Beans in the Belfry

It really is an old church converted into a coffee and wine and craft beer place to hang out and relax. Great desserts — we didn’t try regular food. They have gluten free brownies and chocolate desserts too. Over in the corner where they set up for live music is the kids play area during the day

An old church converted into new form of worship: Coffeeterianism. It is the belief that if you drink enough Jo, you can buzz into immortality. This joint is a must stop on any bicycle trip along the C&O. It is wonderful and unusual, a great place to get refreshed and relax,.

Hmm… does Beans deserve a 4 star or a 5 star review? I can’t do a 4.5 so 5 star it is!
Here’s the deal, people. If you like traditional coffee houses and not the corporate chain fare like Starbucks, this is as authentic as they get. As far as live entertainment goes, they feature primarily bluegrass or folk acts from around the area. (And you may say, «Ehh… that’s not really my kind of music.» But consider the fact that most small coffee houses only feature one man or woman with a microphone and an acoustic guitar, playing often mediocre versions of pop or rock classics. You might surprise yourself at how much you enjoy one of these bands as a change of pace.)
This place makes an excellent hot mocha, and the frozen coffee drinks are top notch too. Don’t be afraid to go «off menu» a bit either. They can usually make whatever you want, even if it involves using some flavors only listed as available for a different type of drink.
They do have free wi-​fi and in a refreshing nod to the «cybercafes» of the past, they even provide computers you can use, upstairs in the belfry, at an hourly rate.
The *only* reason I can’t give this place a full 5 stars is that I agree with a few of the other reviewers about the hot food selections. The chili is GREAT, but I find myself ordering that time and time again, because I’m just not into most of the other options. Actually, they have a turkey panini that’s pretty good too — but the other sandwiches aren’t really my thing.
On the other hand, they have an above average selection of pastries and desserts (and yes, they do ice cream sundaes too). So maybe I’d give them 5 stars for coffee and dessert, but only 4 as a restaurant? Either way, this is one church worth visiting, no matter what your religious beliefs!

Very cozy and warm atmosphere. The hot chocolate and coffee cake was really good. It’s an interesting coffee shop that used to be a church. The place is casual with decent coffee.

We love this restaurant. This is the third time we visited and we took our friends and they like it. Food was good. The ingredient was fresh. The atmosphere was relaxing. I had a Chili and a salad. We didn’t get the number when we ordered and I got a wrong salad.

A lot of reviews covered the awesomeness of this place — unique architecture and music. The food is good, but not knock your socks off. They pastry selection is average — I had the cheese, peach danish which was excellent. We also came here for Sunday brunch, which was good, but $ 18 good? Eehhhhh, me thinks not.
This place is a sold 4 stars. I really don’t think people who give this place five stars have had more than a fleeting experience OR walked in on the perfect day and ordered the perfect thing. Same goes for 3 stars — they must have ordered something horrible OR had some other issue — like service.

This is pretty much the only place to eat in downtown Brunswick so luckily it was a great find. It’s a very eclectic café/​restaurant in an old church that has a comfortable and easy feel to it. When you walk in there are lots of different couches and tables scattered around and the you order at the counter.
It was farm to fork week when we were there so we got the gazpacho which was really good and had lots of vegetables in it and the vegetable panini which wasn’t anything special… they used regular white bread so if it was on a grain bread it would be much better. Off of the regular menu we got the curry chick salad which was really good and the salad to bread ratio was spot on (more salad), we got the strawberry shortcake dessert which was frozen in the middle and pretty disappointing and the iced chai which was super tasty.
Additionally there wasn’t a lot of staff to clear the tables so many empty tables bad plates and leftovers on them which isn’t that appealing to look at.

In an old church, I love it!!! I am riding my bicycle cross country and stopped in here for electricity and WiFi. I got a today beef & cheddar with some mighty fine Italian wedding soup, absolutely hit the spot! Definitely a worthwhile destination if you’re within a hundred miles, the whole town has a lot of charm!

Unique! Unique! Unique! Just a short walk off the C and O Canal ’ Famous Tow Path, this repurposed church is a fantastic beverage and lite fare stop you won’t want to miss. Trust me, you’ll tell your friends!

Whenever they actually give a man (mainly me) some quiche (yes, I know real men are not supposed to eat that stuff), I may go back and write a new review. But, for now, my two visits here have not produced any of the stuff (including one time in the early morning) and I have been forced to buy more expensive things off of their menu to fill me up.
And there are some pretty pricey selections on their menu for a coffee shop. The cheapest main runs about $ 8.00. But this is more than just a coffee shop so it’s excusable I guess. They have a wonderful concert space (that doubles as a children’s play area) and free concerts with some moderately popular bands. If you’re into the folk or bluegrass scene in D.C., this is a cool place to catch a show. Though don’t sit too far away from the stage or people will be talking right through the music. Also finding parking in Brunswick on the weekend involves a bit of climbing.
Of course I’m smitten by the architecture here since they repurpose the church so perfectly. They kept so many of the original details and turned them into seating areas that it really is still like grabbing a tea or coffee in a working church. And the stained glass windows by themselves provide entertainment for diners and sippers.
Stopping by here on the way to a hike on the C&O Canal, they were friendly and it served as a good jumping off point to fuel up and drink some strong breakfast tea (I poured some into my water bottle, don’t tell). If only I didn’t have to order a lunch sandwich for around $ 10.00 when all I wanted was a starter. Come on, people, get it together of the rations of quiche!

Fantastic!
Awesome laid back atmosphere, great gluten free options and yummy tea selections. I’m obsessed with this place! A must try if you are in the area. Being that this place is located in an old church, it gives it so much more character.
******************Gluten free bagel and lox!!! OMG

Best place to eat in Brunswick, bar none. The music venue is awesome. The atmosphere is perfect. The leather sofas, comfy chairs and stained glass really make you feel welcomed.
I can’t believe more locals won’t give this place a try. On second thought, nevermind them.

We were staying in Brunswick at a hotel and were searching for a place for dinner. Glad we found this place. Unique location in an old church, plenty to look at while we were waiting to order and waited for our dinner.
A bit of a wait to order. You stand in line to order at the cash register. We were able to peruse the menu and decide before we got to the register. There was a lot to look at and we weren’t in a hurry, so we didn’t mind. Placed our order and went to find a seat. There are tables and also couches with coffee tables. We picked the end of a long table with people sitting at the other end. As we awaited our food, we enjoyed a performer playing wooden flutes. Very interesting and we enjoyed it a lot. He even had a song where he passed out various percussion instruments for the crowd to participate.
Food came and it was good. We had a crab dip which was a bit oily on top, but very delicious. I had a salad, which consisted of two quarters of iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges with blue cheese and bacon crumbles. It was drizzled in balsamic and then had a small cup with blue cheese dressing. It was fabulous. My son had a panini. It looked good but he wasn’t as thrilled, just not his taste, nothing wrong with the sandwich. We had Italian cream sodas. I had never had that before, they were good. We enjoyed the atmosphere.
I would recommend this spot.

Very beautiful space, I would live to catch a live music event here. It is like your living room, but better decorated and someone else does the dishes…

We originally came here when we were biking the C&O Canal. It was day 3 and we were tired, hungry and thirsty. We stopped here and had an amazing lunch. The people were so nice and service was great! Now to present day… I just got engaged there and the owner, Melanie, was so helpful in planning for the proposal! She helped me get in touch with the band, who were in on the proposal, and helped me buy my fiancé’s favorite flower. The food is your standard café food but it tastes sooooo good!
The place is a restored church and the stained glass windows create an ambiance that is great!
Go visit these people, I totally recommend it!
Thanks Melanie!

Beautiful space in an old church. It’s too bad the service and the food don’t match.
Don’t get me wrong: Beans is trying really hard to be a comfortable spot. The people are friendly and I admire their spirit. But during Sunday brunch it took us forever to be served and when we were served I did not get what I ordered and my wife’s eggs were cold. I would have sent them back had it not been that we waited so long.
You are probably better off getting a coffee and a pastry, something simple and enjoying the space. It really is quite beautiful in there and you get a nice creative vibe.

It’s like the living room you’ve only dreamed of, the people your song always seems to live for, immersed in the music your heart thrives on, in the world you only dream of.

Wish I lived closer. Wonderful. Great staff. Cool vibe. Good music. Bucolic locale.

Still amazing. enjoyed our paninis, drinks and dessert. Never disappoints and really enjoy the local talent.

5 stars based on food + atmosphere. The spinach dip was amazing. The veggie panini was great. The Roma panini was very good but needed to be melted a bit more.
Would come again.