Cool Beans Coffee House in Braintree

The best flapjack I’ve had since I was but a wee boy, good homemade food at a high quality and friendly service through my visit

This is one of Braintree's hidden gems, staff always friendly and a perfect coffee today made by Li and Maya 😋

Ideal location. We use this café fairly frequently. Staff very friendly. Good atmosphere. Prices average.

Love this place. Came across it by accident when looking for a place in the vicinity for a coffee, and possibly a bite to eat. A mix of tasty contradictions! … Chic & comfortable, whether you come here on your own or with other(s), cosy & airy, nice light through the windows (you can see the trees) and pleasantly shaded too. Eat-in or take-away. Tasty lovely cooked snacks and a couple of Americanos enjoyed. (some nice choices seen that others ordered too, and on food menu board) … Thanks too to Steph & Kelly (who’s names I asked for when I got casually chatting to you at one point) for being lovely and making it just really nice for everyone who came in basically: lovely, relaxed with being good with serving & preparing food etc too for people, can-do approach, making really lovely food & drinks, being amazingly efficient / lovely, even when curved balls thrown at them the morning I found this place - food-delivery had arrived late and needed to be placed in freezer, & one of the two cash machines suddenly stopped ‘playing ball’. … Lovely people coming in here too, to take out or stay. Loved the atmosphere. Enjoyed my visit and left very nurtured. Nicky x

Good greeting. Efficient staff quick service good afternoon tea. Served in the garden with good space between tables

We had excellent cheese and onion toasties plus coffee at this place in the attractive Bocking gardens, just outside Braintree Town centre. Everything was so fresh and tasty and made for a nice lunch in the park. Definitely recommended.

My daughter and popped in for a takeaway ( COVID rules ) . Ordered 2 coffee , 2 cheese toasties . I realise things are difficult for cafes at the moment but we really felt the standard of food here was very poor and really no excuse . The toasties were made with the cheapest bread , cheap tasting cheese . I presume they were made in a panini toaster , they were just squashed flat . For £14.00 , felt very ripped off . Such a shame because that little place could be great . A good quality toasted sandwich is very easy to make ? . The coffee was nice and the girl serving pleasant ( I think she was the owner) A real shame .

Lovely tea/coffee cake in the gardens All freshly prepared. The owners have lust moved from town to a park/ more peaceful setting Good luck!!

We visited on a Sunday lunchtime, lovely inside seating areas, large tables nice and comfortable. We ordered two all day breakfasts and a cheese toastie. Seated next to us was a couple who expressed loudly their dissatisfaction with the food as soon as we sat down. The whole conversation between the pair of them was all about the food. They first went up and demanded complimentary drinks for waiting so long. Then half way through their meals they decided they should not have to pay and went and asked for a refund. This was very distracting and time consuming for the lovely girls serving. While they were waiting for the refund a couple of ladies at another table voiced their opinions on how lovely their food was; good for them. All this meant we incurred a long wait and these young ladies did not deserve this behaviour and rudeness. We loved our breakfasts and they apologised for the wait. I have eaten many times at the cool beans that used to be in the town. The menu is the same I think and the quality of the food is always good. Please visit this lovely place. They work hard in a very small kitchen. And the coffee is lovely!

This review is about the coffee house in the garden, formerly cool bean in the gardens. Contrary to TRip advisors labelling elsewhere very definately still open (There seems to be some confusion with cool bean coffee house which was in Bank street and closed in november 2018, the coffee house in the garden was a satellite location to that cafe, but is now the centre of that coffee universe). A nice stop off for a coffee while on a Saturday morning walk. Located just inside the main entrance of Braintree and Bocking public gardens, in the former gardeners house. nicely appointed but with a tendency towards rustic with refectory style tables, which is appropriate to the space they are working with. The staff are very pleasant, This was the first visit here, have been meaning to visit for some time but various reasons had not managed it until now. As a fussy coffee drinker I can tell you their coffee is excellent (tend to avoid cafe in town as most go the route of big names like cost a packet, with american style coffee roast - namely roast beans until on verge of becoming charcoal pellets, producing bitter coffee with all the subtle coffee flavours incinerated out), will be visiting again. Looking at the menu they appear to have a varied selection for all palates and dietary requirements at quite reasonable prices. Did not partake of the culinary delights this time, but will do so on a future visit. The only real negative here is that the owner and I have different tastes in music, which in this relatively small space was fairly loud.

Very nice food and a good gluten-free range too. Lots of options for vegans and vegetarians as well.

As we'd attended a Remembrance Concert at St Peter's and were ready for lunch we popped into Cool Beans in the Park. Ok, it was just after 2 pm but hardly late. Much of the menu was unavailable but we ordered anyway. One of us had a jacket potato with no butter or salad garnish, one of us had a sandwich made with the stale 'end of the loaf' slices of bread and an un-chilled soft drink (I specifically asked if the drink was refrigerated when asked about ice.) We have only had positive experiences of Cool Beans in Bank Street but felt this offshoot let down their sister establishment. Very disappointed.

Nice place, good decor and good menu. But......I'm in Braintree three days each year. This year the first day the cafe didn't open on time,the second day I felt staff really could have been a bit miore on the ball. But nice coffee.

A short review but to the point and it concerns the Cool Beans in the Gardens. We stumbled on this place by mistake and we are glad we did. This place is vegan and vegetarian friendly and the food was delicious too. The owner Rachel is extremely friendly too. Nothing negative to say.

Went for breakfast a few times and always left with the same impression. It’s a lovely place, great decor and potential to do really well, but the lack of training and staff management lets it down. Staff members always look like they’re struggling and don’t know what to do. There’s never a manager or owner to guide and help them. Although the girls working there are always nice and trying their best service is always very unprofessional and confusing. To the point that once we had to leave because they couldn’t cook an egg! I’m always supporting local businesses over big chains but they have to up their game if they want to compete with the big ones.

Not been there for a while and quality in service has dropped significantly. Customer service was excellent and now is just another coffee in town,

Staff were friendly, some of the menu was not available. Coffee tasted great and the food was good. Like the decor, it's clean and we will re visit.

Originally one of the best new coffee shops in braintree when first opened always a good standard of customer service and good quality food. However as of late the experience is not the same! Slow service and less than perfect food choices and presentation even if u pre order the food comes out late or wrong! Nothing to make this coffee shop stand out anymore which is such a shame as the owners are lovely but are let down by the staff! Lots of friends have avoided going here because of lunch break time restrictions and poor slow service! Would welcome a return to its former glory days when I would happily eat there again!

We happened to pop into Cool Beans when we were desperate for a drink, and we were glad we did! The drinks were prepared quickly and they were very refreshing! Prices were a little high when we last visited, but this may have changed since

Before I begin, this review concerns Cool beans In The Garden, the sister cafe to the one above.

This place knows how to do a good coffee, stopped going for a few months as I didn't think it was as good, decided it was time to try again and we weren't disappointed this time, great coffee great service and great ambience, just be even better if you didn't have smokers close to,the door, needs to be further away

Decided to try lunch in the gardens , average surroundings and tatty all over.

Sunday morning, 27 May, there were guys working in the Bank Street Cool Beans Coffee House and as we realised it was closed one worker helpfully suggested that we should try the other Cool Beans at the Public Gardens nearby. The sun was shining and we were both ready for a nice coffee and a bit of cake so it seemed like a good idea.

Having a bad experience on 3 occasions at the town centre cafe, cold coffee, stroppy staff, orders taking ages when I had made it clear I was on a lunch break and rock hard avocado in a sandwich I decided to give the public gardens cafe a go. Wish I hadn’t, ordered the salad of the day (lentil and sweet potatoe) with halloumi and was presented with a green salad with 3 meagre bits of halloumi on top (same price) when I asked the waitress what had happened she’s said the salad of day had run out. I was in too much of a rush to argue so asked for bread to go with it, 5 minutes later was presented with 2 CRUSTS of stale bread ! I had paid for 2 coffees to take away with me and needless to say they took forever. This is such a shame because the cafe is in a great spot and could be wonderful. The whole experience here though is NOT. Will not be returning again.

My coffee was lovely and the service was amazing but I had to wait at least 6 minutes for my coffee when there was only me in there waiting

After leaving a five star review on Facebook a few weeks ago I feel I need to write another as we have visited cool beans twice this weekend. Before this weekend we had excellent experiences with great customer service and food was at a great standard. Unfortunately yesterday we visited at approx 5pm for coffee, it was very quiet when we arrived which was fine and service was good. Around ten minutes after we had arrived a large group of women came in who completely changed the atmosphere, and made me feel really uncomfortable. The music suddenly turned very loud with women dancing around and going behind the counter, as they knew the lady serving us. It was clear that these women had had a drink before they had arrived but I felt that if they had wanted to dance around, have the music on loud, and chat to the server then they should have hired the place out for a private function; the group would suddenly ask if it was ok that they had the music on full, and the server didn’t seem to acknowledge that it was uncomfortable or take any control over the situation, I’m sure if others had been in here as well they would have got up to leave. Today we visited for breakfast and ordered 2x skinny breakfasts which we were lucky to get as a the group that came in shortly after us couldn’t get breakfast as they didn’t have any left!! Our breakfast came but we had to wait a little while for our toast. We overall really like this place, but I just feel that the atmosphere is completely different when it is changing from a coffee shop into a bar, i don’t think we would visit again at that time - and it did make me feel hesitant about visiting today. I enjoy the food and the coffee, and the atmosphere in the day is great.

I have Visited this little gem on numerous occasions, great coffee, wonderful staff and owners. So much better than the usual coffee chains, a great coffee and food freshly made and really tasty. The cakes are even better!

I regularly get my coffee from here rather than costa down the road. It supports the little man and the coffee is actually tastier in comparison.

So on a wet Sunday afternoon a chance meetingveith a friend prompted a coffee stop . I had kept meaning to try this place as a friend was always posting good things about it on Facebook - so in I went. What a pleasant surprise it was tastefully decorated with a variety of sitting areas from soft chairs to little tables, service was friendly and helpful.

This is a very nice place good coffee and food staff are very friendly too the cafe wasn't too busy it's a well decorated place as well would recommend.

We love this place. The owners are really friendly and you'll get the best coffees in Braintree right here. Their cakes are really yummy and the latte is gorgeous. For a coffee/snack I highly recommend it and would give it 5 stars.

I've been coming to Braintree for the last five years to work, but always struggled to find a good place for coffee and breakfast. This was good. The coffee was better tasting that the well known brand that features in Braintree. The breakfast had limited choice but was good. I plumped for the avocado and salmon on sourdough. The staff were pleasant and friendly. A good place to visit. Others have said service can be a bit slow...but not at breakfast time! Will be back next year.

Lovely to find an independent local cafe. Great coffee. Great atmosphere. Nice staff. Wifi. Lots of food options, I could smell the breakfasts! Nice decor. Great.

Have been here a few times - very friendly staff and good price food and drinks. Good to support local businesses rather than the multi nationals!

Fantastic food. £9.95 each for finger sandwiches, scone with clotted cream and jam, a cupcake and 2 macaroons and drink obviously. Staff are so friendly and bent over backwards to give us everything we needed.

Wasn't expecting such a lovely cafe to be housed in Braintree ... arriving for a late breakfast with a friend... sitting on comfy sofa, with a tabled with Stoke products was a great start... attention to detail was very noticeable....quirky little touches .... settling for eggs florentine was a great choice.... large pot of tea with china tea cups.....right up my street.... the breakfast was good and no where else offers great fresh trendy breakfast. I will be returning nest week❤️

We are regulars Love the breakfasts,atmosphere and decor.Husband loves the espresso ☕️ My only slight criticism - the metal chairs are not very comfortable. Staff and owners very welcoming 🙂Thank you

My friend and I had a lovely coffee and tasty teacake here with her guide dog puppy in training. We were made very welcome, as we generally are in most places we visit, the coffee was fantastic all served in a lovely little cafe. We will be visiting again soon.

I had the pleasure to visit this little place cool beans not on the high street but the one in the park in Braintree.

After hearing very good things about this place, we were very disappointed. The service was poor, we waited about twenty minutes to have our order taken (people coming in after us got orders taken before we did) so in the end I had to go up and ask for the order to be taken. Then a lengthy wait for the food to come out. When it did, the paninis we'd ordered were stone cold so the cheese inside was barely melted. It's not the cheapest place either. The coffee was nice but overall not good at all and won't be going back.

Really good carefully prepared food and cakes. Right in the centre of town with helpful and efficient service.

Great place for coffee/breakfast/lunch with friends or by yourself. Whatever you do there will always be a friendly welcome. They serve fabulous coffee and the atmosphere is lovely as all age ranges go there.

I've been here a few times so far as I don't eat or drink out much. This coffee house is reasonably priced, the coffee is far nicer than popular chains and the service is fast and friendly:)

Very nice with great decor. Lovely coffee and nice snacks. Very friendly and welcoming staff, definitely recommend a visit.

Stopped here for lunch whilst out in town. Beautifully fitted out inside, really doesn't feel like you're in Braintree. They have a great menu with an interesting and varied choice of sandwich fillings which are all made fresh to order. Service was prompt and friendly and the food was delicious. Will definitely be going back there.

This was our second visit to Cool beans so thought I had better get my act together and share my experience. Our first visit was in December and we took our granddaughter as it was her birthday and she was spolit with lots of extras and the highlight for her was having happy birthday music put on and everyone singing to her. We had breakfast which was excellent. I had the vegan option sourdough toast,avocado, mushrooms,tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce it reminded me of the breakfasts in New Zealand which was lovely. My husband had the full English good quality ingredients and could not finish it not like him!!

I had a flat white to take away and it was easily the best cup of coffee I've ever had in Braintree. Beats the well-known chain! A small cup of premium-tasting coffee is the best, which is what you will be served in Spain, Italy or France.

We decided to try this little place for breakfast on Saturday as I feel you're limited in Braintree if you're after a nice, local place for breakfast.

Came here a couple of days ago for an afternoon coffee with family. What a nice spot! Nicely done out, good coffee, fair prices, free Wi-Fi, and friendly service. A very pleasant change from the usual high street chain offerings. I'll be back!

Super little coffee shop and cafe Excellent coffee and good menu Food was tasty,eggs royal with smoked salmon and an all day breakfast was well cooked and enjoyable. Good friendly service and nice atmosphere We will definitely visit again !!

Popped in for a quick coffee and breakfast. Got great coffee, great service and great vegan breakfast. What more can I say.

Came here today with my grandson and a friend. Now offering jacket potatoes and soup. So popular now, pot luck whether you can get a seat. We moved around a bit until we got three seats together. My friend and grandson each had toasties, I had a jacket potato. Lovely food, good size portions. Great coffee from an independent supplier. Today the staff were all a young team and coped so well with it being so busy. Well done. Love to visit this place. Braintree needs more of the same.

Amazing coffee, lovely food, always come here with my partner and they still treat me the same even with a baby. Would recommend every time!

Have been here a few times, they have changed there menu and now do an all day breakfast, the eggs benedict is lovely any time of the day. Very friendly and a nice place to visit.

Decided to visit Cool Beans this morning to support local business instead of our usual Costa visit.

This place does awesome smoothies and makes fresh sandwiches to order with a variety of fillings and bread bases to choose from. Staff are friendly and go out of their way to offer good customer service. I really recommend this coffee shop as a reasonably priced alternative to chain shops like Costa - visit cool beans and support a decent independent business.

Lovely little coffee shop. Visited for breakfast, good options including vegan and almond or soy milk. 😀

Amazing little coffee shop, can't fault a thing. Staff that really care and good food and drinks to boot. Def. worth a visit 👍🏽

Popped in here after haircut had a brick lane bagel with cream cheese. Lovely :) Nice atmosphere. Comfy seating area, book library , outdoor seating. Very friendly staff. Industrial style design inside

My husband suggested going here as he'd seen it after having a hair cut. Lovely and friendly staff. Great coffee.

What a lovely upmarket coffee shop that is good value and quality. Had a lovely lunch and will come again NEED ONE IN SAFFRON WALDEN

Just what Brsintree needed an upmarket , trendy coffee shop it had the ambience of a continental Coffee shop a meeting place to catch up with friends and relax or to read the paper

Nice coffeebar in the centre of Braintree with a terrace outside with a lot of sunshine in July! Very friendly staff and a perfect spot for a quick drink

What a lovely little coffee shop just what Braintree needed the coffee if great and the bricklane bagels are to die for keep up the great work

Visited today for lunch. Sandwiches and drinks were great, and such lovely, friendly staff who made my daughter and her friend feel very welcome despite their intrusions into the kitchen ;-) thank you.

I work locally so have visited numerous times - always had fresh food with good quality ingredients. Would definitely recommend. Ross, Rachel & all staff very friendly and attentive.

Love this place! Great coffee...arguably the best in Essex (great to find somewhere that does a proper flat white), quirky interior and friendly, personal service. I recommend the New York Deli Bagel and the handmade sausage rolls are delish

Americano was good; and quite potent! Kids both had a Babychino; this is great value for just 25p and with a flake and marsmallows. Nice place to go for a coffee and a refreshing change from the usual big chains.

I regularly visit Cool Beans for my lunch as they also do takeaway sandwiches which they make to order. They are always very friendly and they remembered my name only after 2/3 visits. They cater for all allergies there with a variety of choice. It's also nice to see them supporting charities with a book sale inside also I work for a local bank and they have been kind enough to donate cakes for our cake sales we have held to raise money for Children In Need. Overall excellent place so give it a try.

This coffee shop is simply the best. Braintree has plenty of cafés, some independents and the usual chain brands. But this place is very different. A calm atmosphere, a ready smile from the owner, Ross, and the star of the show, the coffee. The cakes are good too and I've had a couple of bacon rolls on previous visits.

A regular haunt these days when I'm in Braintree. Great Coffee that is way better than your mega chains efforts. Good food and great hospitality. Oh and Brick Lane Bagels which you shouldn't pass by.

This is a lovely coffee house, with friendly helpful staff, delicious cake. The atmosphere is congenial, they serve a unique blend of coffee, not as harsh as some others ( cost-a-packet)

This place is such a nice surprise. So nice to see a new place opening, with lovely people running it. Coffee is lovely and they even have soya and almond milks, which is great for me as I don't drink dairy. Cakes lovely.Coffee sourced from an independent supplier.

I visited here a few weeks ago was a hungry so ask for a chicken and mayo baguette

Visited a few weeks ago, felt welcomed on arrival. Had a Jacket Potato and Baguette both of which were tasty and represented good value. Enjoyed the coffee too in a relaxed environment. Will definitely go back on our next visit to Braintree. Always worth supporting an independent up against the big boys.

An independent coffee shop that shames Costa and the like, with reasonably priced coffee, laid back atmosphere and a very clean loo. Owned by a hard working local couple, something for everyone, pastries, cake, toasties and all great value

A very pleasant, clean coffee house. Provides a good range of coffees, teas etc and a small range of lunch-type food. The coffees are excellent and the food is good. Service is slow at times.

Great place to go to for lunch or just pop in for coffee. The new smoothies range are fantastic and well worth going in for.

Lovely people, great idea about the book exchange, a welcoming place with delicious things to eat and drink.

went in here on a rainy cold day had a hot chocolate when came to the table it was cold. toilet downstairs, think would be ok for a wheel chair. decor pretty new.

Hmm strange place! Ordered tea when arrived no milk, sugar etc.

a space to be taken into account because it is unique, quiet, reliable, very good to chat and have a coffee or eat a piece of cake. The entire staff is sympathetic, attentive.

We have been to Cool beans quite often recently having a variety of differing foods and drinks. The bacon butties were excellent, as were the cakes. The owners clearly put a huge amount of effort into welcoming and looking after their customers. Finally a classy independent coffee house in Braintree to visit. I would highly recommend Cool Beans Coffee House.

This little cafe is new to Braintree and is excellent... I had a ham salad baguette in Artizan bread.. yum yum.. Everything here is hand assembled and very fresh.. Rachel and Ross guarantee you a warm welcome and you will enjoy the atmosphere.. 5 stars..

Love Cool Beans. As always a perfect visit. Lovely coffee and atmosphere. Fab décor. Another visit is s must.

We had a really good coffee shop 10 years ago and it was closed and we were gutted. The sunday morning coffee options were Costa or Wetherspoons, which are personally underwhelming, chain-y, not great quality, and for the former expensive.

Went in for 2 sausages sandwiches and hot drink at 11am and was informed no sausages available so decided to have bacon sandwich instead. Was served hot drink and then 2 cold bacon sandwiches. Complained and was informed it was 10/15min wait for new bacon and only one more white rolls available so one of us would have to have grainary, waited until 1130 for new sandwiches and again served cold bacon, complained and demanded refund and we were questioned as to if bacon was cold or not and no apology given. Shocking service and all before lunchtime rush!! Will be going elsewhere next time!!!!

This is a new business just opened in Braintree within the last 2 weeks. Young Husband & Wife Team, very personable and welcoming. The Cool Bean Coffee House is a piece of nostalgia - instantly inside, greeted with the warm, cosy surroundings. Lovely aged wooden floors, Vintage/Retro Lighting, delicious aroma of Coffee, wonderful displays of Cakes, Sandwich Fillings, Salads, Bagels, Wraps, Baguettes and Superfood Salads and Soups. Speciality Coffees & Teas, Can eat in or Take Away. Open from 07.00am - can pre-order before 11.00 to have pre-made. Choices of Seating from Window Bar Stools, Tables & Chairs, or cosy Settee, Chairs and large Coffee Table. Very subtle music - great - - very relaxing - has its own charm.!!