The Sanibel Bean
Reviews
I've lived on the island for two years now and I've been to the Bean many times. Every time I give them the benefit of the doubt and try it again (usually on days where the Sanibel Deli is closed and I don't have another option). First of all, the food isn't terrible, but it's nothing special and usually something you could just make at home for much less and much quicker. The service is terrible. I've waited 30 minutes for a sandwich while people were coming in (who were clearly friends with the employees) and picking up orders immediately. Overall, the place is a mess. The coffee is far from special and no different from the generic kind you could get from any cafe. Skip the Bean, go to the Deli if you are getting lunch. You'll be glad you did.
We visited the Sanibel Bean for the first time this morning. The woman who took our order was rude to us. She handed my husband his change and told us our order number was 41. My beverage was called out but my husband's beverage was not. When my husband politely asked a staff member if they remembered to make his beverage, she said "I have your cup here but you walked away." We were standing and waiting patiently less than 10 feet away from her the entire time, but she continued to take other orders and laugh and chat with 2 other staff members behind the counter.
I've been a customer at the Sanibel Bean even before it was at its current location. They do a really nice job with brewed coffee drinks. I was slightly disappointed with a macchiato I had there on my last visit. It ain't Buckstars, and that is good. They had a very nice guitarist playing there recently which gave it a nice atmosphere. Overall, for me the Sanibel Bean is one of the highlights of visiting Sanibel. It appears to be a family business, with most of the people behind the counter pulling shots and taking orders to be of Central American ancestry, and they are very nice, very friendly.
Food is amazing and the atmosphere is great
Its a coffee shop that does sandwiches, not a full service restaurant. We just got coffees to go but they were great. The place was slammed though, with the line going out into the parking lot. I'd go again but not mid morning.
