MoonBean’s Coffee

Coupa Café GRAND OPENING: April 6, 2010 — Tuesday at 4pm!
*originally 4/​2, but weather conditions pushed the grand opening back :(

This is the worst day ever, because I’ve just discovered that MoonBean’s won’t be around anymore. The coffee. the mochas… this café was my first love. Every time I had to deal with some college BS, I would treat myself to MoonBeans. Stupid lecture that you can’t miss? MoonBean’s. Really long annoying critique? MoonBean’s. Just screwed up on a CS or Econ exam? Uh oh hot dog, MoonBean’s.
R.I.P. the espresso, the awkward dates, the music, the European grad students…

You can imagine my shock and dismay upon hearing the news that Moonbeans has fallen victim to Coupa’s ever-​expanding empire, and will be closing on June 30. So poorly did I take the news, that I took it upon myself – in a show of solidarity and selfish white mocha consumption – to go every day from now until that fateful date. Unfortunately, that placed me at Moonbeans last Sunday, and although I have my own personal Unilocal code of ethics that bans calling out individuals, I feel it is my civic duty to warn you about… Z-​team.
Y’all know the term A-​team, right? That’s what the morning crew is – friendly, efficient, damn good at what they do. Weekend crew: you are an embarrassment to the morning staff. In fact, I’m starting to suspect that perhaps they enlisted Z-​team to present Moonbeans’ contract renewal proposal; that would explain a lot.
In brief, here’s what went down. I ordered a coffee; it was undrinkable. I don’t really like asking to have something remade, but I also don’t like throwing away $ 3. Here’s a tip, Z-​team; don’t insult your customers to their faces. Oh, and tip #2? Learn how to make a simple café au lait.
5 stars for morning crew, 0 stars for weekend crew.

According to the May 13 issue of the Stanford Daily, Moonbean’s Coffee will be replaced by Coupa Café by the end of June.

I was very sad to learn today that Moonbean’s is closing down by the end of June. I loved the location and I loved the service/​people and I loved the food and coffee and pastries/​desserts. As much as I love Coupa, I think they’re fine where they are (in Y2E2, less crowded and worth the trip) and should leave this location for Moonbean’s! But alas, my laments are too late, and there’s probably nothing I can do about it. I guess I won’t be here for the change anyway? My hope is that they’ll be able to open up somewhere else that’s just as nice on campus! Anyway, I thought that I would write a review to commemorate how awesome Moonbean’s is before it’s gone :(.

Good coffee, good pastries, good location. I’m a fan.
Kinda wish they took Cardinal dollars though…

I started going to Moonbeans a few years ago as a student, and was delighted when I came back to Stanford as a staff member to find that it was still here! I get a drip coffee here every morning. Bring your own cup (any size) and it’s $ 1.25, cheaper than Denny’s. I can’t understand the reviews stating that people would rather go to Starbucks for the same burned Pike’s roast every day!
Moonbeans cycles through a few different blends here each day, and usually have a light and a medium/​dark available so you can usually find something tailored to your palate. My favorite: their light/​dark «Songbird Blend.»
The staff is also friendly, and the food is pretty good. I particularly enjoy their chocolate croissants. I can’t speak to the espresso drinks because I’m a black-​coffee type of person but that is fantastic– and I do hear a lot of people ordering Chai Lattes every day so those must have something going for them!

LOVE = Chocolate Milk + Expresso + FOAM.
a.k.a the Chocolate Cap
try it today.

If you’re a Stanford student, it doesn’t get more convenient than Moonbean’s. Its right on the way to class, and as long as you don’t go during super rush hour (around 9AM) the order comes quickly.
All of their drinks and snack options are tasty. The staff is always talkative and friendly.
If you’re just visiting campus, you MUST grab a drink from Moonbean’s while you’re here.

I have been at Stanford for quite a while, and a trip to Moonbeans hardly ever disappoints. I love their vanilla lattes (iced or regular), though sometimes the amount of vanilla you get is inconsistent. Their cream-​cheese topped chocolate muffins are also quite delicious. Oh, good root beer floats too!
The things I usually crave here, however, are their samosas and breakfast burritos. They are REALLY good, and served piping hot!

Although this place is very convenient to my freshman dorm last year, I have only been here once, and my experience was quite disappointing. I ordered an iced café mocha, and it tasted like cold, straight black coffee.
Bad order of coffee beans? I would rather go to a Starbucks.

I’m basing my review on the items I’ve had and love — because I’ve not had anything that comes close to these, regardless the price.
Café Mocha — is really really really good. I swear.
Iced Café Mocha — is also really really really good — just colder!
I’ve not had many items on their food menu, but I do know that the something-​with-​p is not so good. their bagels are ok — they’re bagels, so there’s not much one can do about that.
they have a good range of veggie stuff — but it’s not as tasty as I’d like.
the service is fine — no complaints. honestly, I’m just a sucker for their awesome café mocha. I don’t care about anything else!
oh, sometimes you get to see Cliff Nass hanging out there — that was fun =)

This is simply the worst coffee location in the bay area. Worse than the lowest Starbucks of the low. Why?
— The prices are just as high as the yuppie/.commer places on University Ave., but the drinks and food are much, much lower quality. C’mon people, if you’re going to have Coupa prices, you need to bring the Coupa goods. And really, $ 2.25 chocolate chip cookies?
— The worst, slowest, most incompetent, most insufferable, most distracted/​chatty staff work the busiest time, i.e., the morning rush. Just try to get coffee before a 9: am class, or, worse, a latte. Go ahead. Try.
— Everything, with the possible exception of the drip coffee, just tastes flat-​out bad. First place in this category goes to the «piroskis» (sp?) — which are nothing but expensive microwaved clumps of grease with unidentifiable (probably feline) filling. I’m surprised the ASPCA isn’t onto this place yet. Honorable mention: the chai (as you’ll see from my other reviews, I’m a bit picky about my chai, which should clue you in to the general badness of this shithole, that the utterly loathsome chai only got honorable mention).
This place makes baby jesus spit up his zwieback.

MoonBean’s is my preferred place to get coffee and related things on campus. Some things I like
Root Beer Float (with ice cream, but you can also get yogurt if you want) for $ 3.50
Vegetarian Samosa for $ 3.75
Brownie for $ 1.75
I also remember getting a Nicaraguan blend coffee here that was really good, but lately I’ve been scaling down on the joe.
I think their service is rather fast actually, and there are tables nearby or the steps of Meyer and Green to sit on.

Now and then I get an order that tastes like how I would imagine a burnt rubber tire would taste. i usually pass by here on one of my many daily walks. It is convenient since it is close to the office but usually the lines are pretty long. I don’t have high expectations but I am a sucker for catchy names. not as good as my all time favorites-​Java the Hutt or Expresso Yourself.

Really only accessible if you are a student/​faculty/​on campus, but just a really familiar place to go for meeting up with friends for a chat.
Went here several times while an undergrad. Toasted bagel with cream cheese was GREAT. I’ve had their mocha and hot chocolate and they were good for those long, cold nights of studying at Green Library. They also hold small music events there with the Stanford Concert Network, as of this past year. Staff is really nice. Wish there was a little more shelter when it was cold at midnight. Also, they don’t really have items that are substantial enough for a full meal, but they have a variety of snack items.

Yum yum yum. My three words would be: Chai Latte Jolt! I highly recommend any of the freezes, the hot stuff is only so-​so. In terms of scheduling your visit, I can say that the morning staff is hilarious; don’t be scared if the woman working the counter screams to the help «Se dice tequila!!» after you order your soy latte… You’ll get what’s coming to you :) A little pricier than other places on campus, but SO superior to Pete’s, the bookstore, and the Coho (what a joke of an eating establishment!)

i love this place!
i used to come here every morning for a warm morning refreshment (hot chocolate, latte’s, etc) and a yummy pastry!!!
the ladies who work here are awesome too! they blast latin music and kinda wiggle their booties and sing along! how cute is that? i love that, it makes me want to dance too… err, or at least puts me in a good mood. =)
oh yes, and i agree the mint mocha freeze is good!

How do you survive 4 years of graduate school and still maintain some semblance of sanity? Moon Bean’s is my answer to sanity. I LOVE the cool people who work there who are way hipper than I’ll ever be but always get your order right.
My favorite indulgence here is a nice, big 20 ounce hot chocolate. As a So Cal transplant, I lived on their hot chocolate during the cold winters of the Bay Area to get by and study late at night. The only thing that sucks is that you have to sneak in your Moon Bean’s coffee and miscellaneous snacks into Green Library since they don’t allow food… but that’s Stanford’s fault, not Moon Bean’s. Not that I would do something like that… :)

Mon-​Thurs: 7:30am-10pm, Fri: 7:30am-6pm, Sat: 11am-​6pm, Sun: 11am-​10pm
This snack bar tucked between Meyer and Green libraries serves coffee, smoothies, and snacks. They also sell packaged coffee beans. For a breakfast treat, try an apple croissant ($ 2), a delicate puff pastry wrapped around perfectly spiced fruit and dusted with powdered sugar; get there early, they run out by 10AM usually. You can skim the Stanford Daily and people-​watch from the outdoor tables while you enjoy gourmet coffee.