Caffé Bene

I have decided to give this place a try since the décor looking from the outside seems great. The staff was pretty friendly as what you would expect in a coffee place. The first thing I have noticed after looking through the menu items were that they have outrageous pricing. I got a combo B which is consisted of honey bread, ice yogurt (the ones similar to Pinkberry) and a regular hot coffee. Guess how much this costed? If you have guessed anything less then 10 bucks you are dead wrong!
With tax, 14.04. Ya, really really expensive. The toast had a very thin frosting on top which dissipates as soon as you take one bite in. The rest is just plain white bread and pretty thick. I liked the yogurt but it is not unique in that it is identical to a typical small cup of yogurt you get from Pinkberry. The coffee is really blend in comparison for your typical in-​house coffee, extremely light for my taste. Thie food experience sucked along with the price… a no go in my book.

The grapefruit juice is really good! They use real grapefruit and its very refreshing.
The italian frozen geleto is like pinkberries plain tart but more creamier. Yum yum

Horrible place to go for coffee. We ordered 2 lattes, one regular and one decaf. Both cups were filled only ²⁄₃^rd of the way. Never had this happen at any coffee place.
And what was even worse, the decaf coffee was totally burnt. Tasted nasty…
I’ll never come back here

Really the best tasting latte in Irvine. The atmosphere is perfect to hang out and the food is awesome.

Very interesting…
I got the chicken teriyaki which I do recommend and did enjoy.
I’ll have to come back to try other menu items.
The place was definitely clean and the atmosphere was fun.

Great space, decent coffee. Unfortunately, the exceedingly hyper high school guys working behind the counter have no idea that people come here to work. Bring earbuds. After listening to them shout to each other about their sports accomplishments for over an hour, I decided to opt for a quieter spot.

I have been to a few Bene’s in SoCal now. This one is not great. Greet chairs in the middle are weird and off putting. Temperature was too hot inside. Music was a bit loud but fine.
Coffee was just average. Still its MUCH better than Starbucks or the other American chains. Easy parking outside. Mostly an Asian crowd, and the occasional Korean stunner.
There are, surprisingly for Irvine, weirdos (trashy types) around this shopping mall area who bum-​out on the benches and such. That is a bit off putting. This strip mall should police that better. This is Irvine. If I want bums I’ll go to LA.
OH and Wifi is SLOW. Please upgrade!

This is my go to place when I need to study. The environment is cute and nice! But bring head phones because it does get a little noisy at times. I only tried the Misugu drink here, it’s a multi grain drink, but it’s a really good alternative if you don’t drink coffee. The food is also delicious here. I recommend the teriyaki chicken and egg & ham sandwich!

Very nice Café，comfortable place to study or work!
Sandwiches here are tasty! I like the chicken one.

Good food good services,
Nice atmosphere
Nice and helpful staffs

Such a cute little café. Perfect for people who are trying to study or hang out with friends! I really like their red velvet milk tea, but it is a little on the sweeter side. The texture of their boba was good. When they first opened, they had a BOGO on their milk teas so the price was more reasonable. Their desserts and drinks are a lot more expensive than what you can get in the plaza. I recommend this place if you’re trying to find a good place to chill.

Today was actually my 4^th visit. I’ve done the run in for coffee before work and have had their mocha and vanilla latte, both which are quite good. They’re hot chocolate is right up there on my top 5 list (Gypsy Den is currently #1 though I have yet to try Kean coffee).
So I asked the baristas what their best drink was and they recommended the vanilla latte and caramel macchiato latte drinks. Since I have already tried their vanilla, I thought I would try their Macchiato. I have to say I’m a little disappointed in it. For an espresso-​based drink, it’s weak and tasted like a mild brew. And I actually prefer the mild brew over a dark roast personally. I will go back for their mocha’s and vanilla lattes and definitely they’re hot chocolate! I am intrigued about their food too.

Came here thinking it’d be like the ones I’d been to previously in South Korea (the big chains there being Caffe Bene, A Twosome Place, and Paris Baguette).
Nope.
Customer service is shit. Like, REALLY BAD.
I ordered an iced coffee and a sandwich. About 40 mins later they tell me they forgot my order and wanted me to wait an additional 20 to remake it.
WHY WOULD IT TAKE THAT LONG???
It’s just sad. And to think I knew people that worked here back when I was in high school — I wonder if they were part of the bad customer service too.

Caffe Bene is a dessert and drink café chain from South Korea. It has made its way to the US overtime and has locations (that I’ve been to) in K-​Town, Buena Park, and Irvine. Even in Korea, Caffe Bene is not my café of choice (A Twosome Place is awesome if you’re in Korea), but it’s not horrible. The Irvine location is great for killing time, studying, or chatting.
Food/​Drinks: The drinks hover around mediocre, their desserts are good but not amazing, and the prices are pretty high (likely due to high rent). I haven’t been super impressed by much of anything, but I can’t say it’s ever been too bad to turn me away for good. Every seasonal item I’ve tried has been underwhelming. The one thing I do really like is their caramel cinnamon honey bread, which I would describe as a more refined cinnabon. Seriously, if you like cinnabon, you likely won’t be disapointed with the cinnamon honey bread. +½ stars.
Service: It’s a café and not a restaurant, but the attitude of the staff isn’t super friendly (Haven’t really been greeted with a smile). They’re not mean, but it’s not winning any points from me. I wish they had those buzzers to tell you when your order is ready, because they haven’t asked for a name before and they don’t have an intercom. This is a big deal for people who have damaged their ears from bumping loud music their whole lives, and it’s even worse considering how big the café is. The Buena Park location does have the buzzers (they use these at all the cafes I went to in Korea). 0 – 0.5÷1 star.
Ambiance/​Space: The reason I go to Caffe Bene is for their large seating space. There are a ton of seats and lots of places to sit down and study. The chairs are more comfortable than the Buena Park location, so I prefer to drive to Irvine for that reason. It’s clean and open, and it’s the same feel as Korea. One of the things America lacks is large cafes that allow for just chilling out with friends while enjoying desserts/​coffee. Every block in major Korean cities/​towns will have many cafes with large spaces or multiple stories/​floors of seating. +1/​1 star.
Would I go back? Yes, for the aforementioned reason (Ambiance/​Space). I am not a student, but I am currently learning programming, and I have trouble focusing at home. For someone who’s not a fan of the library environment, I love studying/​chilling at cafes. Starbucks’s and Coffee Beans are often lacking enough seating, so it’s often a gamble. Caffe Bene hasn’t let me down yet, and it’s so close to Boiling Point. Double win. +1/​1 star.
Total: 3 — 3.5÷5 stars

I want to love this place because it looks so cute and tries really hard but it’s just meh. tons of space for studying which is great but the drinks are pretty pricey but again it is Irvine lol. I ordered a small iced green tea latte for nearly $ 5 and half of it was probably ice so I wanted to hate it but it ended up being delightful – definitely a treat once in awhile. Also, customer service here could be improved. The worker who took my order looked bored; however, I’ll give the benefit of doubt and maybe it was an off day.
Space: 4.5÷5
Drinks: 3.5÷5
Service: ²⁄₅

I really want to like Caffe Bene but I am always disappointed in everything I’ve tried here… Pretty pricey menu, which also does not taste good. Their non-​coffee items (like mojito and tea stuff) are always way too sweet. Their coffee is not the best I’ve tried. Their misugaru frappé is so thick your face hurts from trying to get the damn ice cream-​esque «drink» from the straw. The waffles are also too too sweet. You definitely need something to balance it out. If it had half the amount of sweetness and butter it would definitely be something I’d come back for. Oh but their shaved ice desserts are really good. That’s the one (and probably only) thing that tastes great here.
The main thing I come back for is how it’s pretty good for studying: they have absolute great lighting, outlets everything, comfortable seating/​tables, not-​too-​loud music, etc. etc. But, their wifi is superrrr slow. I can barely listen to spotify or access a website.
Also, the workers are sooo sweet, polite, and helpful. It is true that 50% of the whole café experience is customer service. :)

I am here waiting on my sandwich. There appears to be some serious lag time between orders and delivery of food and drinks. The people at the next table had no ice in their iced tea. The prices are about average for these Asian style cafés. There is a variety of food and some interesting choices on the menu. I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich and it’s been over 15 minutes, no food yet and there isn’t a huge rush at the register. Mostly drink orders.
Taste is great… good spice level.

Pros:
— bright lighting
— lots of seats
— some outlets
— variety of foods and drinks
— open until 10pm
— nice service
Cons:
— slow WiFi
— expensive drinks and food, that are not worth the price
— loud music, contributing to loud conversations
Overall, a place to go to if you just want a place to meet some friends, but not that great for anything else.

Came in Sunday afternoon for a parfait with my fiancé. The place was run by a bunch of kids that don’t know anything. It looked like there was one person training the entire crew. Wifi was down and they were out of many things including red bean for the parfait. It was also cash only today, the place is falling apart. We settled for no red bean. Then 15 min later they were still working on our parfait and no updates until we finally asked. Was given a stupid response that their parfait ingredients were still frozen so it’s going to take another 5 min which sounded like a bunch of lies to me. Asked for a refund and got the heck out of here. Please hire better staff instead of high school kids that don’t know anything or care about the customers. Especially, for the price you are charging for you need to provide more professional service and better quality of care.

This place is so bad. You walk in and it looks super classy and like a great place to plug in and be productive.
But.
The drinks suck. I ordered a hazelnut latte and when I got it, it was ALL cream and filled only ¾ of the way. The baristas ignored me when I walked in and kept chatting about their love lives. I witnessed them lie to a customer. A man walked up asking about his order and they said it would be up in a minute. I got my order, and he went back up as some time had passed and asked again. They told him they had called him over 8 times and he forfeited his order. Um, no. I was watching.
This is the worst café I have ever been to and I will not be returning.
Oh, and also, they need to copy a better copywriter for their cups. At least three errors on their cup. How unprofessional!

Nothing special, just a typical Asian-​type coffee place. I do like the décor inside, it’s nice and roomy and has a relaxing atmosphere.
The drinks were very average, and the tiramisu my friend got was meh. Also my friend’s drink came out first despite me ordering before him. My order took a really long time to get out, which is weird because it’s a coffee shop and all I ordered was coffee.
Also, they were all out of waffle dishes when we arrived, which was maybe an hour after lunch time.

Great study spot, lots of tables and some outlets. Free wifi and very spacious. I’ve gotten the Vanilla Latte and it’s pretty good for $ 3.25. It was recommended because I wanted something slightly sweet. I used to go to Café Tomo to study but this might be the new spot!

I’ve visited my fair share of coffee shops to study, drink coffee, and eat a few snacks. I’d say this is one of my favorite spots after visiting recently. The ambience has a nice and cozy with a bit of a modern/​industrial feel to it which I really liked. Theres good lighting all throughout so your eyes won’t need to strain just to read.
As far as food is concerned, their honey walnut toast is so delicious. Warm, toasty, and crispy. I also liked their prompt service from the staff. They were very professional which was quite a surprise considering how young they are! Great staff. The place was quite clean which is a far cry from what I’ve read from other reviews, maybe some things have changed? It looks like this place is well maintained. I’m going to visit this place again when I’m in the area.

Lots of seating spaces with large desks make for a good study space. Only con is that it gets really hot inside with the sun beams. You also can’t order small bobas. Minimum size is a medium (though it is pretty small).
10% student discount for the month of February

It’s harder than you think to find a good, reliable study place in Irvine… so I’m SO GLAD this place opened just down the street from me! I went to the tiny Starbucks across the street at first, and of course — there was no seating (what else is new)… so I came here on a whim, and was really impressed by the space and décor. There are plenty of tables to sprawl out your study materials, they played soothing/​study-​appropriate music that wasn’t crazy loud or irritating, and the ambiance was just so warm and inviting. The hours are pretty good too — they close at 10 pm most weeknights, and stay open til 11 pm on weekends. That is way better than most places in Irvine that close shop at 9 pm!
I can’t speak too much on the service, food, or drinks as I just ordered a chamomile tea and that came out super fast… I will definitely come back.

I like this place. There are so many tables and it doesn’t get crowded, so you won’t have a problem finding a table. Outlets might be a problem since they’re pretty scarce and spread out throughout the store.
The only thing is this coffee shop is always out of something. Sitting here for 3 hours, I watched them tell people they were out of eggs, onions, ham, and even at one point, they were out of coffee for an hour. How the heck does a coffee shop not have coffee for an hour. But otherwise, a good place to study and chill. The wifi requires a reauthorization after every 30 minutes. Decently fast.

It took about 15 mins to make my drink. They apologized for the wait, which was fine with me. However, if I was in a hurry, I would not dig the wait. I got the green tea frappé & it was very tasty ^_​_​_​^
Customer service could definitely improve. The people who work here don’t really seem like they enjoy it. I’ve seen the cashier take from the tip jar to give me back change (this happened more than once). Restrooms were out of order for at least 3 days straight.
The place is spacious with lots of chairs & tables, as well as outlets. It doesn’t get too crowded, so you don’t have to worry about lack of space to study.
If you plan to be here a while, bring a jacket because it tends to get cold. Bring headphones as well, because some groups tend to be very loud here. Despite other Unilocal reviews, I had no problem with the Wifi.
This is not the best place to study, but it beats going to an already-​filled-​up Starbucks after work. You’re pretty much guaranteed space here.

Drinks are decent, workers are nice, plenty of room and outlets for studying.
My only complaint is that the music is super obnoxious. It’s all Korean pop or ballads and really distracting if you go to study. DON’T forget some noise canceling earphones if you’re coming here to study. If you’re coming to hang out with some friends then it’s not too bad but still pretty loud :/​
Overall, enjoyable though, I’ll be back!

Like it was mentioned by Unilocalers, this place is over priced. I was looking for a place to study and this place came out while I was searching around Irvine area.
I love the place. Probably the best place I’ve found for studying. It is cozy, bright, very clean. There are a lot of outlets too. The only downside for the place is that it was too cold when I went there.
Ordered the thai tea, some macarons (forgot the flavor), caramel cinnamon honey bread, milk tea, coffee cake (not sure if this is the name), iced coffee, spicy chicken and shrimp sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, I shared these with 2 other people and we had these goodies when we came in 2 days in a row (#don’tjudge)
Thai tea and milk tea: ordered the regular one and it was almost $ 5 for each of them. For regular size, it was only like the ‘tall’ size in Starbucks. Too pricey! Thai tea was just alright. I thought it was too sweet and tasted more of the milk than the tea. Milk tea was much better. It has the right amount of sweetness.
Macarons: they were $ 2.25/each and the size was so small. It was good but not worth it!
Caramel cinnamon honey bread: this was actually good because you can taste the cinnamon and it was sweet enough but because they put whipped cream on top of the toast, it got soggy pretty fast and made it a bit overwhelming.
Coffee cake: I expected it to have a stronger coffee taste but because it was a mousse cake, you couldn’t really taste it and it was $ 4.75 per slice. Uh huh.
Iced coffee: typical Vietnamese coffee but I thought it was too bitter.
Spicy chicken sandwich: this was just alright. You only tasted some spiciness, very bland.
Shrimp sandwich: don’t get this! It was weird for me. When it came out, I thought the shrimp wasn’t cooked through cause it still looked raw. I got weirded out because in my whole life, I was taught that shrimp will turn pinkish when it is fully cooked but this wasn’t it. I tasted it and it was edible but still, I wasn’t a fan of it.
Overall, I think this place is a great place to hang out and study but the food is too pricey and isn’t that good either.

I don’t get the negative reviews at all, I really enjoyed the coffee was well as the service here!
The only thing keeping me from giving 5 stars is the prices, $ 6 for a large that is not even that big and an extra $ 1 for every shot is insane.
But it was really really tasty, so not for every day, but I would for sure come back and try more next time!
This time I went with a mocha frappé with an extra shot and it was made perfectly.
Plenty of seating, nice, clean and spacious location, so much to chose from and they can add or modify anything to your liking, worth checking out!

Free wifi and lots of study space. Coffee similarly priced as Starbucks, though weaker. I’m fine with it since I like medium to light roast anyway.
Bigger sandwich and deserts selection, in the range of $ 8 – 10. Haven’t tried those to comment on their quality.
Overall a decent hangout. I would prefer more couches though for a cozier look.

I was in here the other day and getting my cup of coffee and they were slow no was in front of me and no other coustomers were there.
I took me 30 mins I had to ask were is my cup of Joe and they said we forgot about it! I was pissed! Since I have things to do.
They don’t know how to run a coffee place here. It’s not pack and Starbucks across the street gets pack! Day in and day out!
Hopefully we can get another coffee shop here granted it has good deserts but they don’t make the epicream either! They by at Ralph’s right next door!!!
My opinion is for fast service is go to other coffee shops and SKIP THIS ONE!
Granted my other review I said 5 stars but since it is taken new management.
This management Sucks!!!
Wish I can give this place a –5 stars/​5!!!

I’m very disappointed. I love the location, the décor, the seating & it’s open space. For the prices I expect way more than what they give you.
1. I expect it to be clean (there was trash on the floor)
2. Free wifi, the year is 2015
3. Great service, maybe greet you with a smile (when they’re not busy maybe bring you your drink instead of yelling every three minutes that it’s ready).
4. Restrooms are not maintained.
5. It’s too expensive and that’s why my expectations are high. Give me a break! I hope they stay in business because I hate Starbucks’ atmosphere.

Came to get some dessert here after lunch. My bf told me about the other ones where he lives and they have a more Korean drama vibe. He said this one looked a lot nicer. I got the waffle with coffee gelato on top. It was a bit on the higher price range.
It came in a little skillet looking thing and it was a good portion for 2 people. The waffle had a very doughy texture and taste so it wasn’t crunchy. It reminded me more of pretzel bread as it was also really dense.
The gelato was not bad… nothing special.
It’s a nice place to just sit and relax. They sell a lot of drinks and little snacks too.

Atmosphere: clean and bright
Staff: nice and friendly
Wifi: NONE it would be a nice place to study but there’s no wifi
Food: nothing I haven’t tasted before
Drinks: a little too sweet for my taste
Price: slightly pricier than the usual coffee shop

I’m liking this new asian café in Irvine. The décor is very earthy and homey with lots of tables and chairs spread around. It’s the kind of place you can lounge and hang out in for a while. The food and drinks on the menu don’t hurt either.
My first time here, my husband ordered the Affogato with vanilla ice cream. I really liked this. Ice cream was sweet enough to tone down the bitterness of the espresso.
I tried the Iced Misugaru Latte. I asked the cashier about it first and she explained how it’s a traditional Korean drink. It’s a multigrain drink that comes in powder form and is supposed to be good for you. I was hesitant to try it but she insisted that it was very good and that I should give it a try. I have no regrets trying it, but I just didn’t really like it. Misugaru is definitely not my cup of tea… er…non-coffee coffee? It’s a bit thick and nutty. I ended up with a dry throat after a couple sips. In the end, I could only down a couple sips and gave the drink to my brother and he enjoyed it. Maybe Misugaru is more of an acquired taste.
However, I was not able to try out any of their Honey Breads/​Waffles, Shaved Ice, Gelatos, or Pastries during my first time there. I did not want to overdose on sugar since the drinks I had were already on the sweet side. It is a bit pricey for their drinks and snacks. Not the kind of place you want to splurge in.
So far, so good. I would come back again because of their wide range of options on their menu.

Caffe Bene is aiming to be the modern Asian version of Starbucks. It’s no coincidence that this branch opens at 6am and closes at 10pm, roughly the same hours as its competitor Starbucks across the street. Both companies have similar vision — to serve the general masses with coffee, tea, snacks, and desserts in a relaxed environment where the neighborhood can come and chat.
In my opinion, Caffe Bene serves higher quality coffee than Starbucks. Bene sources from Metropolis, a coffee roaster in Chicago, and uses a custom city roast blend of about 80% Brazilian/​20% mix of Latin America beans in their coffee beverages. Caffe Bene’s espresso is pretty full bodied with slightly syrupy mouthfeel, but there are some subtle floral notes instead of the char and bitterness from Starbucks coffee. It’s not my favorite but does not taste too bad for a coffeehouse chain.
Unfortunately, the baristas at this branch do not seem to have much experience in pulling espresso shots. I watched them tamp way too hard and way too many times. It does not seem like the baristas (high school and college students) know what they’re doing on the La Marzocco GB5, which fortunately is a forgiving machine. For example, when I ordered a single shot espresso, I was served something over-​extracted with close to 2oz in volume. I also ordered a cortado and it came with a 1:5 espresso to milk ratio, closer to being a cappuccino, not to mention the foaming could use a lot of work (see photo).
It’s been two weeks since grand opening and this Caffe Bene branch is still using paper cups and paper plates, rather than ceramics, for orders to stay. That is very embarrassing, especially since they charge tax for dine-​in orders and claim to be one step ahead of Starbucks.
The sky high prices at Caffe Bene is one of the main reasons why I won’t see myself returning often. The price of desserts ($ 9 to $ 11 ice parfaits, $ 2.25 macaron, $ 3.75/scoop gelato) are unreasonable for its quality and simple variety, so I believe the upcharge can be explained as an unofficial sitting fee. It’s all about the ambience.
Caffe Bene deserves credit for creating a modern environment while playing contemporary music, but I think that the furniture is very Ikea-​esque and not very comfortable. The width of the table is narrow, making it very difficult for males to squeeze both feet in between the width of the table. There are two rows of counter seating by the windows but unfortunately, this area of the café is covered by an extended roof that blocks out some of the natural lighting.
After a handful of visits to Caffe Bene and seeing no improvement, I doubt that I will return in the future.