1,2,3 bowls please!! 10/10! Must try! *Support local spots!* I write a lot of reviews, and this spot stands out. The açaí has a great texture--thick, smooth, and not watered down. The balance is what keeps me coming back: fresh fruit, crunchy granola, and a rich base in every bite. Everything tastes fresh and well put together. Honestly, I'm lucky this place is only 3 minutes from home. It's an easy go-to. read more

The Lean Bean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

Nice quick drive through spot for some coffee and açaí or pitaya bowl. Prices are on point. Tried: Funky monkey - good Vanilla latte half sweet - good, nice strong coffee flavor. Pitaya bowl - good Banana açaí delight bowl - good The bowls melted super fast (took it to the park nearby) so eat quickly! read more

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I freaking love this place !!! I live downtown and drive to Santee just for it. I got the peanut butter açaí bowl and it's only $8.50!! The place is just a to go place. No seating but it is the best açaí ever! The owner is always so kind and sweet. read more

The Lean Bean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

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Ok, I've been wanting to try this place for years, but I'm never in Santee in the early morning. I had a day off yesterday and finally took a morning drive over to the Lean Bean, and I'm glad I did! They welcomed me right away when I arrived, and they were cool about me taking some extra time to look at the menu. I decided on the "little dirty" iced 24oz drink- it's a dirty chai with two shots of espresso, oat milk, and a little bit of lavender. Let me tell you... I was enjoying that drink all day. (I'm a really slow drinker... lol). Their chai is spiced and the latte was really flavorful. It was $6.50 for the 24oz. My only constructive feedback was that they didn't mix the powdered chai drink base well with the espresso, so my first sip had some dry chunks of powder in it. read more

The Lean Bean - Menú - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

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The service is always quick even when there is a line. The owners are nice and the employees are very sweet. The pricing is beyond fair and I love supporting them over big chains. read more

This place is great. I was in town for two days for a water polo tournament. Came here both days. We got smoothies and coffee. The service was excellent and the prices are reasonable. We will definitely come back again. read more

Drove up to the window waited a few minutes all two girls in the window neither of them greeted me. So I drove to a different coffee shop. This was at 2 o'clock on a Monday afternoon. Disappointing. read more

Ordered two drinks and both were overwhelmingly sweet and just not drinkable. We asked both workers if a variety of drinks were sweet and neither of them could tell us anything about the drinks because they had never had them personally. I get that, but to work at a place and not be educated or know about your drinks is not great customer service. Will not be returning. read more

Service with a smile!!! Good coffee!! I highly recommend this place to grab a beverage on your way to work or if you're running around the Santee area!!! Friendly staff impeccable customer service is top tier..Thank you for always being kind!!!! Cheers!!! read more

I passed this place a couple times and finally got to try it, it is a cute small drive thru coffee place that sell more than just coffee. I got the January drink churro latte it was pretty good and not as sweet as I thought which is perfect! I also tried the pitaya bowl with peanut butter it's really fresh and was good. The cashier was really nice and overall I enjoyed it! read more

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Very cute drive up coffee and bowl location. Greeted with a big smile by a friendly person despite being 1/2 hour before closing. Really enjoyed my protein bowl - see where it can be addictive! Will try another coffee option next time as this one wasn't quite right for me. Overall enjoyed the experience and frankly just find them adorable. read more

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Not the best coffee I've had. I ordered the nutty professor, it was overly sweet and grainy. I didn't like the grainy stuff. I think stuff like that should be fully dissolved. Then I had like no ice in it. I assume they pour the shots over the ice. I didn't even finish my coffee it went to waste. I'll probably come back and try the açaí bowl but not get any coffee again. read more

The Lean Bean - The nutty professor - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

first of all this was my first time going here, gotta say the peanut butter acai bowl was phenomenal. for the price its so worth it. I would've put a picture but i finished it so fast that i cant hahaha, but if you like acai bowls this place is def one to try. The service is great too, for a place so small they give it to you quite quickly, again i highly recommend this if you like acai bowls, I havn't tried the other stuff they have but I will hehe ^_^ alsooooo its drive through only so it pretty quick, you drive up order and leave so that's pretty convenient. read more

Their coffee is great and their açaí bowls are genuinely the best I've ever had in San Diego. Not only that but the prices are more than fair for the quality. Cheaper than Starbucks too lol. The employees are always welcoming and helpful as well. Highly recommend! read more

This is a must visit if you're in the Santee area and it's only about 10mins from central San Diego. It's women owned and ran and the ladies are always so friendly. The owner Gigi is like a ray of sunshine. She's always so happy and warm and best way to start your day with that positivity and a yummy drink. All their drinks are great. I love when they do their monthly drink specials. They always have such fun options. Let's not forget they have great fruit smoothies and if you're hungry, probably one of the best acai bowls you'll ever have. The lines can seem long for drive thru but they go fast. I love that they have a loyalty stamp card as well but 9 drinks get the 10th free. Plus you're supporting a small business!! read more

Excellent açaí bowls, just the right amount not too large and not too expensive, very friendly service and quick my wife and I go there and get it and sit in the parking lot and eat it read more

Have come a few times in the last few weeks. Very friendly staff, tried both coffee and energy based drinks, both delicious. The staff was friendly and polite. Only hiccup is idling in your car to order and get your drinks, but otherwise great small business to support read more

I wish I had known about this place sooner! I got the pb açaí bowl and it was delicious! They have so many amazing coffee options that I can't wait to try and finally a place that doesn't completely gauge you. Totally affordable "splurge" read more

The Lean Bean - PB Açaí Bowl - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

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Love it here! The girls that work here are always so nice and energetic. I like getting sweet drinks so I either get a white mocha with cold foam or a vanilla chai with 2 pumps of toffee nut. Delicious! It can get quite busy with how popular it is, but I really do prefer coming here rather than Starbucks. This is a great coffee shop and deserves all the attention it gets! :) read more

The Lean Bean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

The prices are just right. My wife got the açaí bowl which isn't over priced and she enjoyed very much. I got the expresso mocha which was delicious. It's a drive thru spot. Great for after a workout or hike. Sometimes it's really busy and the service is a little slow but completely worth it. I will be back again. read more

Morning boost with a colorful acai bowl, protein bowl, and a veggie shake! So refreshing and healthy. Just a heads-up: it's a drive-thru spot, and it can get pretty busy during breakfast or lunch. Would be great if they had an extra person to help with orders during peak times, it took a while for us, but the food was worth the wait. read more

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I love every time I go to lean bean! They have the best açaí bowls and staff!! They recently added the flying monkey (dirty chai with banana) to their seasonal menu, and it's something I hope they keep on! It is so delicious and refreshing. read more

Overall: 4/5, good coffee and good bowl for good price. Just a good spot. Drink: 4/5, the espresso was nicely balanced and the mocha flavor was good. Could've been a bit less sweet, I think sweetness was masking a little bitterness. But still, overall a good bev. Espresso: 3.5/5, like I said I think there was a bit of masked bitterness. But I'm not complaining for the price, still quite well balanced. Food: 4.5/5, haven't seen açaí this cheap in a long time and it even had pb. Really good quality and flavor. Ambiance: 3/5, it's a drive through so not much to say. Service: 5/5, worker was nice. Not much else to say there. read more

a cute hidden gem! I love that this is a grab and go coffee hut, I ordered the nutty professor & the peanut butter açaí bowl and it was so yummy. I definitely want to go back and try more, the girls at the hut were so sweet and welcoming! read more

The Lean Bean - peanut butter açaí bowl - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

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This is my go-to spot for acai bowls in Santee. I love the convenience of the location since it is right on my way to work. The bowls are priced fairly, always delicious, and topped with fresh fruit. The service is consistently friendly, and even with the small footprint of the shop, they keep the line moving quickly. I appreciate the speedy service and the quality, and I will definitely continue coming back read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. First off I wanna start off by saying that it's in a great location of Santee. And this place has been a lifesaver before Work. Also not to forget to mention that the employees barista that work there are so lovely and kind. However, now to nitty-gritty the coffee is just not. I have tried multiple different iced coffees in different ways and it just feels very much basic coffee. nothing truly special and I have tried their top sellers, but I just haven't found one that has impressed me. I've also tried their muffins and again for some reason I haven't found a muffin that really catches my attention. but overall, if you're in the area and you're in need of a kick I definitely think it's a really convenient coffee shop because the main attraction is how beautiful their shop looks and how they're so accessible by just driving up. read more

Been going here for years. Always greeted wjth a smile and the açaí bowls are the best in southern CA. Our pups love the treats too! read more

The Lean Bean - Patiently waiting for window treats. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

I stopped by here for an afternoon coffee. There was a long line in the drive through so I was optimistic this was going to be a good coffee. I was wrong! This was the worst cappuccino I have ever received. I ordered a simple drink that any barista should know how to make, a cappacino with whole milk, no modifications. A cappuccino is simple and easy to make if you just use clean equipment and the right technique it's pretty much impossible to mess up. Well they messed it up here. The liquid in the cup I received was espresso and boiling hot milk! There was no foam whatsoever! The espresso was not good either. It had a burnt and bitter taste. The milk was boiling hot with no foam. What a waste of time and money. I'll never be back. read more

The Lean Bean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

This is one of my go to coffee shops. I love their rotating monthly menus. The coffee is amazing and the staff are all so friendly

We love the Lean Bean and supporting small business owners. Always greeted by a friendly smile. Certain times of day/week can get busy, but orders are made quickly. As a small drive thru kiosk, they understandably have a smaller menu and they cover the basics. We enjoy their açaí bowls. Yum!!! read more

I will come here every day that I am in town for their açaí bowls. Still exceptional service and prices. read more

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You guys don't understand how gutted I am that there isn't a reason for me to drive and stop by this place to get my fix because Santee is now out of the way for me and not a part of my work commute. I looooove this place. LOL this was the highlight to my day for the time I was able to drive and get my coffee fix first thing in the morning before I started my day for work and it does get quite busy over here! The Lean Bean is a small little spot, in the corner of a parking lot, with two entrances/exits depending which way you're coming from and the efficiency is UNMATCHED. I kid you not, sometimes its only one of the girls working, sometimes there's only two - and even then, with three cars waiting on either side, I am never here more than 30 minutes. EVER. Other corporate coffee spots take a whole hour sometimes and there is an entire crew in a huge brick-and-mortar! But that's why this place kept getting my repeat business. The girls are all so, so, so kind and are quick to give options or throw out their suggestions or help you decide because as extensive as the menu already is, they can make more and they can make something even better. I used to love coming to this spot too because the owner would make these DELICIOUS limited time monthly menu specials for drinks and I would literally get a new one each time and if there was ever one from the previous month that I couldn't get my mind off, she wouldn't hesitate to just make it again! They also have delectable acai bowls that were literally perfect - texture wise, portion wise, and adding peanut butter always made them extra good. They offer protein bowls that I quite literally got obsessed with, that I needed to just start making them at home because I would violently crave one every day. But it was a bowl with hard boiled eggs, avocado, bacon, Everything Bagel seasoning, sriracha, balsamic, and freaking feta cheese. It was simple, but it is everything. LOL I feel like there was extra magic in there because making it at home with the exact same ingredients just never hit the same. This place may look unassuming at first, but I'm telling you - if you see it, and its packed, there is absolutely a reason. Its sooo good, and I can't wait til I have a reason to come back. read more

This small little coffee shop makes the best chai teas! SERVICE - The person at the window was Kyndra. She was very welcoming and friendly. It was the first stop of my morning so she was a good start to my day. She quickly took my order and I waited for my chai. DRINK - I enjoyed my chai very much. Usually pretty picky with how people make it but she did a good job. It was the perfect balance. Highly recommend this spot! read more

The Lean Bean - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

yummy açaí bowls, they're so flipping good bro i licked the bowl after i was done, reccomended

Best cold brew in Santee! The owner is nice and the service is great. The drive through is quick, easy and convenient.

the lean bean is soooo good!!! literally have it every single day! gigi, the owner, is so sweet and amazing and the service is always on point! its a small coffee stand, but there is a drive thru line on each side and it moves relatively fast! my family and i's go to is: nutty professor, white mocha, or dirty chai! read more

I've been coming to Lean Bean for almost 10yrs. The service has always been amazing and efficient. Friendly staff and the owner Gigi always knows what I want. And the acaii bowls are the best in East County!! read more

The tiniest and coolest coffee shop in San Diego! They're a drive-thru coffee shop located in Santee. The coffee is amazing and they even have acai bowls. The service is always great and it's the perfect place to grab a coffee and kick start your morning! read more

Lean Bean was a small stand that typically does drive through, but my group walked up (not knowing this) and they were more than happy to serve us regardless. Don't plan on eating there since they don't have seating, but there's a little shopping plaza right next to it that might have other places to check out and chill while you eat. We came on a Saturday morning after a hike with a group of 5 people and didn't really have any trouble ordering! The food itself was very refreshing, and honestly I like my acai to be pretty thick and theirs definitely was. The flavors were rich and I though the portion sizes were fair; getting the bowl with peanut butter added a lot to the flavor - or at least gave an additional flavor to alternate in every now and then. I'd definitely like to come back and try some of the other menu items if I'm ever in the area! read more

The Lean Bean - Peanut Butter Acai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santee, California

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My acai bowl was soooo good! Quick and easy service from the ladies working. Will definitely return!