They have the best panini sandwiches. THey use a type of bread that looks like a cracker when it comes out of the panini maker and the sandwiches are delicious. I love all the veggies they put in each sandwich. Yummy. read more

Customer service (similar to Sharon K.'s review)- I come here about 1-2 times a month with my daughter- the ONE TIME I came by with my family on a Saturday evening, we had some frozen yogurt from another business, but wanted to sit down in the open area by the water fountain. All NINE tables were EMPTY, yet as soon as we sat, an employee promptly walked out and told us we needed to "reserve those seats for customers." The area is around a large water fountain, city hall, and the community theatre, so we were hardly encroaching on their business- to the contrary, having guests seated outside would have made an otherwise dead-looking café seem busy! read more

Amazingly rude. I got there at 11 am to while away time till my noon lunch appointment. I did not want to ruin my appetite before lunch, so I thought of maybe getting some coffee. Their credit card minimum is $4, though, and I did not have any cash on me, so I decided to pass on coffee this time and just sat down at the table. The barista came up And asked me how he could help me. I asked him whether I could just sit around and wait for my friend, but he said it's for customers only! I could not believe my ears! There was nobody in the cafe! Whose spot was I taking? I might have bought something later from them, didn't he think? Never going back. read more

So disappointed :( I ordered the vegetable crepe and the dough tasted like uncooked flour and the spinach was brownish green so that means it's old. It ruined my day! Maybe they're better at coffee drinks but what can you expect from a young girl making food? I hope the owner isn't approving of this poor quality for recipes. read more

This is a great place to hang out and read the paper in the sun. Lots of outdoor seating and plenty of open tables (not overcrowded like Starbucks down the street). The menu is great for breakfast or lunch, with very reasonable prices (the crepes & empanadas are really tasty). In my opinion, this place has the best coffee in Mountain View too. It is an added bonus that the people working here are so friendly and even bring your coffee & food outside for you. Another note: they recently added beer & wine to the menu. read more

I just got a cafe au lait. You must try the Macadamia Nut version: amazing! The only thing that exceeds it is their quick, friendly service. Hidden gem... read more

Mocha was not that great. I ordered one of their chocolate cakes. It was dry and old and just really gross! I asked for a new piece. They took out a "fresh" piece that tasted just the same so I just said "fuck it." I have this rule to not complain too much about food because you don't know what they will do to it. I've heard too many stories about people spitting in food from restaurant owners/workers. Too bad their cakes don't taste as good as they look. YUCK! read more

Small, simple, friendly, tasty. And next to the MV arts plaza fountain, a nice place to people watch. I haven't tried any of their food, but their appropriately gritty milkshake with ground espresso beans is decadently delicious(and very energizing!) and their fresh watermelon drink is especially perfect for warm summer days! read more

I always try to patronize local coffee houses as opposed to the coffee chains and this place is one of the few I know about in Mountain View. I'm sure there are more but it's pretty easy to get to and park around the area. It's a cute place with some nice looking pastries and decent coffee. I would come here more if staff was a bit more friendlier...they weren't horrible and weren't mean, but they just didn't greet me with a smile/hello or a thank you. read more

This place is also open on the weekends - until 4:00 on Sunday, I think. Came in this weekend for a quick crepe, and it was really good! I'll be back. The atmosphere inside is a little plain, but they do have Ikea poang chairs and outdoor seating if the weather's nice. read more

During the 3 months I worked on Castro Street, I used to eat here at least 2x a week. I enjoyed eating the salads, and my favorite sandwiches were the chicken salad sandwich and the ham sandwich. The staff was very polite and professional. You could tell from how well everything tasted and attention to detail, that they took pride in the food they prepared. The coffee was excellent as well. read more

A solid family-owned sandwich shop, snappy and easy with no drama. The side salad was a pleasant surprise.

5 stars for the crepes and salads (love them!) 1 star for the deserts (stale... on many occasions, so I avoid) read more

I stopped here for a quick light dinner while I was out running errands. I didn't want to take the time for a sit-down meal and I recall the positive reviews about this place. The man helping me patiently described the various fillings in the many items available in the glass case. I chose a beef steak filled empanada ($4.71). He heated it in a microwave and brought it to my table. It would have been crispier if he had used a toaster oven but it was still tasty and good for a cool night. The seating areas are very clean and comfortable. I appreciated the good service and can see coming back again for a simple meal. read more

Super nice people. Super nice menu. Super nice atmosphere. Super good location. Probably one of the best kept secrets in town. Check it out. Be sure to try the breakfast burrito, too... read more

I come here sometimes for my advisor meetings. I've tried their Chicken Wings, Broccoli & Cheese Quiche, Watermelon Juice, and Brownies! I must say that the Watermelon Juice was the best I've had at the cafe and it was definitely refreshing on a hot August night! read more

I think the food here is decent, not great but the espresso is really good, actually the best on Castro. What I really like though, is to sit infront of the fountain with a good cappuccino on a weekend morning. Is this place really called "Amy Nget-Dba the ..."? I thought it was simply "The Bean Scene Cafe". read more

I never feel welcome here. Food and drinks are sub-par. The location is super convenient if you are at the library or theater. Recently I came here with a friend and our kids. The cashier yelled at me for not waiting to sign my credit card receipt. The bill was only 4.50 and he had already moved on to the next customer so I had assumed there was nothing to sign and had moved on to get my daughter seated. The staff glared at the kids the entire time. The kids were reasonably well behaved and seated away from any other customers. I felt really uncomfortable and left early. read more

Top 10 worst cup of coffee I've had to date. Coffee is watered down, tasteless, and very acidic. Not really sure how this place is in business. California doesn't really have a coffee scene so that may explain it. Also, the service is rude. I explained to the person at the counter that the coffee tastes old and watered down, all he did was shrug his shoulders (I have to admit, it's kind of funny) but poor service non the less. One and done. read more

We go to shows at the MV Performing Arts Center on a very regular basis, and discovered Bean Scene as a result. I've never had their coffee, but the iced tea is first rate. I'm a fan of their panini-style sandwiches, and am always pleasantly surprised (why am I surprised by something where I've had the same result 20x?) when it shows up with a fairly decent salad on the side. Dessert selection is annoyingly good. I love to sit in their rarely-overcrowded outdoor seating area when the weather is nice, and enjoy the pleasant indoor dining area, too. The service can be hit-and-miss when they're busy, but its been a while since I've had a real problem. Frankly, the great setting is enough to make up for a lot of flaws. read more

I'm 8 months pregnant, sat down to rest at the tables outside. There were 7 empty tables around me, and an employee runs outside to say these tables are private and he needs them for his customers and I need to not sit here. I get it, I wasn't a customer so they didn't have to be nice, but seriously? All the tables were empty. Now I'll be certain to never be a customer here. read more

Yummy totally love this place, their food and kid friendly location t he fountain is an amazing area to eat a snack or lunch around while the kiddos do what they do best wiggle and run, uninhibited. The food is delicious, and so great that it is also available during the Center of Performing Arts functions, I am sure this makes for a long day for them but for a frequent visitor of both THANK YOU!!! read more

Cute little cafe. I have spent hours here but don't go here as much now. I guess it's about small seating area. Food and coffee are average nothing to complain about. read more

This is a pretty average cafe. They hand make sandwiches and espresso drinks. Most of the edibles are pre-made things like pastries, cakes and bagel dogs. I usually just run in here on a break to get a bottled drink and a pastry. I don't like how they expect a tip even when they don't make you anything. I also got food poisoning from the pumpkin pie there. I would avoid the things that look "brought from home". read more

These 5 stars are for NICK , a very warm-hearted happy Barista. - (a quarter ) :)

Although the owners, who take care of the place on weekends, are cordial and create good food offerings, the girl they have working during the weekdays is consistently on her cell phone, ignoring customers, and the food she fixes is dry, cold when it should have been hot, and fell short on every level of customer service. If you want to go there on a weekend, it will be fine, but I can only imagine the frustration other customers such as us experience on the weekdays. We won't make that mistake again. read more

A nice change from Starbucks and Peets. The staff member working there (didn't catch a name) wasn't friendly though. And it seemed a bit more expensive. But it has a great atmosphere and WiFi. read more

Yummy. Waiting for theatre to open and had a very good veggie crepe along with watermelon juice. I watched them take our the whole watermelon cut it and blend it great for a quick bite! read more

The food was average, but the service was terrible. The woman behind the counter made it clear she didn't want to be there. I will not be going there again. read more

I came here today with a crepe craving. Although they don't have a large selection of crepes (just three savory crepes: ham & cheese, chicken, and veggie), the chicken was exactly what I was looking for: grilled chicken, avocado, baby spinach, red peppers, tomato & cheese. It was reasonably priced at $6.50 (plus tax), especially considering that it had somewhat premium ingredients such as avocado and baby spinach. The service was nice & friendly and I appreciated that they put napkins and plastic utensils in my take-away box...so many places don't do that. But unfortunately the crepe didn't live up to expectations. The crepe itself didn't taste that great - more like a flour tortilla on a burrito than a crepe, really. The ingredients were plentiful, which I appreciated, but despite the fact that I really like all the ingredients they somehow didn't mix well together and the spinach and tomatoes tasted very old. Nonetheless, it tasted alright & it definitely filled me up. I'll probably come back at some point - there don't seem to be that many quick, cheap lunches places in downtown MV and there were some other things on the menu that sounded appealing (including some breakfast burritos & sandwiches), but I'm not in a huge hurry to. read more

I really like supporting small shops, so I went in to enjoy a cappuccino on a beautiful sunny winter Saturday. It took all but 15 seconds after I paid the not so engaging guy at the counter and the lady at the machine to deliver a burnt milk product to me. Before I took a sip, I knew!. Just the speed in which the milk went flat! I gave it the benefit of the doubt and took a sip, cautiously. It burnt my tongue. The scolding hot milk had burnt the coffee too! so it tasted real funky. I mentioned it to the guy and asked if they could remake since the milk was burnt. He said "NO' the temperature is between 100-150F. I don't know what that is supposed to mean to me but I do know that a well made cappuccino has froth that is built up to look creamy, and the milk is not hot or burnt. It was even more expensive than a cappuccino I had bought in San Francisco recently. It was over $3:50 and he was not willing to do a redo or a refund. I just threw it in the trash as it was not palatable. I am not a frequent yelper, I hope you consider this constructive criticism. 1 star for zero effort for customer service, refusal to correct what was poorly done, zero ownership and poor product delivery. I was the only one in the store, so is wasn't ' being busy with other customers' issue either. Sorry Bean Scene, but I hope you 1. practice frothing milk - just waste a few gallons and you will get it 2. smile at customers 3. make them want to come back, because you are willing to do the right thing. 4. try not to outright say "NO' before trying a few options , especially when you have the opportunity to do so. best read more

To address some of your concerns, the City are the people who require the store to not let people sit at their tables if the people don't buy anything. Blaming the Cafe is unfair since they are only doing their jobs. As for the dirty seats, I was expecting them upon arrival, but am glad to report that they have changed the seats (or at least the covers). I hope this disproves some of the bad reviews for this place. As for the food, it was pretty good. I ordered a "Cookie Monster", and I loved it. The service was great as well. The lady that worked there was very nice, and I could tell that she was a hard worker (I don't think English was her first language). All in all, I would visit again. read more

Great soy lattes! Didn't have the food but it smelled and looked really awesome. The temperature was on the warm side, which made my stay there a little uncomfortable. read more

This place is close to the Mountain View public library and I have dropped in a couple of times when I spend extended hours in the library writing. While I like the fact that this is our very own downtown cosy cafe shop, unlike the branded Starbucks or Peets, I am not very happy with the service here. The servers are always curt. I prefer SPICA or the lively Dana's roasting company. There aren't too many vegetarian options and I hated their spinach and cheese empanada (almost seemed not fresh). They don't have wifi either. So I'll give it 2 stars. read more

Terrible service, overpriced desserts. It took us over 1/2 an hour to get our coffee. The place seems woefully understaffed. Also staff isn't friendly. Desserts were stale and overpriced. Pity I didn't pay more attention to the negative reviews. read more

Shhhh the best secret in town, love this place, the paninis and salad are great, the Thai empanada is awesome as are there desserts with for me the lemon bar as the stand out, hands down the best lemon bar around. Very peaceful (barring intermission when a performance is going on:) to sit outside, bring your book, with the sounds of the water fountain in the backgound. Service very good too. read more

On the whole a pleasant place to visit with goodish coffee and pleasant staff. It is usually less than crowded except at lunch time when the good range of pastries are popular. read more

I love their Chai Chiller & frozen coffee drinks!! I stock up on their empanadas, too: mushroom, beef, & chicken. This cafe is across the street from Kaiser Permanente off of Castro. The folks are super nice! read more

Awful service. It's 8 pm, nobody there to serve me, even though it's open. I sit in a chair outside waiting for my daughter to get out of a theater production. Again, NOBODY sitting at tables. Owner comes out and tells me it's a "private" table. On a public plaza. And I have to leave. What idiocy. I will never come here again. Anyone who spends one second wasting time shooing someone away from completely empty tables doesn't deserve any business. Doesn't he have anything better to do? read more

The cappuccino is really good. They do not overwhelm you with the froth. The coffee art was a bit off. So this is not like Gimme Coffee in Ithaca, NY (which is the benchmark). But it comes close... very close... read more