Alrighty, if you've been down to "The Bean" anytime in the last year, you've more than likely seen my mug around there. It has slowly become my home away from home, so I feel fairly competent in giving a well rounded opinion.
First off, as has been said by others, one of The Bean's best qualities is the fact that it is open 24 hours on the weekends (Friday 5 am - Sunday 11 pm). This works out wonderfully for us 21+ who don't want the night to end after the bar's throw us out to the streets. Basically, its a "you can't stay here, but you can go to The Bean" kind of situation. For the rest of the week, it is open from 5 am till 11 pm, giving us night owls a place to hang around.
Now I can get a bit into the drink and food. If you're coming to The Bean, you know the coffee is alright. It's certainly not the best cup you will get in AZ, but they do roast their own beans on premises a few times a week (ensuring a pretty fresh cup of joe). You can tell the roasting days by the smoke coming off the chimney, and the acrid, dizzying, and often intoxicating scent, suffocating the area. If the coffee is to your liking, you can purchase it to bring home, whole or pre-ground. Offering your standard array of drip, french press, espresso, latte's, cappuccinos, etc..., all available served hot or cold, Xtreme Bean has your coffee fix, well, fixed.
For those of you not coffee inclined, the Bean offer's a large array of loose leaf teas, which you can mix and match to make your own creation (May I be allowed to recommend a Black Currant/Moroccan Mint blend, on ice?). Green teas, decaf, black, the have it all. Also offered: creme blended drinks, italian sodas in a plethora of flavors, Naked Juice.
Food wise, they keep it pretty simple at the The Bean. Made fresh every 2 days, they have salads, sandwich's, and pita wraps, as well as a grand assortment of pastries (if you get there before noon, after which the pastries are usually gone) The wraps are alright, sandwich's are ok. It's all edible, and priced a bit higher then what its worth. Bagels, muffins, doughnuts, cookies, slices of cake, and usually some sort of banana bread all grace the food cooler.
Moving on to seating, its pretty sacred reality if you get there during peak hours. With plenty of electrical sockets inside, in the floors and in the walls, The Bean is highly lap top friendly. The Internet connection is free, but it can border on agonizingly slow when there are numerous people using it. The aptly named Vault (The Bean IS located in what at one point was a bank) is generally known to be the quiet study section. Outside, there are your standard tables and chairs, most of which are falling apart, or wobbly, or bent. During the nights it can be difficult to impossible to find a spot, especially once it gets nice out. If you aren't a fan of smokers, then you may want to sit inside as nearly the entire patio is smoker friendly (even if the ashtrays mysteriously disappear every few months).
Every few nights, they have some sort of live music being played. Monday nights is given over to the piano and classic show tunes crowd, who, as you guessed, sing show tunes and take turns playing the piano. Loudly, might I add. Loudly, and incessantly, and they take over the majority of the seats inside. If you need to get work done on a Monday, move into the Vault (where its kind of quieter) or go outside. Friday nights are a rotation of performers, usually a single guitarist with an amp. These performers usually add more ambiance than annoyance to the atmosphere, so even if you are going to the shop to sit and talk with people, you can do just that without getting drowned out by the musicians. Be sure to request Freebird, one day someone will actually play it.
I'm beginning to think I've rambled enough for now, but I'm fairly certain you've gotten a decent picture. Good for the people, the socialization, the place to go on weekends after, literally, everything else in Tempe has closed. If you're ever down to The Bean, feel free to say hello if you see me on the patio! read more