The Artful Bean

Bethany Beach, DE. Came for a cup of coffee in the early morning hour. Very good coffee. Artsy place with a promising breakfast and sandwich lunch menu. Will definitely try on next visit.

So i love The Artful Bean and have been there many times as we have a house here. Their coffee is terrific and their panini sandwiches are worth coming back for. It’s a great place to lounge and read the paper. So comfortable and cozy. Would have given 5 stars but our sullen 20 something wait staff looked as if she’d rather be at a midnight fire at sea than taking a coffee order from a customer at 9 am on a Saturday. She was just this side of rude, got the order wrong (which if she had just confirmed the order wouldn’t have happened). Never apologized but one of the regular employees rushed in to make it right. I’ll be back though for more yummy baked goods and coffee and I’m sure it’ll be a five star review.

This coffee shop is a disaster. With more space for the artwork than for the customers it would be better off and far more accurate to call it an art gallery. The organization behind the counter is equally as confused with staff lacking any knowledge on coffee or how to make a drink. On multiple trips a time from line to actually receiving a drink was upwards of 20 minutes. This coffee shop needs help and fast.

We got in and were relieved that there was only a couple people in the restaurant and 4 people behind the counter, however it took over 20 minutes to make 3 bagel breakfast sandwiches. Their selection is not great, only 2 types of cheese and limited variety of bagels. We came in hungry, and left pretty frustrated. The staff themselves were pretty friendly and my pesto bagel was exactly what I wanted, however unsure if it was because I was even hungrier by the time we finally ate. The ambiance itself is a bit random, however very spacious– there are some very delicate artisans, paintings, and couch areas. We saw 1 person working on their laptop along with a work station.

Excellent breakfast spot for veggies. Great spiced chai lattes! Would recommend the Garfield on an everything bagel for breakfast. Staff was cheery and pleasant. Atmosphere was quite lounge-​y, which is always appreciated at a café. Will return on our next visit to Bethany Beach.

I waivered between a 2 and 3 star rating on this one. The drinks were tasty and the ambience was nice, but the staff seemed like they would rather have been anywhere but here. Maybe the bad attitude was due to it being the end of the day?

Really didn’t like the coffee and service much this year despite trying several different flavors, only came there because they opened earlier than others and had the Post for sale. Otherwise, I would have been somewhere else all week after the first day. I do love the artwork, have purchased things from the shop in years past. Help seemed to be sort of indifferent this time around, with lots of chatting among themselves instead of focusing on guests. No smiles from the cashier all week long. The first day, they had no stirrers. Other days, I overheard a number of customers being told they were out of this or that… one lady had to order three different breakfast items before she hit on something that was available. Not an outstanding experience this season — when I come back for my fall days and won’t be there at 6 AM, I’ll be going elsewhere for my coffee.

Kinda pricey for what you get… Just ok breakfast sandwiches… (Classic bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel) Was left feeling a little ho-​hum this time. Definitely try the Taylor’s Toffee ($ 7.50 for a small bag but so worth it!)

What a great little coffee café! Great vibe excellent coffee and my kiddos could order a bagel with a side of bacon. Bacon makes everything better! I highly recommend stopping by.

The Artful Bean was recently sold. The coffee is still very good. I have two favorite drinks, double espresso machiato (sp) and skim vanilla latte. Yeah, I know. The later is standard fare. The former is a departure from Starbucks caramel version, nothing like it. It is a very European coffee drink. Espresso is European after all. For both drinks, it’s all about the foam. The Artful Bean excels at foam. As the young man behind the counter proclaimed about my wife’s drink, «that’s the best foam that I have ever made». What about my drink? I want the best foam! Well it was pretty good. The only draw back is the that the lines can get long. I need my coffee as much as the next guy. Please speed it up.

This is still the best coffee shop in the region, and while they may not have the best in any one category they do provide the best service, coffee, specialty drinks and snacks from top to bottom. If they do stand above the crowd of coffee shops in Bethany it is in their service. The biggest weakness is the reliance on commercial food in the breakfast hours.
But, I know nobody who visits Bethany/​Fenwick Island who does not spend a couple hours there each week.

good coffee, they have almond milk which is awesome to know! dark chocolate toffee latte was awesome, toast and honey just ok should have probably splurged for the lox :)

Free wifi and yummy food! I have spent entire days there telecommuting. Coffee is fine but the food is really, really good. It’s a great office away from home!

Very pricey coffee, understand is beach town, so I will give them that, but when they tell me they are cash only today I start thinking something isn’t right. They then wait till I have paid and they have made my coffee to tell me the internet isn’t available today. I guess buyer beware, but a coffee shop without internet shouldn’t exist. Thanks for the over priced coffee, it was decent. Next time tell people who are carrying a laptop that the internet doesn’t work prior to them making a purchase. I won’t be back!

Incredibly overpriced (small latte was $ 4.55) and was mediocre at best. What in god’s name are you putting in that latte? Diamonds and rubies? I normally love patronizing small businesses but not this one.

This little coffee hideaway is located in Bethany Beach– like almost on the boardwalk. Steps away from my favorite crab place The Blue Crab. I wish we had more places like this back in Bethesda. There’s nothing wrong about setting up a lot of couches and wifi in a space and serving up great coffee.
I stopped in here while I was waiting for my mother to arrive in Bethany. The iced coffee I got was good, but better was the little pastry raspberry coffeecake that I got to take back to the hotel.
There isn’t much to say about this place other than it’s comfy, has wifi, very unique, and they sell art. Hence the Artful Bean! OOOOhhhhhhh Awwwwwww. I GET IT!
I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again and try some of their other drinks.

This is definitely a cozy shop and a good place to relax for a few when you are out and about in Bethany. They are clean and roomy. They have alot of cute little knick knacks.
The coffee is pretty good. I got the iced Chocomel and my sister got the Cocomint. I usually stop in here everytime I make it out to Bethany.

This is different place to grab a cup of something and get gifts which range from inexpensive to very expensive but all tasteful.
The only issue is the flow is a bit awkward-​seems to take a long time to get served.

Crashed in here for about an hour during a rain storm which was most unfriendly to cyclists who had biked in from the outer reaches of Bethany without rain gear or an inclination to ride along U.S. 1 in a storm (namely me).
The place is filled with cushy armchairs and couches. They have a decent cup of coffee and are not to shabby on the brownie front either. Very comfortable place to hole up.
They also have a front porch which is great for sittin’ and chattin’. If you spend over $ 3 they will give you their code for free wifi. Couldn’t see spending a long time here doing work (prefer the library w table and chair), but could have done a little research or writing here, if necessary.
Been doing the pre-​playground «pop in» for coffee here for years, but this was my first extended visit. Like it very much. Was relaxing and comfortable. The opposite of Starbucks. Why can’t we have some independently-​owned coffee houses like this in the DMV?

This is a great little shop. The coffee is great and the artwork is lovely. We bought several pictures for our girls bedroom. The service was very friendly and the bathrooms were clean.
The hubby especially loved the mint latte.
They have comfy chairs and sofas all around the shop. They also have a checker/​chess set out, which my girls adored.
What more could you want from a coffee shop?