Review Bean Drinking - Crows Nest

Yesterday was the first time that I had been there. My breakfast (omelette) was so delicious. Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures but definitely I will go back and will share some photos.

$7 for a batch brew that was made using the same beans as their espresso?! And then a croissant that was about a week old. I used to come here years ago and it was great but clearly it’s either changed hands or they just don’t care anymore. I literally left $13 worth of food and drink on the table. Response to owner: Really, your batch brews are legendary? So legendary you don’t even use a single origin bean? C’mon now. And there is no way that croissant was baked today. Have a look at that photo. Does that look soft and chewy like the inside of a good croissant should? And don’t question my genuineness, ask your server from Friday morning as I let her know my thoughts. She offered me a long black to replace my botched batch brew - no thanks, that’s not what I paid $7 for.

Nice coffee, great food at a relaxing and open place. The Spicy Salmon Pasta was good! 👍

Came here based on the reviews, but had a disappointing experience. Service was fine, but the food was not fresh or cooked well, especially for the price. A friend ordered the sticky pork bun, and the pulled pork was burnt and dry. I got the nourish bowl, which left me feeling a bit off. The kale was yellowing and the carrot was dry, the falafel had the consistency of mashed potato and the hummus was almost watery. We barely ate half of our meals before leaving.

We had two cappuccinos and the breakfast brioche roll ☕️☕️ Delightful space, friendly and professional staff. Comfortable chairs 👏🏼 Coffee and good food! Will be back for sure 🙌🏽

My go-to café for tea in Crows Nest I can't speak for the coffee, but the tea is excellent. (They brew it before serving; be patient.) Service is friendly and prompt, and they offer a good café menu. Top location away from traffic and next to a grassy area where kids can play. Plenty of outside seating with shelter from sun and rain. You do have to watch for magpies who can be persistent.

The environment is very good. It's very enjoyable to have breakfast here.

Ice long black and flat white are worth getting 5 star, but the cooking odors is too strong in the store. I will visit here to take away coffee again.

The coffee is quite good here and the barista was friendly. The place seemed sort of unclean though.

Great coffee in Sydney! Come on. <br/>This place has a relaxed atmosphere, which makes sipping on a nitro brew, it a pour over that much more satisfying. Having cascara and nitro on tap, as well as a fresh batchy, makes this Melbournian one happy coffee camper.<br/>With newly wed friends just moving into the neighbour, this place is now a must, when ever I head up this way.

In my opinion, this place has deteriorated from what it once was. Used to frequent this place a few years back and happened to be in the area with my lady expecting the great food I’d enjoyed before. Waited over half an hour for food that was beyond mediocre. Coffee is great but food is sooo bland for what you expect from the menu.

I had to go all the way through my timeline to 2017 to delete my old 5 star review for this cafe so I could give an up to date review. A beautiful cafe has been absolutely ruined. <br/><br/>I wanted to revisit this cafe because I loved it so much. I first got there to see plastic menus with tacky font (should of turned back then). We bought the mushrooms - it was literally mushrooms onions and capsicum fried in a cup of oil, one poached egg on top dumped on some burnt sourdough. It was meant to come with hollandaise.... WHY!! Why would you add hollandaise to this meal. What is even more hilarious we didn’t even get served the hollandaise(saving grace). It was also very small it would only been able to satisfy a small child. We were also given the wrong cutlery for toasted sourdough bread. This cost $19 per plate, which is an absolute joke. <br/><br/>I have given it a low review partly because I spent a small fortune on a disgraceful breakfast, but I am more annoyed that there is absolutely no respect for the ingredients, flavours, or customers.

Would have given it a 2/5 if not for their coffee! Food was super mediocre and it didn’t seem like much care was put in it. Our poached eggs were very wet and drenched the bread. Could also taste the vinegar from the poaching process. Coffee however was amazing. Would come here for a caffeine hit and maybe the lunch menu if I give the food another go.

Came across this cafe in Crows Nest, I was looking for fresh fruit juice but they had 100% fruit smoothie and I was curious to try it. The smoothie was made with passionfruit, pineapple, mango and apple juice. It was refreshing, I’ll be back to try the food next time.

terrible and rude service. Ordered lots of food from their cabinet this morning as I was ordering for the team at work - I was told to hurry up and then when I asked to make sure food was packaged separately, he said “you already told me that” <br/>Just so rude and snobby. Not my vibe.

A great cafe for brunch. If youre in the north shore area, definitely check out this place. We ordered the Bean Drinking plate and Make Your Own breakfast. I opted for poached eggs, and to be honest I could still taste the vinegar in my eggs, a bit sour in each bite. I did mind it, good thing I added truffled mushrooms that masked the sour taste a bit. The Bean Drinking plate was okay, a very filling dish. This is a very cozy and inviting brekky joint. You can people watch, read a book while enjoying your food. It is located in the heart of crows nest, usually packed during the weekend. Considering the location in the north shore area, the food is a little bit on the pricey side.

Came here for coffee after lunch. The coffees were creamy and my hot chocolate was not too sweet. They were particular with their beans and used a different bean when we ordered a long black. <br/><br/>It was a busy day but they brought out the orders quickly.<br/>Might try their food next time when we were not that full.

Amazing rustic cafe in Crows Nest , in a square opposite of a an old charge next to a green north facing area.<br/>The menu has just been changed to offer variety of breakfast items ( and yes that includes any style of eggs :) )<br/>The new lunch menu is divine! And very reasonably priced. Superfood Salad is the signature dish and comes with a pan fried Salmon fillet, Ratatouille Pasta and Garlic Chilli Mushroom are few of the other new dishes on the menu.<br/><br/>Their coffee is out of this world, single origins and blended varieties.

The food could easily be cooked at home, very average. Choose any another cafe in the crows nest. I would not come back to bean drinking again.

cold drew coffee is exactly what is needed in such a hot summer, just abit watery after the ice melted! ordered mushroom breakfast and its ok...

Very popular cafe, a small wait for table, there was a bigger line up for takeaways. Not the most peaceful spot to be enjoying weekend brunch with a construction zone right in front & a busy thoroughfare & streams of people walking by. My French Toast was good, the brioche bread wasn't cooked to mushy, the white choc ganache was a good substitute of the normal syrup or Nutella. All well balanced by the berry compote. The coffees however were inconsistent, the first one was a bit on the weak side, the second one had a sour note on first sip, but the rest of it was strong & smooth. A solid outing.

If you're into very rude service than this is the place. Although the food and coffee are OK, the service is terrible. Very rude at the POS. Definitely the worst I've experienced.

One of the nice Cafes amongst many in Crows Nest. Their coffee was nice and the place was nicely presented, very welcoming. It would be a nice hang-out for coffee on an easy weekend.

Winner here in my humble. Best in Crows Nest / NB area I have frequented so far. Micro roasting of coffee on site with the cafe themed accordingly, staff with personality and good food. My breakfast choice was Eton Mess. It was a nice variation to the usual fare and the coconut chips a great addition/indulgence. Plenty of plump fresh berries atop a not sweet yogurt, as an easy eat. Winner dish for me.

Dreadful experience. My wife (who had purchased a meal and numerous coffees) was reprimanded by a member of staff for feeding our five month old son a purée pouch. She was told "you really shouldn't feed your baby food you didn't buy here" despite the fact she had purchased her own meal and the establishment doesn't sell baby food. Just an unnecessary and mildly nasty thing to do to a mother. And this joint (incorrectly) describes itself as kid-friendly.

Came here with a few friends for breakfast and because it was a frosty morning I decided a soup would be perfect. And I was not disappointed. The soup was amazing, warm, a beautiful aromatic combination of vegetables for only $10. My friends had a wonderful creative toast and some other breakfast dishes which looked amazing. Overall a great experience, fast service, good food, a tad pricey but nowadays what isn't!!

I had a nanna moment & I desparetly needed a cuppa to keep me going (please don't judge). Bean's cool interior caught my eye so I popped in for a cuppa (again don't judge that I went to a coffee place for a cuppa).<br/><br/>After $4.60 exchanged hands (I thought I missed heard) & sufficient wait, my tea arrived in a beautiful set, already brewed for immediate drinking. It nearly bought tears to my eyes, so beautiful were the details, so strong & delicate the taste of my tea. AND a plaque card which read "Sometimes All you need is a Good cup of Tea", which rang true. I second that sister!<br/><br/>Gorgeous tea & time out to slow down the moment.<br/><br/>Worth the money. Will be back to try coffee next time.

Visited this place with a few friends after a painting session at the now-closed Colour Me Mine. I tried the Ladies' Delight, which is a healthy classic dish (if you could stop yourself from smothering your sourdough with the provided soft, whipped butter), but it seemed a bit exy ($18) for the amount served. The Gentleman's Rise was much bigger in portion and was recommended by my friend so might give that a try next time.

{ _anne_with_an_e // review }<br/>We often walk pass this area and notice Bean Drinking is always fairly busy. Situated adjacent a small park, be sure to grab an outdoor table to take full advantage of the view and fresh air. However, the foot traffic can be a little distracting, as the seating is situated on a walkway.<br/><br/>I haven’t yet tried their cold dip coffees, but found their regular hot coffee to be a bit hit-and-miss for me, but still nice. I like how they have an all day menu and serve breakfast boards till late (2pm weekdays, 4pm weekends). All their menu items sound appealing with lovely ingredients and good combinations.<br/><br/>I’ve tried the Gentleman’s Rise and it’s pretty substantial, with smoky bacon, black pudding, 65 degree egg, heirloom tomatoes, sourdough and relish for $18, it’s good value for the serving size. There’s a nice combination of heavy proteins together with refreshing elements like the tomatoes and relish.<br/><br/>Worth trying // gentleman’s rise breakfast board<br/>Next to try // brew bar drinks<br/>Pros // substantial servings, quality food, friendly service<br/>Cons // can get busy<br/><br/>Food: 4/5<br/>Ambience: 4/5<br/>Service: 4.5/5

Food was nice and drinks ok. Some interesting things on the menu. Very very strict about no menu alterations. Couldn't even get an egg on the side of my toast. Difficulties for my friend with allergies. Staff were not friendly or helpful unfortunately.

We didn't remember them having cooked food last time (just premade stuff like sandwiches and brownies) but this french toast was good and quite cheap ($9.50).

Lived crows nest for 2 years now and we have a choice of many cafes some great and some not so great and some poor....Been here twice as they roast fresh in house I guess that's why Baristas are arrogant but don't know why the coffee is bitter :/ Not going back.

Not the first time I had coffee at this well known cafe in Crows Nest. Coffee's good there. It used to be better than now... Food was basic cafe style. Not too exciting for me anyway. Good location with lots of outdoor tables.

Love these guys! They're always welcoming with a smile and greaat coffee! If you're about and want to try different brew methods, this is the place to go. Try the batch brew! 👌🏼

With such a catchy name, I wonder instead of alcohol as it may sounds like binge drinking, does this cafe offer a good cup of coffee for indulgence. From the awards hanging on the wall, seems like they pride themselves in providing environmentally friendly and sustainable coffee from organic , Fairtrade to Swiss Water Decaf. However, a poster with the heading "NAKED" espresso caught my attention. Not being a professional barista, all I understand, to produce a good cup of coffee depends on the skills of th

It must be the bottomless portafilters, the coffee certainly lift up to the expectation of better volume and consistency and more crema except I would love the blend at Bean Drinking to have a stronger aroma.

Arguably the worst service I've experienced for some time. Food varied from disappointing (croque Monsieur was actually a ham and cheese toastie) to very good (chorizo hot pot). Coffee also hit and miss on our table. Service staff seemed to have no idea and bordered on downright rude. Won't be returning - which is disappointing because the concept is good, very poorly delivered.

There is a near endless number of cafes in the inner west area. Places with great food, loads of seats, in warehouses, hole in the wall....there is just so many that even if you went out every weekend, there will not be a time when you can confidently say that you've been to them ALL. This weekend, we decided to mix it up a little and travel further out to the North.  No offense to anyone but personally, anything that involves crossing the Harbour Bridge is considered too far and requires pre-planning. So we packed our bags, charged our mobiles, brought water and snacks and proceeded with the adventure for the morning. I jest... Now the guys at Bean Drinking are serious about their coffee. Not only do they have their own roasters,they also sell an assortment of Hario brewing equipment. I will in no way try to pretend that I know half of the things on their coffee menu which includes coffee that can be ordered in an assortment of brewing methods! Ambiance wise, this place is really nice

Bean Drinking is an award winning coffee roaster and its position next to a grass oval make it a great place to bring children. If you want seriously good coffee, this is the place to come. Crows Nest is seeing a drift towards trendy coffee bars and artisian bakers and Bean Drinking is one of the shining stars amongst them. They were recently awarded the prestigious ‘3 Cup’ award by the SMH Good Café Guide for their coffee. Not only do they offer your usual espresso coffee, but they have a special ‘Coffee Lab’ which offers ‘batch brew’, ‘pour over’, ‘Syphon’, ‘Cascara’ and ‘Cold Drip’. If you can’t choose from all these amazing options, why not try the ‘Tasting Flight’ for $15 where you can sample 3 of your choosing. Hessian coffee bags are part of the artwork here and tell you where all their beans come from.

Did this organic cocacola perk me up? It was refreshing and gave you a slight buzz. It tasted pleasant but didn't have the kick the usual soft drinks have (probably to be expected). A nice cafe otherwise.

Bean Drinking is an eclectic cafe in Crows Nest with a devotion to all things coffee and cuisine that impresses. I met up with a PR whiz to discuss marketing and enjoy one of Sydney's best cafes. Crows Nest itself is an appealing precinct with several eye catching cafes and restaurants. Getting a table at Bean Drinking can be an issue even though the cafe stretches out into the outdoor area next to green green grass. Such serenity. Bean Drinking has its own "coffee lab", serving up   ‘batch brew’, ‘pour over’, ‘Syphon’, 'Tasting Flight" (any 3 drinks from the Lab), ‘Cascara’ (coffee cherry tea), 'Sparkling Cold Drip' and ‘Cold Drip’. The SMH awarded Bean Drinking 3 cups so they are top of the class. It's a top notch coffee menu with expert baristas using Synesso and Slayer heavy artillery.   Bean Drinking is a multi award winning espresso bar that uses coffee roasted by their wholesale roasting division Roastworks Coffee Co. I'm always impressed with a cafe that has its own roastery.

Food is good too. If you ever eat their, try the Chicken Quesadilla, it is kind of a tortilla but toasted..the chicken and corn inside was the best combination with the slightly chilli sriaracha sauce…I’ve never tasted anything like that in a cafe before, so am quite impressed :)<br/><br/>The smoked salmon brioche was also very nice as well…Fresh!

The bean carried a passion fruit to an apricot kind of taste which was balanced against an underriding toffee flavour, it was quite a wonderful drink which, if you like syrupy coffee makes it an instant winner.

On the topic of favourite places, Bean Drinking is another one that tops my list. Crows Nest is a great little suburb to go for a weekend walk and have brunch and a coffee or two.  Bean Drinking is a speciality micro roaster and espresso bar, they also house some tempting breakfast and lunch options and sweet treats.  Bean drinking menu They sure know their coffee, and on one visit, we order the tasting flight to get a sample of everything. The staff happily divide it into two servings after enquiring whether we were sharing. Tasting flight - Syphon Cold drip A sweet liquor like coffee served in a chilled shot glass - seriously smooth from the slow 5 hour extraction process Cascara - coffee cherry tea This was the most interesting one out of the three coffees, with a very subtle, tea-like flavour. chickpea & white bean ragout with fetta, herb salsa & organic quinoa & soya bread I could not get enough of this hearty breakfast, and especially loved the quinoa and soya bread. Cinnamon scr

...order various coffees from their SLAYER espresso machine and the husband tries the ‘Japanese Syphon’. This coffee has the colour of strong tea and we are instructed to let it rest and cool a little prior to consuming. While the initial taste is of coffee, it intriguingly gives way to an aftertaste of tea and completely confuses the mind and tastebuds! Make sure you try this specialty coffee bar if you’re in the area.

Much like the "not-Reuben" at Reuben Hills in Surry Hills, the folk at Bean Drinking have taken the idea of a Reuben and made it their own. A couple of the usual suspects are there; rye, corned meat, Swiss and Russsian dressing.

Consistent coffee. Every day (almost) for years we have come here. The whole family. Every new batch of barristas have been friendly and consistent. Coffee is always above average and sometimes great. Good spot to relax and easy for us to let our daughter run around on the grass. Food is fine, not a full cooked breakfast but some nice dishes including the breakfast brioche.

Standard of coffee has really dropped over the past few months. Grumpy baristas too. Food is good. Had the pulled pork for lunch today with a friend, and it was great! Coffee was very average.

Good Coffee. Good quality coffee and tasty breakfast (I got the heirloom tomato, feta and avocado toast). Food isn't cheap but probably standard pricing for this area. Friendly service. I would return!

Iced coffee is the bomb. Generally underwhelmed every time I eat here, but the iced coffee is excellent. Bottled buzz for when you are on the go.

Coffee was good, got two different pour overs but will definitely be back to try the tasting flight. The location is great to people watch sitting on the patio with the green space in front, makes for a very nice morning coffee

Lovely atmosphere and great service. The coffee is quite strong but consistently good. Food menu is limited.

I have tried mean drinking a few times and each time I thought the coffee was adverage. <br/>Crows Nest has a number of coffee shops and I would much rather enjoy a coffee somewhere else. <br/><br/>They do always seem busy so they must be doing something right, however personally I am not a fan.

We came here on one of those gorgeous Sydney Saturday mornings. Outstanding coffee & breakfast/brunch; professional & friendly service. Highly recommended

Great local coffee shop with good coffee. Nothing flash, but the staff are friendly.

The coffee here was average and the service lack luster. Won't be going back, there are a lot of other places close by with much better coffee

Good but not great. It was a good cup of coffee. Not as good as I had been led to believe they make. Mostly I think it wasn't great because it wasn't made very well but the beans and grind are clearly good stuff so they can get away with it as long as they don't burn the milk. <br/><br/>If it's not crowded this could be a really nice place to sit and have a cup but the place could really benefit from a barista who knows more about what they're doing. Maybe I was just unlucky though, I have a friend who adores this place and he usually knows what he's talking about.

Awful. Went here once because it was recommended in the SMH good food guide - Don't know what the SMH editor was doing but he/she must have been asleep that weekend.<br/><br/>Place is crowded, noisy, cramped and uncomfortable. No service and staff don't care. Had much better coffee at many other coffee shops in the immediate vicinity - a waste of effort, won't be back

A little disappointed was expecting a lot more. Loved that they bottled their own iced coffees, looked really good. Their beautiful 3 group slayer was sort of hidden in the corner was expecting it to take pride of place. Service didn't really exist, order at the counter etc. Origin was nice fruity bright, sweetness at the back. The piccolo that was served didn't hold with the milk but was pleasant. A little underwhelmed, but would pass by if ever in the area again.

Male staff member was unfriendly and came across as rude when I asked him about different coffee brewing methods.<br/><br/>However the coffee I had was great and the food was very tasty :)

Wonderful coffee. House blend won bronze medal and great for milk coffee's. Single origin El Salvador very good flavour. interesting sugar. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff a must for coffee lovers.

That is very strange veganfoodie!. This is normally a very nice cafe, but I remember the day you mention. I was actually in the cafe at the time, sitting on the table next to you. I was reading a newspaper and just trying to enjoy a quite Friday afternoon coffee.<br/> <br/>From your review, it must have been you that was jumping up and down like a 'squealing' idiot and 'air kissing' your female friend when she arrived.<br/> <br/>You pretty much knocked the entire table over for six, then proceeded to ignore the damage you had caused.<br/> <br/>The reason I remember it so well was not only the squealing noises the pair of you were making, but also that I thought it very rude of you that you caused that much disruption in a calm cafe, and then completely ignored the female member of staff who had to get on her hands and knees to clean up the mess you made while you continued to squeal and airkiss your friend.<br/> <br/>Extremely apologetic! Rubbish. You were most certainly NOT! <br/><br/>The staff cleared up your damage, wiped your table, picked up the broken glass. All the while, you and your friend stood right next to the table, never once said sorry, never once offered to help and you showed no concern for the damage you had caused.<br/> <br/>The boss did have a face like 'thunder' when he spoke to you. It was evident he was annoyed, and rightly so.<br/> <br/>He actually told you in no uncertain terms that it would not have hurt to apologise for the breakage, or maybe even offer to pay for it!<br/> <br/>Yes the boss snapped, and I have to agree with you in that yes it is just a sugar jar, but unfortunately you behaved appallingly.<br/> <br/>Given your behaviour, you might not like it, but you deserved to be told off. <br/><br/>If anyone was rude, it was you for not apologising for the damage, and for having a complete lack of common courtesy for the staff who had to pick up the pieces and the other customers around you.

Had a really nice coffee here, was rich, and smooth. I liked the interesting choices of coffee available. Staff and service warm and friendly.

Disgusting Service!!!. I accidentally bumped the table while getting up to greet a friend and knocked and broke the sugar jar. I was extremley apologetic however a male staff member came up to me and rudley said "did you think about paying for your breakage" and then walked away before I could answer. This was enough for me to go somewhere else for coffee. It was a sugar jar! Seriously!! What sort of service is that???

AwfuL coffee. Sunday afternoon and I needed a short black... It came out cold and bitter. I took it back and asked for it to be hot. The guy made some weak comment about "but that's just how it comes out of the machine..." an luckily the girl saved him from his embarrassment and said she would heat up the cup for me. The coffee came out again, warm this time (why could they not make a hot coffee??) but it was AWFUL. Bitter. Not excusable for four bucks or whatever it cost!

Great coffee, attentive service and always friendly staff.

Good coffee. I found the staff friendly and welcoming. They make a good flat white and mocha; the milk was frothed really well with a smooth, thick velvety texture. <br/><br/>I'm keen to try their coffee lab offerings next time round as well as their brekky menu.

Looked cozy and welcoming. Staff were sneery and rude. Left without coffee. Not worth it.

Staff must have been busy that night. They were abrupt and offensive. Walked out without purchase.