I work in this town for two weeks every year, and every year I have only a couple of days of during that time, and those are the only days I get to come here, because they close at 6pm every day but Sunday (when they close at 5). ARRRRGGGGHHH. How is there a med school in this town, a thriving tourism culture, the freaking PGA tour, and a designation as "one of the top ten coolest small towns in America 2012 or 2011 or sometime" (mind you - I think they're running out of towns to name), and the only cafe in town closes hours before nightfall? And every shop on the main drag closes by 6? Great for geriatric types but frustrating for the rest of us. Plus, their iced Americano is meh and stale tasting, and you can only get internet for an HOUR with a $3 purchase - also maddening and something that died out everywhere else five years ago. On the other hand, it's cool inside when it's hot outside, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the employees are helpful and friendly. At least there's an Irish pub next door.
Review Source:Went there for breakfast while passing through Lewisburg. At first we thought they only had lunch options, but the breakfast offerings are on a separate menu by the register. Not a ton of options on the menu, but everything looked pretty tasty. We both got scrambled eggs with cheese/vegetables and toast. Simple but delicious. One free refill on coffee when you eat in. Huge magazine selection to read while you wait.
Review Source:I should never hit the snooze button again.
But I did this morning, with the intention of squeezing in just 20 more minutes of sleep (every minute counts!)--I ended up waking up 3 hours later. So much for getting up early to study.
Completely disgusted with myself, I did something I usually never do: I went to get coffee. :O Who needs sleep anyway?
Service was very prompt and friendly. I had no idea what to get since I'm clearly not much of a coffee drinker, so I ordered a large Earl Grey latte (something the two friends I was with suggested).
It is wonderful in every way. :] Can't say I've ever had anything like it!
A bit on the expensive side ($4 for a large :[ I usually just drink tea and water, which is basically close to free), but the guy who used to live in my apartment is an awesome soul and left me a gift card to this place, so...it was basically still free. Thanks, Mike!
We ended up sitting and talking for an hour as we sipped our drinks. Fun + awesome company, but did absolutely nothing for our we-should-be-studying-for-our-quiz-tomorrow/final-ÂThursday panic. :x
I stopped at the Wild Bean on my way cross country. I needed coffee to keep me awake. What I got was a nuclear injection of some substance that gave me enough energy to punch the sun in the face. I don't know what's going on in their coffee, but I felt like I could go twelve rounds with Oscar de la Hoya a few minutes after getting into it. Please stop putting cocaine in your coffee.
As a vegetarian, I was SUPER pleased to see the giant selection of veggie choices on the menu. Often the vegetarian has his/her choice of 1 or two great things on a menu, but there was plenty to choose from. I got a healthy wrap of some sort and it was tasty, though it's been a while since I was there and I don't recall what it was.
The experience of 'Ok I've got my coffee now let me plug in and get some work done on my laptop' was a bit lacking. I couldn't find outlets, which is a bit criminal in today's age, you gotta have outlets for us. I found one up in the window seat and waited my turn to use it. And the wifi setup is weird. Had to get a paper slip from the counter and it gave me an hour to use it, then didn't work at all so I had to get another. I get that you don't want people lingering, but this is a dated concept. Time to get with the program and just offer your wifi up hassle free so you don't offend customers.
The staff was super friendly and helpful. Overall a great experience.
Delicious dressing that went with the "soup and Greek greens" combo. Thick with fines herbes, barely suspended in oil and, I think, lemon.
My biggest gripe with this place is that they stop serving food at 3PM.
Food 8 + ambiance 7 + value 8 + service 5 = overall 7.5 /10 (good/very good)
This is actually a very nice coffee shop with friendly staff. Â It has a neat, spacious interior, and the breakfast/lunch food is pretty decent.
I do have a word of warning about the wi-fi, though. Â First, plug-ins are few and far between. (I only found one.) Â Also, the wi-fi is on some awkward system where you must ask for a "token" for 1 or 2 hours when making a purchase. Â I ordered breakfast and asked for a token to use the wi-fi, but they were "out" of tokens. Â I think a simpler system without tokens (i.e. like most other coffee houses use) would be better for both customers and the staff.
I understand that not every coffee house wants to be a wi-fi hangout so I ordinarily wouldn't take points off for that. Â However, since they have a big "Wi-Fi" graphic stenciled on their front window, advertising the shop as an inviting place to use your computer, I am knocking off a star. Â That said, if you aren't interested in using your computer, this is a great place to hang out.
A great local coffeeshop in Lewisburg's historic district. The interior is simple but cozy and aside from a vast variety of coffee drinks, they also offer smoothies and lunch salads and sandwiches. I had a grilled four cheese sandwhich which was served with a small Asian noodle side salad and both sandwich and noodles were great. Also, they have a lot of vegan selections which is somewhat rare in the area. Certainly worth consideration as a lunch spot as well as strictly as a coffee shop. They apparently host live music and other events and carry a variety of CDs from local bands--and some non-local, well-known, acts like STRFKR--too.
Review Source:Yum!! Great place for a latte and sandwich! We were just stopping by for lunch on a Sunday and it happened to be the only place open at noon. We lucked out. Huge veggie and vegan selection. Super eco-friendly. Friendly staff. Nice ambiance. Try the ultimate bean burger, comes with Avocado!!! Yum! Definitely recommend it.
Review Source:Convenient and a good spot to pop in for a cup of coffee and to check one's email. My biggest complaint is the stingy internet policy. It's not free -- you have to buy something to get a connection and your time allotted depends on how much money you spend. $3.12 will get you one hour.
The food and service are hit and miss. But, for what it is -- a coffee spot with ample seating in the middle of downtown, it works.
i've been going to the bean since before it was the bean. Â over 10 years now whenever i manage a stop home and i get a hankering for a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate i stop in there instead one of the restaurants around.
the downtown bit of the burg has changed much over the years. Â going from a tiny little town to a tourist shopping spree. Â many of the stores i enjoyed are still around, some moving to even more amazing old spaces, but many have been replaced by shopping centers for the greenbrier elite. Â in any case... my customary disdain for slow walking tourists does go down a bit whenever i go into the bean.
the italian sodas are always refreshing and have just the right amount of soda versus flavor. Â i highly suggest the blackberry (in both cream and regular version) it IS tasty. Â also... hit up that hot chocolate. Â it's rich, thick, and creamy chocolate. Â it's what i think about when i crave the hot cocoa... and i am always craving hot cocoa.. even in the dead heat of summer. Â shush... we all have our moments of insanity. Â the steamers are also to die for (for those who don't know a steamer is steamed milk). Â i always get one with vanilla and it's the best treat around that i can find. Â i wish i could find them done nearly as well in nola. Â same goes for the hot cocoa. Â
they used to roast their own beans there. Â while i'm not sure if it's still roasted in house i know that it is fresh and flavorful and great for taking home to brew in your own coffee pot or french press if you so desire.
this year i noticed that they've started serving real food in addition to the customary coffee shop pastry. Â i ordered the three cheese grilled panini today for a late lunch and was surprised by exactly how tasty the sandwich actually was. Â the cheese was at the perfect melty point where you have to wrap it around the sandwhich in order to break it apart. Â yum! Â the pasta salad was served with fresh corn and a pretty good dressing. Â i was disapointed that they didn't have the tomato basil soup... but oh well. Â i noticed that there was no actual meat on the menu. Â but there were a ton of options really from wraps to paninis to soups and salads. Â all looked really good. Â whenever i make my anual pilgrimage i'm going to have to try more.
the decor is comfortable and artsy modern coffee house, with a good selection of different sized tables and a couple of couches and arm chairs. Â i, of course, still adore the seats in the window, the light is great. Â but so does everyone else. Â
in addition to selling the usual coffee and such they offer several different articles from local artisans and i noticed a rack of vinyls hanging out. Â which is awesome. Â and the music is always up tempo and lighthearted, keeping the blues away.
the staff is friendly and fast. Â working with a well coordinated system.
in conclusion, it's a good place to hit up if you're ever in south eastern west virginia. Â you know... after you hustle around the tourists and hit up those couple of super awesome shops left.
one downside.... like all of downtown they close at 6 now. Â let's talk about depressing on a cold winter's night.
The best thing about the Wild Bean is some of the employees and the shows that periodically come through town. The coffee is pretty chalky and doesn't really possess a rich, robust flavor. It is expensive. If you want an affordable latte forget about it. Â
The service isn't great at all unless you get there when they open as some of them get caught up talking with customers--not paying attention to the line of people behind them.
The food is pretty good. They have many options of healthy food (very much lacking in Lewisburg).
Overall, I give "the bean" a C+.
you go to The Bean for coffee, you get cozy and you order a quesidillo (however its spelled) and you settle in a little more. Â Next time you bring a book or your laptop. Â It ain't Starbucks, they won't kick you out if you finish your drink . . . maybe you get so comfortable you decide to come back for one of the regularly scheduled evening concerts. Â The food is very adequate and the price is very very right. Â Like all good things it grows on you and you end up loving it like a well worn, much loved, old coat.
Review Source:The Wild Bean is a cozy spot, and they get some good music acts to come to our little town.
It's a mellow place, good for kids, usually pretty quiet during the day if you need a place to sit and work.
The wireless internet is a little annoying to use, though, since you have to buy something, get a code, log in, etc.
Oh, and the food is not all that great. Drinks are fine, but it's not a great place to eat lunch or anything.