Coffee Beanery Cafe

Closed down — no longer open for business. Coffee wasn’t great, no free wi-​fi, and they were always out of mint tea.
Once I ordered something, paid, they didn’t have it so they told me to order something else (without offering me a refund). I ordered a second item that cost less than the original but had to ask them to give me the difference back in change… they looked really puzzled that I wanted my change.

Servers not friendly or even knowledgable about their products. Place was dirty, trash cans over filled, surfaces, seating areas dirty.

Love the coffee, employees and atmosphere! My daughter’s favorite Berkley spot :)

Staff was friendly. My mango smoothie (dairy free!) was delicious. Nice, comfortable setting. Overall, the place is enjoyable.

They always burn my latte when I get soy milk.

I;m sorry Krupa had a bad experience, but I think it’s more than fair for them to not give out the wi-​fi password until you purchase something. To me, it makes perfect business sense, so people don’t do what she did and just chill and draw off the wi-​fi. That said, I’m sorry you weren’t able to deal with someone nicer; usually the staff is great. The food and coffee are moderately priced, and are much better than starbucks. The food is pretty good as well, particularly for a café. I love this place, and it got me through many a study session. I would recommend the Buffalo Chicken Wrap in particular.

I’ve been here several times and they brew a tasty cup of Joe. In addition, the owner is very involved in the community, contributing product to fundraisers in all the surrounding cities. A good local business that deserves support.
Not really a 5-​star place (a solid 3) but I’m going to give it 5 to balance out the 1-​star they got because they refused to act as a public library instead of a business.

Just had the worst experience here less than an hour ago. I was in between a few errands and decided to stop somewhere to do a little school work seeing as I’m in my last semester of an accelerated nursing program, I have to make use of every minute I get.
I noticed the Coffee Beanery as I was driving down Woodward, and noticed their Internet and Wi-​fi sign advertised in their window. This was exactly what I needed. As I was parking I noticed a sign that said «1 hour limit for Coffee Beanery customers» I wasn’t going to be there for more than that anyways so I moseyed on inside with my laptop and some books. I set everything up, and noticed that the wi-​fi needed a password — no biggie; a lot of private coffee places (even Tim Hortons) have wi-​fi security keys and the protocol is to ask an employee and they’ll give it to you. So I went to ask an employee who I believe was also the manager/​owner…
Me: Is there a password for the wi-​fi?
Manager: Yes, for paying customers!
Me: Oh… *puzzled look*
Manager: Well we’re not a library!
Me: Well, that’s how you get business…
Manager: Well that’s what we are — A BUSINESS!
Funny thing is I was actually thinking about buying something because coffee always has a seductive scent, but his attitude soured my mood so I decided to go back to the table and at least read my book… when I overhear the manager/​owner joking/​laughing with another customer about our conversation, I heard the customer say «Haha, yea that will keep them from coming back next time.» And the manager chuckled too!
If your motto is to keep customers from coming back… you’re doing a spectacular job! With parking restrictions, over-​priced coffee, and rules on which customers can use your advertised Wi-​fi… you’re bound to lose potential customers — especially if you’re insulting and disrespectful toward them. There’s a coffee shop on almost every corner with free wi-​fi and no one gives a hoot if you go in there to just do some work, if it’s a hospitable environment, you will go back and will make purchases. It’s sad really because I am one of those people who like to support Michigan/​local brands and businesses, but I’m going going to do it at the expense of having someone strip me of my dignity.
As can be predicted, I left after hearing them converse, but not before handing the owner my handy-​dandy «You’ve been Unilocaled!» card and thanking him for the experience.
Their logo saying «coffee people who care» is false advertising in it’s purest form! lol It should read: «Coffee People Who Don’t Give a S*** About You!»

I’m partial to a good latte. I haven’t tried Coffee Beanery food, but the espresso is always on point. They have free internet and there is decent parking even though it’s on Woodward. They have a variety of sugar free and regular syrups to add in, which I like. Overall the prices are comparative to the bigger chains. They also have a buy 12 get the 13^th beverage free.

Drinks are a bit inconsistent. Good spot for wi-​fi — you can get a code when you purchase.

Just giving you a heads up the hours listed are not correct. They close at 6 some days not 8. I got this off of the website. I said the site stated it was open until 8pm she said «We close at 6» and walked away. When another employee asked if the sandwiches were for here or to go when making them for us, before I could even answer the cashier yelled «TO GO!»
Everyone has always been nice here but the girl named Jen (I think it was but she was turning her back so much to us I couldn’t read her tag clearly.) She also forgot our cookie and scone so we had to wait until the employee making our sandwiches could get them for us.
The food was good but service was bad.

Honestly? I used to come here if I was skipping study hall in high school. Maybe because I looked older, they never said anything. They have great chai lattes, and pretty decent café-​style food, too. I remember getting tuna wraps here and enjoying them for the most part.
The baristas are friendly, the price is competitive and the environment is definitely more relaxing and laid back than Starbucks or Caribou. I prefer Java Hutt in Birmingham, but I don’t mind this place at all.

I rounded up… the Coffee Beanery is more like a 3.5 score in my book. I LOVED the fact that they had live music/​open mic night when I went in. I think that shows that the community really supports this coffee shop and enjoys getting involved in their events. BUT, I hate coffee shops that do not offer free wifi or make you buy something before you get the wifi access code. Obviously if I am coming here to use your wifi, I am staying a bit and I am going to order a drink/​muffin but I sometimes like to get settled in first. Overall good place to study, a little bit distracting with the live music, but that is not the norm I don’t think.

This is my favorite place to study, by far. The coffee is great and most employees are super nice. Even the guy who seems like he is in a bad mood never gets my drink wrong, so I really have no reason to be mad at him!
Compared to Starbucks and Caribou, CB has the best wifi of the three. There is lots of seating, and I’ve never had to turn around and leave because there is no room to sit (which happens often at Sbux and Caribou compact locations).

First off, I will say that what I’m really down with is the community vibe they have here. They appear to hire high school students from the area and they have a corner of the shop dedicated to the Berkley Boosters. I admit to Berkley being my alma mater, so they get points for this.
Another good thing about this location is the free parking. They’ll ask you to park on the streets outside if you’re planning on staying for a long period of time, since the actual parking lot assigned to the café is pretty small.
The main reason why I only awarded three stars was due to the bewilderingly spotty wi-​fi I’ve experienced. I don’t know if I just happened to go on days when the fates were scowling at me, but the last three times I’ve gone the Internet has gone down. I alerted the staff to this each time it happened, and they were validating and very apologetic, but the baristas weren’t exactly able to do anything about it. It’s not that I fault them, but, uh, I need that Internet to do my work.
Granted, the Internet went up after about a thirty minute downtime each time it happened, but I can’t afford to have those sorts of outages when I’m working. It’s just not time efficient, and that’s why I haven’t been back to this place in a while.
However, the staff is friendly, the coffee isn’t bad, and the place is big. Another point in its favor is that it’s actually a quieter coffee shop that tends to attract a older crowd, so it’s fabulous for getting work done. If you want to socialize with a raucous group, I’d recommend going elsewhere. This place is almost like a pleasant blend of library and coffee shop.
If only it didn’t have the Internet woes!

This is a great coffee shop if you need a place to get some work done. The coffee is no better or worse than any other local coffee place, but the food is quite good and the menu is pretty extensive. Unlike the coffee shops in downtown Royal Oak and Ferndale, there are many large tables to spread out your computer, several electrical outlets, reliable free wifi, and very good lighting. For the most part, the place is very quiet. The owner is a really nice guy, as are the long-​term employees.

I’m in love with just about any place if they are strong community supporters — and Coffee Beanery in Berkley really is. They have the Bear Boosters paraphernalia set up in the corner, welcome groups and neighborhood meetings with open arms and are always quick to donate when asked.
Oh, and they have food and drink, too. Literally secondary to me as a reason to visit, but it’s actually really good! I usually go for the Asian cashew chicken salad (delish) or they make a mean toasted tuna sandwich on chiabatta bread. I love their iced coffee and teas, but truth be told, my love is for the community support.

My book group has been meeting here for quite a while now. The sandwiches are huge and awesome. The employees go out of their way to make it a comfortable meeting, including adding screens to help the noise issues on occasion. I love the place.

I kind of have this love/​hate relationship going on with this particular Coffee Beanery. You see, when the stars align — i.e. when someone who cares about what they’re doing makes your drink or food — it’s great. Out of all the chains Coffee Beanery’s iced mocha is probably my favorite iced mocha in metro Detroit… it tops Starbucks, Biggby, Caribou Coffee, etc. I figure it’s not exactly alchemy to make one — a little bit of milk, espresso, chocolate syrup, and all — but for some reason I feel like the odds are against me every time I order from here.
The owners seem to employ local high school kids as well as people who I assume are older family members. This can be a volatile mix. I don’t know if it’s because a.) they don’t care or b.) they’ve not been trained properly, but I’d had way too many iced mochas from this place that tasted like chocolate milk… or worse.
There was one middle-​aged woman who was working there over the summer. She made a drink for me and a relative of mine at around 7pm on a weekend. What we were given — an iced mocha and a vanilla crème — were literally not even drinkable, they tasted so bad. My relative actually dared to go back some months later and ordered the same drink. This time it was a younger girl who admitted it was her first time making a vanilla crème as she served it up — and it turned out fantastic.
That is the problem with this place. I have a lot of fond memories of coming here to grab my favorite iced mocha and a snack while I study, but I have almost just as many memories of being served a drink that tasted like a science experiment gone wrong.

I was driving around town, trying to finish up a conference call (don’t worry, I was hands-​free on the phone!) and on a photo recon mission. I realized that I only had 10 minutes before another meeting remote meeting would start — one where I’d need to be at my computer with wifi access.
Then I saw it – Coffee Beanery to the rescue!
Totally utilitarian coffee shop, but a few added touches make it feel just a wee bit more cozy than your standard chain café.
The franchisees are local, and you can tell that they take pride in their place and know some of their regular customers. They also stock a nice selection of coffee and tea mugs, pots, kettles, etc.
There’s a corner devoted entirely to Berkley paraphernalia, which is pretty cool by me. Why *not* help support the local schools?
I wouldn’t drive all over town to seek this out, but when in the area, it made a perfectly nice office for a few hours.