
Cute concept though.

One of the better independent coffee spots in this soulless working part of DC. Peet’s is fine, good for a national brand, but I prefer as a rule to support local businesses. Bean & Bite’s staff are friendly, and they serve Blue Bottle Coffee which I like. It’s a nonpretentious, relaxing place to drink quality coffee, and their pastries are good too. Plus the first time I went, my bill was something like $ 2.05, and when I handed over two dollars, the cashier stopped me before I opened my change pocket, saying don’t worry about it. That was such a nice gesture. This is one of my go-​to spots when I have a coffee meeting for work.

Their Brazilian roast was spot on today! Perfect temperature, great intensity.

Wow, coffee heaven?
I know where you’re reading this review. You’re standing in the frigid air of Pete’s coffee waiting to be served, or the obnoxious line (s) at starbucks (s).
Well what if there was a place where you could serve yourself good coffee?
I know, the thing of legend. Well look no further than Bean & Bite. Self serve coffee from high quality distributors (Intelligentsia) to local favorites (Vigilante).
So in the mood to literally grab coffee without the wait, look no further than Bean & Bite.

Great bagels great staff. This is coming from a New Yorker get the lox and cc run away from bread co and run here

Best drip coffee downtown south of 14^th Street. Good selection of roasters: on my last visit they had a variety from Intelligentsia, PT (I think), and Vigilante.
They do a pourover, which is a great offering. But the only time I ordered it they used pre-​ground beans, which effectively defeats the purpose of the pourover. Also tap water (though maybe their taps are pre-​filtered).
Not trying to be pedantic, and I know it’s a bit labor-​intensive, but you can’t really do a pourover without grinding the beans to order.
A good walkthrough here:

I like the variety of coffee. Much better than neighboring Peet’s. The pastries use to be better but aren’t that great anymore. I wish there were better lunch food options, but am happy to have it be my morning coffee place. The price of coffee recently increased by 20 cents for a large to $ 2.45 (the large is comparable to a medium at Peets/​Starbucks).

Love the intelligentsia coffee. Worth it for me to walk a bit farther than Starbucks, Peet’s, Pret a manger.

Bean and Bite is like the bad boyfriend with a harley your mom warns you about. It is convenient to my office, so I tried to convince myself for a long time that maybe this place is alright. But after trying to make it work for over a year, we broke up. You can’t walk into Bean and Bite without feeling you’re being taken advantage of. The prices are ridiculous, the service will never be kind to you no matter how often you go there, the coffee is something you pour out yourself from whichever container you can find that isn’t already empty, and then you pay for the trouble. The breakfast sandwiches are fine if you don’t mind waiting. The salads are okay if you have a back-​up bottle of salad dressing because there probably won’t be enough in their pre-​boxed offering. The cupcakes are some of the worst I’ve ever had. It’s a place for desperate times or for those feeling apathetic and resigned to whatever the man would like to feed you. I would say it’s simply mismanaged, but somehow it feels more sinister then that.

Food was cold, the fresh fruit looked old and unappetizing. The coffee selection was decent and the customer service was acceptable. The only reason im giving them a bad review is due to the terrible food I was served.

Things to work on: Customer service, Pricing, Morning Inventory.
I’ve been in this establishment quite a few times, and I typically do not think about the price of things because I’m usually rushing to get into work. ASK FOR YOUR RECEIPT. Because they will not offer it. Want to know why? Because some cashiers will round up to the nearest dollar and not actually give you the price that they’ve listed in their grab-​n-​go section. I was charged $ 7 for a egg salad sandwich that was marked $ 6.95, and a bottled tea that was $ 2.95 but priced just for me at $ 3. Not that a 5 cent mark up is a huge deal, but I am writing this post based on principle, and the fact that there are many other places you can go to grab a sandwich and a bottle of tea with more honest and customer service-​oriented people.
Noted for my future… and for yours. I’ll walk the other way towards Whole Foods, get in a nice stroll, and gladly pay an overpriced $ 10 for breakfast. No wonder people in my office (nearby) have stopped coming here.

Bite & Bean is not a high end «third wave» coffee shop, but it’s a good place to stop in, get pre-​made sandwiches and baked goods, grab a cup of coffee or a self serve espresso drink (so not dialed in, not perfect, not 5-​stars) and head back to the office. There is very little sitting space inside, but it’s actually quite pleasant to sit there or out on the sidewalk in front. There really aren’t any other good coffee shops nearby, so B&B is what you get, and it’s not bad. Totally recommended if you are in the neighborhood.

I was really excited when I saw that this was opening near my office. This area has a real lack of quality local coffee shops. Unfortunately what opened is more or less an expensive 7 – 11 coffee stop. Its all self service even the cappuccinos and lattes. They have a great selection of coffee beans but they are mass brewed and served from insulated dispensers. The coffee isn’t always fresh or even hot. I’m surprised that the roasters would allow this because it reflects poorly on their product. The shop seems confused about whether it is a convenience store or a high end coffee shop. I haven’t tried the food, but seems expensive for what you get.
So all that said, I still go quite often because the beans are better than most around. Its just disappointing to see a great location not be used to actually create a shop that really highlights the great coffees. The gas-​station styled espresso machines and bulk brewed drip coffee really lose out on the sights and sounds of a cozy coffee shops. Hire a couple baristas, buy a La Marzocco, actually use the pour-​over station, and do it right. I’ll be back with 5-​stars when that happens.

The staff has changed ever since they first opened, but overall they’ve all been solid. Their espresso machines are pretty good, but their drip coffee is by far the best. The only downside is that, along with the first employees, they changed their bakery supplier.
It’s a good thing they’re located in this spot, the coffee at Stabucks and Caribou suck!

3.75 Stars
I was a bit taken aback when I first entered, I guess I didn’t realize you had to make your own espresso beverages. No need to pay first, they trust you! Anyway, I guess they’ve added a 2% milk machine in addition to the 1% machine that they started with, and as has been pointed out, they do use Intelligentsia beans, but it still can’t hold a candle to a well made drink by a barista. Supposedly owner Mark Weiss (one of the former owners of Againn) wanted to open up a coffee place as a sort of an homage to the one his parents ran in Auckland, New Zealand, but I kind of doubt theirs had do-​it-​yourself machines.
In addition to the aforementioned espresso machines, they have 6 thermos containers of different drip coffees, including those by Madcap and DCs own Vigilante. Actually, during my visit, Chris Vigilante showed up to discuss using his beans in the espresso machines!
As for food, it’s kind of a grab-​and-​go kind of place with premade sandwiches like turkey and avocado, brie and prosciutto, etc. none of which I tried, so I can’t speak to those, although they’re supposedly made with local ingredients. They make their own baked goods in house. I tried a croissant and was not overly impressed; it was buttery, sure, but lacked the flakiness you get in a good European croissant.
— Minus one star for only being open Monday to Friday.
— Plus one star for using quality beans.
They do have a seating bar in the window, and a couple of tables, but it’s not really made for lingering (the concept is to be able to get you in and out in two minutes). It seems perfectly placed to be a franchise operation, and in fact, their website says «find a location near you» when there is currently only one location.

A self-​serve coffee shop without the blasphemous frills of macchiatos and frappucinos. The cashiers are not baristas, you pour your own cups. For the most part, it’s coffee plain-​and-​simple. In theory, it’s cheaper to drink the coffee from your office coffee pot. In theory, the coffee should be better than Starbucks if I’m paying for the cost. At least it’s a $ 2.25 Large as opposed to a $??? Venti (?).
Savory scones are delicious with its bacon/​chive/​sweet corn combination.
Must return for more. [Last Visit: May 8, 2013]

Absolutely love their smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel sandwiches. Generous portion of salmon, tomatoes, lettuce, cream cheese, and salt and pepper to add flavor to the whole thing. I usually have it slightly heated for a healthy breakfast.
And the coffees are pretty good. I like the madcap varieties. The free soy milk is also a huge plus. Pairs perfectly with the coffee.
Seating is rather limited, and there’s no wifi. So doesn’t look like they welcome people to linger and do work. But I like the minimalist and au-​naturel décor and feel. They also have espresso machines in addition to regular coffee machines. Overall, love it!