2Beans
“I like this spot because it's convenient to Grand Central and it's so unique to combine 2 awesome treats…coffee and chocolate: Yes, please.”
“The upstairs seating area is nice, rather cramped, but that's what you get in Manhattan.”
“Overall, I found 2Beans to be a great spot for business meetings, study groups, catch ups, or even dates.”
2Beans
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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After a morning at Starbucks, I decided to have a change of scenery and moved down the street from the mainstream to a nice cafe recommended by my sister's manager. 2Beans not only specializes in coffee, but also in chocolates. Here to study and grab a coffee? Why not also get a few chocolates? Many people were here for meetings or just meeting up on a date.
There are no outlets upstairs, which meant my time would be cut short when my computer died. There's quite a bit of seating upstairs, while there is nearly no seating downstairs. You aren't allowed to use your laptop at the bar counter, which means there are only two tables you can use your laptop.
I placed an order of a rosewater latte with the server that took so long, that eventually, she also brought me a complimentary raspberry dessert to make up for the slow service. It was pretty nice of her, although I wasn't a huge fan of the cake. I did enjoy the complimentary 2Beans chocolate that each beverage came with.
The rosewater latte was tasty, although as others have mentioned, the rosewater is pretty subtle. But I'm glad, because I'm sure that a strong rose flavor may have come across as soapy. I stayed for a couple of hours, so I ended up ordering a cappuccino, as well.
Although 2Beans isn't your usual Starbucks atmosphere, busy working remote kind of stop, it's still a change of pace, especially if you're stopping in for more than just studying or grinding out some work.
It's a coffee shop with walls and walls of chocolate! I have a thought that my kitchen wall should look like this. You can find chocolates from different countries, get some tasting and discover new brands. I asked for dairy-free chocolates. The lady at the counter gave me samples… "I like this one, I'll get this", "I like that one too, I'll get one of it"… And to realize all of these can be pricey. Oh well, that happened to me on a day when I decided to skip on dessert. And these are quality chocolates made with a few ingredients (Ah, giving myself reasons for not feeling guilty). They also have dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan chocolate. There's a counter with chocolate bonbons sold by the piece, where I saw truffles with shimmer on it. Beautiful and edible. 😀
Probably 2Beans is a bit lack of the hipster feeling that I was generally looking for in a typical coffee shop; however the great coffee selection really made that up.
Two things on menu interested me the most – lavender mint latte and rosewater, and I tried the latter. Still thought the vanilla flavor dominated the rose, which actually I was looking for a bit more.
Lots of seating areas on the second floor, and good for grabbing some snacks.
A hidden gem near Grand Central Terminal! It is a chocolate shop with a coffee bar. It is not your everyday fast-paced take out coffee spot. Take-out is an option is available but if you have some time to spare, take a seat and let the barista take care of you.
Whether it is before work or after work, I like to stop by 2Beans for a cup of latte. I tried a number of different ones but here are my favorites – Lavender Mint Latte, Matcha Latte, and the Rosewater Latte.
Lavender Mint Latte has a nice, gentle floral aroma with a mint following. It has just the perfect amount of sweetness. I love to have this drink when I am stressing out at work, it helps calm my mind down.
Matcha Latte. It uses Ito En's matcha powder, a Japanese tea brand. Its bitter-sweetness is just the perfect combination for my taste buds.
Rosewater Latte. This is probably my ultimate favorite drink here – hot or iced. Perfect amount of fruity sweetness for my taste buds. A must-try!
There are coffee bar seats and tables located in the back. If you want table service, you may go upstairs. Either way, you are enjoying some real good drinks here!
Update 3/4/16
This morning when I came in to purchase chocolate I met the operations manager and he was really nice. I found everything I was looking for! Again great service. Will be back for more goodies.
Really cute chocolate bar right by grand central terminal. Lots of chocolate to choose from. Very friendly staff. Can be overwhelming. Price ranges.
My friend and I walked here after lunch and actually really enjoyed ourselves. We sat upstairs and got to sample both coffee and desserts. My macchiato was expertly made and the chocolate sampler was really varied and delicious. My friend's latte was really good as were her petit-fours.
However, it is the the service that keeps this from being a 5 star review. Although our desserts and coffee came out quickly we were kind of just left be. Our waitress never asked how everything was, never refilled our water glasses, nothing. And we had to flag our waitress down at the end to get a check.
All in all, a nice spot to try with delicious coffee, chocolate, and baked goods but probably better suited as a to go option.
Went in on a weekday in early March to meet someone. It's near Grand Central and my old office, so I thought it'd be a perfect meeting spot. The person I was meeting was waiting on the second floor for me. It was about 2pm on a weekday, and I knew there would be heavy traffic upstairs. The seating area is small and a lot of people end up sharing the communal table – like we did.
It was overwhelmingly packed but she had already ordered a sandwich and coffee (which she said were so-so), so I decided to give it a go. I've heard great things about 2Beans. I decided to go with the green tea matcha latte. It came with a glass of water and a piece of chocolate on a tray. The presentation was par and so was the taste. I'm a serious green tea drinker but I don't get to indulge in matcha lattes much, so I was thrilled to get my fill that day. It wasn't on the menu for some reason but I knew they had it there. The rich, creamy texture had me at first sip. If you're a chocolate connoisseur, I'm sure you'll be delighted to find the huge display of beautifully arranged and unique chocolates as you walk in. I'm not big on chocolate so it didn't get much of my attention – I got a sugar high from just looking at it!
I took a star off for kicking us out. We were only there for about half an hour, but the waitress asked us if we can leave to seat the people waiting. And why us? There were plenty of people there who have been sitting around for just as long, if not longer. I would've stood my ground but had work waiting for me, and an extra 10 mins didn't seem worth it. Regardless, that's not how it works for me. For those people who can't get a seat – TOUGH. THAT IS LIFE. But for those who work there and are kicking us out straight up? I won't be coming back to hang out here – just take-out.
What a BRILLIANT idea.
2Beans combines my two favorite things, coffee and chocolate, in one spot.
There's a full coffee bar, plus a massive selection of unique chocolates (spicy, bacon, banana, etc).
You can get coffee to go or there's a full service area upstairs with seating.
I opted for a to go iced coffee, which was delicious and reasonably priced.
I can't wait to return.