In town to visit my sister, we went for a walk along the water and stopped for lunch at The Big Bean. The atmosohere/decorations are what i would call "artsy/eclectic." Very nicely done. I would have taken some photos but we were in mid-conversation and i didn't want to pause to fish out my ohone. The service was fast and friendly and our food was delivered fairly quickly. We both got different versions of their smash burger and they were delicious! Very flavorful! There was some sort of seasoning added pre-, mid-, or post-grilling that added flavor without being overpowering. The meals were served with nicely-seasoned home fries, that were also outstanding. Props to Ash, who was a knowledgeable and helpful server. read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Plain Jane plus bacon, minus the cheese and veggies - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

The ambiance was very hipster and unique! Multi color Christmas lights strung all over the place. The food was good, everything made fresh. The potato chips and fries were good! The chicken sandwich was good and had an abundance of flavors that exploded in my mouth. The service was basics. No refills on our water was offered. The waitress was friendly but not very attentive. It is a local small business that you should try if ever in the area. Check out my photos too! read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Pesto chicken sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

Honestly it's not that the food was bad, it was average and small portions and too expensive, you can get better for cheaper. Also too loud and echoey for me, over $40 with tax and tip. read more

There is a strange smell in the bathroom. Food is good but I couldn't wait to leave. Too bad

We've wanted to try this spot for some time and overall glad that we did. It seems to be busy all the time and we stopped in for lunch. We were told there would be a 15 minute wait and we would be texted. The estimate was right on the money and we were promptly seated when we returned. Unfortunately, we were never assigned a waiter/waitress, and sat for quite some time watching all the tables seated after us having their orders taken. The hostess was nowhere to be found, so I mentioned this to a waitress passing by. She apologized and said she would take care of us. She explained they have a "floating" server, but apparently they never floated in to take care of us :-( We started with tater tots, and were delighted. A generous portion, perfectly fried and crispy with three different dipping sauces. We also tried the club sandwich, and we didn't read closely, you have to choose one of the meats mentioned. Usually a club has all different meats, but not here. We chose Turkey and a massive triple decker sandwich was brought to the table. My only complaint here was that it was so tall, it was difficult to eat. Our takeaway is that the food is good here. Service was fine, once we had a server. The room is a bit crowded and noisy but it is a busy place. The breakfast options look great, very creative, but I don't usually dine out for breakfast. I think it is worth a try, but not if you are pressed for time. read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Tots! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

My wife and I visited here today for lunch. I got the lemmy and she got the steak quesadilla. Both meals were full of flavor and large portion sizes. I could have sat here for a while and engaged in conversation. Could see this being a great night time stop for a few drinks. Only downfall if I had to choose something is the sandwich cane with home made chips. Some were burnt others had good flavor. I personally would have enjoyed fries with my sandwich. read more

Great subterranean eatery with a full bar. Great food and great service! Looks to have a decent selection of beers and the drinks looked great, although I've yet to try one. read more

Usually love the BB, and the atmosphere and service are always first-rate. But the coffee is terrible in the Exeter location! It's really good in Newmarket, don't understand why it's so poor in Exeter. Ours tasted like it had been stored in the Hazlenut coffee carafe; it had an odd smell and aftertaste. Also, for the love of Mike, give a spoon when serving tea! How is anyone supposed to squeeze the darned teabag with two little sticks?? And offer milk; most tea drinkers if they want dairy, want milk! Also, the bagel was godawful, tasted like it was out of a bag of Hannaford frozen bagels. Dry, virtually no seasoning on it. Just bad. I'm sorry to say this, but the breakfast was utterly disappointing, except for the eggs. read more

I had been going to the Newmarket Bean long before this one opened just a couple of years ago. The original is certainly a great place but I kind of like the feel of this one and coming here better because number one it's a little less crowded in the early morning, and number two it's very roomy. As a creature of habit, I usually get the same old thing all the time. It's a solid standard American breakfast of two eggs, any style, home fries, choice of meat and toast. The best thing about this particular breakfast is that your coffee is included. Today I had the menu item called Nova, which is your choice of toast, smashed avocado, red onion, tomato, a generous portion of lox, and capers. Before Covid it used to be that you would get your own coffee with one of a variety of donated mugs. Since Covid they get your coffee for you and my only criticism around that is I have to ask for a refill. Nobody ever comes to your table with coffee. You ask, they take your mug away, and bring it back. Is this a way for them to increase coffee revenue. Yeah, I'm a cynic that way. Finally, there is a full bar, that also includes an espresso machine, and no less than 12 seats. Highly recommended. read more

Went today and had a delicious brunch. I got the green Chile burrito and the pork inside was delicious - and a solid serving of it too! The home fries I'd say were just ok... nothing amazing about them. My son got French toast and mannnnn did it look good, currently regretting not trying a bite. It was sky high - two thick slices with banana and a whipped cream cheese filling. It was slow food service - but a family member who is local mentioned they were understaffed maybe I had good company so it wasn't bad waiting but did seem like it took a while. But then again the menu is extensive and detailed dishes. Way more than just eggs and toast and sides for options. I'd say five stars but I like a coffee refill and we never got asked if we were good on drinks once they were dropped. And I felt like the waitress was rushing us because they asked if we needed boxes and I said we were still eating - and then they came back quickly and dropped the check and asked if we needed boxes again. Considering how long we sat and got comfy waiting for our food I guess I wanted to take the time to enjoy it (also tables around us had emptied so it didn't feel like we were hogging a table). It's not cheap but I don't think it was unreasonable for what you are served. read more

I love the Benedict's here! Good and service is outstanding. I stop every time I come to the area.

Having been regulars at their place in Newmarket, we were thrilled that this wonderful breakfast spot opened in downtown Exeter. (Though they are now open Thurs-Sat for dinner!) It is a little easy to miss walking down Water Street, but look for their sandwich board sign on the sidewalk. Then it is down the stairs. Don't miss the creative specials. Here is the last list. Had the Rickles--an eggs Benedict with crispy kimchi among other delicious stuff. They are always happy to take off the meat for vegetarians as they did here. Waitresses are efficient and friendly! read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Don't miss their creative specials! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

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The food and service was really great!!! They have these cool coffee mugs. Would definitely recommend come back

Beyond Breakfast! Do not fear; head downstairs for some speakeasy style fun in town at night. Not sure what weeknights they are open but an awesome trivia night downstairs Thursdays at 7. read more

As a 20+ year food service veteran, I have not had a worse experience than the service by the bartender last night. He was blatantly rude and made sure we knew he was annoyed when I asked menu questions. Food had to be reordered because he couldn't be bothered, he was barely apologetic and the food was just mediocre. I love the Newmarket location, was excited to try Exeter for dinner. They lost 2 customers after that. Ambiance was also terrible. read more

Review for Big Bean Cafe/Big Bean Kitchen and Bar in Exeter... I guess we ordered wrong. Food was not good and took forever, after a long wait to be seated. The grilled chicken Caesar wrap came with rubbery, greasy, processed chicken, lettuce & tomatoes? and a dressing that did not taste take like Caesar. The noodle bowl special looked a mess and was inedible -- warm water mixed with hoisin sauce. Flat, overly syrupy sodas too. The two stars are for the tasty breakfast potatoes and the fact that they apologized & took the soup off of the bill. We should have stuck to breakfast items. read more

Hidden gem! We've been coming to Durham for years and never heard of this place (our bad). Our daughter suggested it during a visit, and we fell in love! There's a casual and a bit quirky atmosphere. The staff was helpful and attentive. Our food came in generous portions. Very fresh tasting and filling. This will definitely be on our rotation of favorite restaurants in the Durham/Dover area. Thanks Big Bean! read more

The Big Bean Cafe - BLT - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

Super surprise to find this such a tasty, friendly and great value place. 3 of us went, 3 berry muffin was amazing. Bagel lox and cream cheese was great, even though it was eaten a few hours later. The ridge mount quesadilla was really tasty with goat cheese in it. Extensive menu so everyone can find something there. Would have liked it if they had more coffees to choose from. No lattes was a big disappointment. A must try out. read more

We finally made it to dinner here and were very pleased with our selection. We both got the new rice bowl with grilled mango, chicken, and assortment of veggies and a delicious peanut sauce. Our cocktails were good also, mine was with a lemon gin and very refreshing! I've always loved the Green Bean for breakfast and now I can say I love the dinner also! read more

We visited the Big Bean today after having heard great things about other locations. The decor is super cute upon entering- lots of music memorabilia. I felt the music inside was a bit too loud for a 9:00 breakfast, but it wasn't out of control or anything. My party (myself, my husband, mom, and young daughter) were seated at a table that we really barely fit at. Once all of the condiments and place settings were on the table there really was no room. It was a small card table sized spot that would have been fine but not spacious for two- and they seated us, a party of 4 at it. They were very kind when we asked to move, but later I saw a party of 4 adults at it- they had to remove all of the condiments and things to be able to fit at all- and it looked tight. Not comfortable. My husband and I ordered the "Big Bean Breakfast" to share. It advertised 2 mini pancakes (yummy) bacon (2 tiny thin strips) sausage (literally ONE link, cut in half) eggs (it looked like less than 1 scrambled egg to me but I suppose it must have been one), home fries (they were okay, and a decent amount) with toast (2 small but thick slices). It was 15 dollars. It was not worth 15 dollars. Thankfully I also ordered a biscuit on the side. Everything tasted decent but I thought the amount of food for 15 bucks was pretty measley. My daughter got the chocolate chip pancake with fruit and it was good, she enjoyed it. The strawberries were nice and fresh. My mom's meal was the worst of it. Her home fries were very, very peppery, and seemed entirely different from ours. I asked for ours crispy- they were unseasoned and deep fried appearing, even though we were told they were grilled. The ones my mom got were grilled- but seasoned with way too much seasoning. She couldn't eat them. She said her eggs Benedict were yummy- until she found literally a quarter of an eggshell, all in one piece, in her eggs. How is that even possible? We told our waitress (who was fine but not super friendly or helpful) and she seemed entirely unconcerned. We told her mostly to be helpful so that the kitchen was aware, but she seemed to think it was such a small deal by her reaction that I doubt they were told. Overall- I won't be going back with so many other breakfast places in the area. The place was neat, but not comfortable. The staff wasn't super friendly and the food was underwhelming at best, and inedible at worst. There were also fruit flies bothering my daughter while she ate her strawberries. read more

I've tried The Big Bean three times in the past month and each visit it gets worse and worse, to the point where I felt compelled to leave a review. First visit was a busy Saturday morning and service was mediocre but the food was hot and fresh. Second visit was mid-week, mid-morning and the service was absolutely terrible. My husband ordered a coffee and was never offered a refill, despite it being completely dead in the restaurant. The food took over 40 minutes for the two of us and the server dropped off the food and never checked back with us once. We both wanted drink refills and had to flag down another server for our check. Today we went with our kids around 12:30pm and it was slammed. We were quoted a 30 minute wait and it ended up being 20, which was great, but yet again the service was awful. Food took 45 minutes and my chicken sandwich was inedible. The chicken was absolutely disgusting (stringy, raw looking and off colored) and the home fries were raw with an over abundance of spice. Similar to our last visit, we were not checked on once after our food was dropped and we had 4 empty glasses all looking for a refill. When our server finally came over, he cleared the plates, looked at our empty glasses and just walked away. When we flagged him down for the check, it took another 10 minutes and we saw him organizing and cleaning instead of getting the check. Customer service at this place is really going to be its downfall. There seems to be a complete disregard for basic hospitality - making sure customers have full drinks, and are happy with their food is not difficult and it seems the staff just don't care. We have had three different servers and all of them were complete indifferent. It's a bummer as we were excited for Big Bean to open in Exeter but we can only give them so many chances. The menu is massive and it seems that maybe they could streamline the menu and focus on giving the customers great service instead of offering a million unrelated menu items. read more

What I like: - always great service - food is delicious and well seasoned (omelette and Benedict) - surprisingly low prices - fun ambiance What I don't like: - soda from bar gun. Bar gun soda is always bad. Flat, not the right mix, etc. Please consider a true fountain or cans. read more

This is my absolute favorite breakfast spot ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had not gone to big bean in Newmarket due to the drive but now that they have opened a new location in Exeter, we are addicted once again! They are so good about dietary restrictions and allergies, and the staff is always so friendly. Whether its something simple, like your standard egg, meat, toast combo (the 420) or their cake sized stuffed French toast (Down East), everything has always need incredible! I have never had a bad experience there and can't wait for our weekly breakfast! read more

I have gone here for years. I can't believe I've never reviewed it. I've brought friends, family, a few boyfriends. Some friends used to come visit me just to go have breakfast here. Never disappointed here. The bagels are good. The breakfasts are good. Pancakes. But the muffins are wonderful. Grilled. Delicious. I always need a nap after going here because it is so good we gobble up everything on our plates. Worth the wait in line, every time. read more

Have been to the Newmarket location several times and as an Exeter Resident was pleased to see this new location open. Visited on Saturday morning , not long wait for table. After seating and ordering drinks had to wait a long time to order food. Waitress was good ( Mel ) though and apologized for wait. I ordered Green Chili Burrito and my wife ordered avocado toast with Lox I was a little concerned that my Burrito might be to spicy When it arrived it had zero spice , very limited taste and very little egg When my order came it should of had side of fruit When I pointed this out to server ( NOT MEL ) it was fixed quickly but almost slung at me . My wife's Avocado toast she said was OK, we could do better at home. focaccia toast though she said was excellent Very hot in basement ! Will probably try again , just figured it is new and maybe having teething problems. read more

Just went for lunch today. I ordered a green tea with honey and the Cali sandwich on whole wheat. My tea came in a very generous mug with the bag steeping while suspended from a stirrer, along with a generous pitcher of honey. I am an avid tea drinker and this green tea was top drawer. My sandwich came with house made chips, not too salty. The sandwich had an ample serving of turkey with avocado, tomato, alfalfa sprouts and an aioli on delicious whole wheat bread. It tasted really fresh, the toppings didn't overwhelm the turkey. My server was very attentive and friendly without being intrusive. I'm new to the area but this will definitely be one of my "go to" places. read more

A new location for an old favorite in New Market! Much larger than the other location. Same great taste! Very happy to have a Big Bean in Durham. Today I made my own omelette and had a grilled biscuit... did not disappoint! Will be back again. For those of you wondering, this location also has beer, liquor and wine. They still have the yummy muffins and self serve coffee, too! read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Self serve coffee bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

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The server never came over to check to see if we where doing ok. The place wasn't that busy and the food took forever. One thing never came and couldn't tell anyone because no one checked on us. NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER read more

The food is really good, and the service for the most part is good. I went with my family, and there was a host/bartender who sat us. He was a jerk, had an attitude from the very start even shoulder bumping my wife at one point. Luckily our waitress was nice, but the extremely unpleasant host/bartender (he was at the bar when we arrived) put a stain on the experience. I would not recommend it just based on that. read more

Food was perfect- homemade, hot, delicious. Ambience is relaxed and fun. just be ready to wait a bit on a weekend!

Was expecting much better. Menu boasts a stupefying amount of choices but they miss on the basics. Coffee was terrible, got it replaced with another terrible cup and then settled for water. Had a steak dish that was uninteresting with home fries that were basically boiled potatoes with too much paprika. My mom got a shrimp and grits dish and the shrimp was basically buried in spices and unrecognizable. They wouldn't turn down the music. Server was good but not an experience I'll be revisiting next time I'm in the area. read more

Great menu. Eggs were done exactly how I ordered them (my breakfast place litmus test) Good selection on the menu - standards and some new and inventive combinations. We will definitely go back! read more

The definitely have an issue with figuring out how to sit people. And when approached the host and manager are over the top rude and condescending...as in doing me a favor that we are eating there. They give you a time and then tack half hour to forty five minutes on top of that. They sit people by wait time only and not by party size... they have a few tables that can seat many but they sit parties of 3 and 4 at those and the larger parties are left waiting...it's unfortunate they take advantage of UNH students and families like this. Food is decent but not worth a hour and a half to two hour wait...I will never be back. It's locals that will keep this open and they don't know how to treat people. read more

My husband and I would recommend this cafe to everyone !!! The food is amazing. Not like most other restaurants that kind of all taste the same. Every bite is delicious due to preparation all from scratch and top cooks. Not only is the food over the top delicious but the environment and people all add to a wonderful experience. Don't miss it !!! read more

Packed on a Saturday morning so I sat at the bar. They actually had turkey sausage and other pork alternatives. read more

The Big Bean Cafe - Blue berry pancakes home fries and turkey sausage - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

This is new location for the breakfast shop staple in Newmarket, NH. This new shop in Durham, NH is experiencing some newly-opened restaurant issues. Service: The attitude is not the same as you'll find in the Newmarket location which is friendly and accommodating. Our server was pleasant. Upon realizing that I had not received my coffee, I waited for the server after our food had arrived. She wasn't to be found so I headed to the bar there were three, that's three young women at the bar that gave direct eye contact but provided no assistance. When the manager poked out from the kitchen I mentioned to him my issue. He ordered my coffee and told me that they had new people helping behind the bar wrapping flatware. Okay...if you are that busy that you need three people wrapping flatware train these three people to provide service to a customer. Food runner: After placing our food before us we thanked her and she rudely replied: "Yup." Who on earth is training these people? The food, thankfully, is as good as the Newmarket location. One small caveat to this: the sweet potato hash was undercooked and had an earthy, raw taste that was not pleasant. The manager did comp my cafe mocha and the server apologized for the mix-up. Newly opened restaurants experience issues. It is unrealistic to expect otherwise. However, there needs to be a revisiting of customer service training at this location. read more

I've been getting breakfast here for the last 4-5 years. I've been to many different mom and pop breakfast joints in Southern NH. I can confidently say The Big Bean is the best in NH. So many different choices and the ingredients and service are always top notch. Whether you are a meat eater or vegetarian, there are options for you and they are delicious, all of them. If I were to come up with one complaint, it's that they are so busy on the weekends. Yes, a lot of people love going here. They addressed this issue by adding a quick cafe on the side that makes common items like breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Same quality, I just don't have to wait for the main kitchen to get to my order. What a great idea. 100% recommended. read more

Absolutely SHOCKED that I've never heard of this place and it was the best breakfast I've had in 50 years!!! That's no joke. The lemon vanilla pancakes were to die for. I made my own scramble and the ingredients tasted better than any farm to table I had, up to this point. The mimosas with their fresh purées would easily knock off every 5 star expensive restaurant in Boston or NYC!! read more

Food is always good, service is always great. Amazing atmosphere. Ive never had a bad experience here!

I had an awful breakfast... The toast was not toasted the bread was stale the coffee came Luke warm and the ham was inedible