Urban Bean

As per my usual coffee shop preface, it’s primarily about the space. I need an atmosphere that allows me to get work done (doesn’t have to be library quiet, a nice white noise buzz works fine) or simply enjoy a chat with friends.
Urban Bean falls into the former category, a highly productive space. It is quiet, very little chattering going on. Urban Bean’s interior has a minimalist and modern design. No distractions, focus on the screen ahead. The background music, though lyrical, eases your mind and allows for full focus on work. I didn’t spot any cozy or comfy lounging areas, mostly basic tables and chairs, reinforcing the notion that this spot is intended for quick work turnaround – lollygagging not permitted!
Urban Bean is more spacious than I’d ever given it credit for walking by. It has a narrow, long entry room (where the coffee counter stands) as well as a side room that I never peeked into but I believe is quite accommodating. There is also ample sidewalk seating.
It seems as if the beverage menu is rather slim. But, as long, as the barista can fix me a latte (soy or skim, please), I’m content.
They’ve also got some nibbles, nothing particularly enticing. I think Canteen Girl (baker) just set up shop here (or even entirely took over the space, someone please confirm) and so there were a few of her baked goods on sale. I enjoyed a Holly Bar, a vegan oatmeal bar. Certainly no Vegan Dream Bar (see: The Wedge), but it’s something healthy to hold me over.

Coffee and atmosphere are nice enough. The WIFI is slow today.
I was surprised that their point of sale system does not allow you to customize your tip. I spend lots of time in coffee shops and always tip about .50 per beverage order. The lowest tip option is $ 1.00 which is way above what I would tip for drip coffee. The response: A loud that’s just the way we do it here. Obviously they have no idea how to set up POS systems and my concern about tipping was somehow a hassle. I’ll try some other places that appreciate feedback and help their customers support the baristas.
Sorry for tipping

This is the ONLY coffee shop in Minneapolis that consistently delivers:
WiFi that’s worth a damn. And I mean it’s fast and reliable –even when the place is full. At the time of this review, connections topped out at 30Mbps downstream, 8.5Mbps upstream. That is ludicrous, compared to other popular coffee shops in town that top out at maybe 10Mbps down.
Good coffee. All coffee is good, yeah. But there’s coffee that’s drinkable, coffee that’s pretty good, and coffee that makes you want to drive across town to get it. Urban Bean has that last one nailed down. Not only is the coffee good, the other drinks are good too –especially the Hot Chocolate, which is often poorly made at most other independent and retail coffee chains.
Great atmosphere. The lighting is dim at night, there a big bright windows in the day, and no matter when you go there is always someplace to sit. Always. Urban Bean is just enough off the beaten path that it doesn’t get overrun by hipsters, MCAD/​rich kids, or assorted uptown weirdos who flock to other coffee joints in droves to take up space and scoff at every other person they see.
Urban Bean is THE best place to come and get work done, and the ONLY coffee shop in Minneapolis where a reasonable person could spend some to all of their day being productive and sipping coffee –and excellent tunes to boot!
TL;DR: 5 stars isn’t enough stars for this place.

It’s a great hang out. I came super late, but the guy behind the bar was very helpful and honest about which coffees were tasting the best. Good atmosphere good coffee and helpful staff. What more do you need.

Even though I’ve been on a coffee crusade throughout the Twin Cities for the past year or so, Urban Bean’s Bryant location has a special place in my heart. I can’t recall how many hours I’ve spent furiously working in one of their dimly lit rooms, while head-​bobbin’ to some classic hip-​hop instrumentals playing above, until I’m forced to leave because it’s time to close. If I need a decently sized table (all to myself), a strong brew (or banana peanut butter smoothie) to start my day, or a pastry of some sort to nibble on, I could always depend on Urban Bean. Want no hassle from the barista, a clean bathroom, and reliable wifi? Holla at ya boy, Urban Bean.
This joint is like that one dude in your group of friends that doesn’t really workout and usually comes late to hangouts. He also has some annoyances like how he asks waaayyy too many stupid questions. But, when a fight goes down, he’s the first to have your back. Or he’s that dude that always helps you move and never complains about it, even though you do it every freaking year and don’t provide food afterwards. (Always provide food for homies that help you move. Always.) These guys are essentially labradors. Urban Bean is a homie.
And the people that frequent this shop have Urban Bean’s back too. It’s because this Bryant location is a sacred productivity zone in Uptown that’s kind of hard to find now-​a-​days. Although, be warned, sometimes a geeky crew comes through and snags up three or four tables to hold a gushing session about wizards, dragons, and medieval weapons. (Super annoying.) But for the most part, it’s one of the best places in the Twin Cities to work. Really.
In addition to an ideal work environment, the neighborhood this Urban Bean is located in has ample parking. So there’s no, «sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find parking» ish. There’s always parking there. (Parking, in Uptown? Nooooo wayyy.) Like the geeky club that talks about wizards et al., Urban Bean’s space is conducive for meetings of all sorts. Great for Sunday chats get-​togethers.
Urban Bean and I aren’t as tight like in the ol’ days, but we still occasionally kick it. And that’s cool. #homies4life

Clean and simple. They had next day baked goods half off. The side room is large so it didn’t seem crowded. I like how they gave animal crackers with the latte I bought.

I chose five stars for Urban Bean because its true: in terms of getting work done in the Minneapolis area, this place is as good as it gets. Take it from me, I feel like I’m like that person that Kanye West makes fun of with all the degrees — I’m nearing professional student status.
The ambient music either allows you to get in the zone with whatever you’re working on, or doesn’t overpower what you are listening to through your headphones. The wifi is reliable, the coffee is strong, and I love the buzz of people being productive (or being blissfully silent while browsing Facebook).
Also, when the weather is good, there is nothing better than sitting outside on the picnic table, drinking your cup of iced coffee, getting some work done, and enjoying the summer sun. Ah … I could use some of that now since we’re in the middle of November. Nevertheless, whatever the weather may be, Urban Bean is still my number one coffee shop to study at — after five hours here, I know I will go home bleary-​eyed from staring at books or my laptop but most of all, triumphant.

Love Urban Beans Dogwood espresso! Huge space to hang out with friends or hang out by yourself with your laptop. Great coffee shop. In my top three of best coffee in Minneapolis!

Each time I have come in here, I have been visually dismissed and only grudgingly served their overpriced underwhelming coffee. But if you don’t care and are coming for wifi and plugs you will be fine.

I’m not terribly experienced in Uptown coffee shops, but I hope they’re all as great as Urban Bean. A few friends and I decided to meet up here, and we loved it. Urban Bean knows how to make a great espresso, my chocolate croissant was deeelicious, and the benches and tables outside are great in warmer weather. I’m personally not a fan of the whole mason jar thing, but it was great to have self-​serve water available. If it was easier for me to get into Uptown, I’d be here more often!

Good coffee, clean space, wifi enabled, plenty of space and outlets. Some food items (muffins, granola, yogurt).
I like it cause it’s not too busy, but it also feels less warm /​inviting than say a Dunn bros.

I generously, and begrudgingly, give this coffee shop 4 stars, when taken in context.
When Tom Hanks was slowly, and steadily manipulating Meg Ryan in that Starbucks on Manhattan like a good stalker does, it was bright, cheery, and inviting.
Urban bean is not that – BUT, it gets 4 stars because the context is not for Mr. Hanks to stalk on Ms. Ryan. This place is designed to study, and do it efficiently. Every table has a plug in; the internet has improved; and if you make a sound in the ‘quiet’ room, you’ll hear the quiet ruffling of 30 grad students getting ready to kill you with ballpoint pens. Thus, I wretchedly came here probably hundreds of times; I used to open tabs; I’ve likely spent near a thousand dollars for this place of mediocre coffee and out-​sourced pastries. But again, note the 4 stars. Also note, after graduation, I haven’t set foot in there.
For nomination in the category of «one of the best coffee shops to study, and one of the worst to patronize otherwise,» Four stars.

I absolutely love it here, the staff is always friendly and they have great prices. They accept all types of credit cards and have an app that can send the receipt to your email or phone which is convenient. The atmosphere is very chill and welcoming.
I always get the ub cold press, its amazing.

Having just moved to this neighborhood and downsizing my living footprint, I needed to find a place to work/​study when I can’t take my own 4 walls anymore. And a reason to get dressed before noon.
The Urban Bean is a great find! Just blocks away from the house, it offers a nice refreshing walk to stretch my legs before continuing to sit on my bum and hunch over my computer or books. And it is so quiet! Just as everyone has mentioned previously (which is why I went in the first place) it is amazing easy to work here! Bonus points: seeing people hard at work around you makes you feel bad for slacking. You end up more productive since there are few distractions.
Considering I used to work at Muddy Waters on Lyndale — this is a whole new world. I no longer need my noise cancelling headphones or the willpower not to start drinking delicious premiums at 1pm. I’d rather get my work done at the Ubean and hit Muddy for HH. Now that is a work day!
Have yet to make my way down the menu, but the cappacino is great. I’ll be sure to update once I do :)

I love this coffee shop because it has a certain personality and application for its customers that it sticks to and does well. It’s quiet, outlets are everywhere, and the internet always works, making it the perfect place to get things done on your laptop. I imagine it’d be a good place for someone to study as well.
I wouldn’t come here to socialize unless you’re going to stick in the front half of the shop.
Also, important: the coffee is good and the place is open pretty late. And large windows make the lighting very nice and natural.

The theme during my first coffee visit to Urban Bean Bryant on a recent Sunday morning was «comfort.» I woke up with no desire to be adventurous. Urban Bean Lyndale (the OTHER Urban Bean location) is one of my favorite coffee shops to work at, so even though I’d never been to the original location on Bryant, I knew I’d feel at home. My second nod to comfort was splurging on a miel. There is something so wintery about a miel to me. It’s spicy and warm and creamy. Urban Bean’s miel is special; they make it generously spicy and I like that. It was the perfect temp, too: not too hot, but not lukewarm. It’s undeniable that Urban Bean pours some of the best cups of coffee in town, so I had no worries about enjoying my drink, you really can’t go wrong here (they serve Dogwood!)
The shop itself is bigger than UB Lyndale and a little more conversation-​friendly. The front room has excellent natural light and hipster watching from the big windows, and the back room is perfect for hunkering down and working; it’s nice to have that option.
UB is a staple in the Calhoun area and definitely worth stopping by. If only to pick up some awesome MPLS/​UB merchandise and a pound of Dogwood beans.

Amidst objectivity, I’ll say this place is great. I do believe it is accurately a 3 and a halfer. I chose to work from here on a rainy Fall day and being of the Design world, I immediately had a great appreciation for the aesthetics and minimalism of the shop. The counter space, bright red furniture, wall art. Lots to love based on appearance. Also, it was rather quiet while I was there (few folks on laptops) which made for a great working environment — nod to good wifi as well.
Regarding the coffee itself — my cappuccino was good, not great. Way more milky than I expected/​preferred. Presentation was great, but it didn’t impress me by any means. Granted, this has much more to do with the barista than anything else.
I enjoyed my time there, until a new barista showed up with his girlfriend. Cue: PDA explosion. It was rather distracting, and frankly, gross. Eh-​em, Sir, there are customers here. Regardless, I’m willing to give it a shot with a new barista in the future.

I’m from out of town and originally found this on Unilocal.I did get a little confused on location. Note that there are two Urban Beans in Uptown – on Lyndale and on Bryant. Whoops! The one on Bryant was easily my favorite. Plenty of space, large tables, small tables, and a quiet atmosphere. The barista was incredibly friendly, and told me some local hot spots I should check out while I was in town.
My vanilla latte was nothing short of amazing. They make their vanilla syrup in house so it was even more delicious. And who doesn’t love latte art?
It was a perfect Minnesota fall day so they had the doors open, pleasant breeze, a soft music playing. The wifi was super fast which made for great streaming of music while I responded to emails and worked away from the office. Loved this place. Definitely want to go again when I’m in town!

Walked in and asked if the girl behind the counter wouldn’t mind trading one dollar for quarters.
«I don’t have any change.»
One dollar. Four quarters. You don’t have four quarters in your cash register on a Tuesday afternoon?
I’ve been here twice, and both times have gotten generally bad vibes from counter help. Maybe you have to be a particular breed of hipster to have a pleasant experience here.
P. s. I walked to Lucé after that and had a pleasant convo with the counter help who had no problem parting with four quarters.

«SILENCE!»
Every time I walk into that back half of Urban Bean, it feels as if someone walked in just before I did and hushed everybody up with a quickness.
I’d like to thank that phantom person for keeping things quiet, because Urban Bean is one of my favorite places to get the bidness done for that reason. There are rarely any distractions, aside from this one loud-​talker who is there sometimes. Everybody is ratatat-​tatting on their keyboards, so I always feel like I should follow suit. Productivity increase!
I concur with some of the other reviews that the staff can be a tad salty at times, which is one of the only things that’s keeping this place from getting five-​stars from me. However, I’ve never-​ever had an outright bad service experience there — it’s just the staff isn’t quite as sweet as my café miels.
I’m not a coffee snob (yet), because I just started drinking the stuff regularly, but theirs does the trick. They definitely take pride in their drinks. I dig it.
Urban Bean has a little patio area in the back with benches and tables and umbrellas for shade. Bonus: there are outlets outside. Laptop-​town is movin’ outdoors.
They also seem to be involved with community events and social media, which is a big plus for Internet people like myself.