Wonderful Place
I make special trips to Bean Hole. Great place for reading, socializing, or just relaxing and sipping some good smoothies or coffee/mochas/other interesting mixes (such as coconut flavored mountain dew - not as strange as it sounds). The service is excellent and the people are wonderful. I am a big supporter.    [03 Jun 2005 06:32:26]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: coconut flavored mountain dew, smoothies, turtle latte

     ­Ashley T   Godlychicka77 at hotmail dot com

Great Coffee, Sandwiches
I love the Bean Hole's Mexican hot chocolate, with the works. Also, the turtle latte is good. I have tried their curried chicken salad sandwich and their regular chicken salad sandwich; the regular is a little too sweet for my taste, but I do like the curried chicken salad with Granny Smith apple slices on their homemade sourdough bread. The homemade brownies are also excellent, if you can get there early enough to snag one.    [17 Aug 2005 12:29:39]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: curried chicken salad sandwich, latte

     ­chrys   

Good Coffee, Moderate Prices, Ridiculous Hours
Having lived in the area for over 25 years, I was thrilled to see a coffee house open nearby. My enthusiasm waned rather quickly though when every time I visited for a cup, the shop was closed.

With two colleges located within a mile of the store and two high schools not much further away, I'd think a coffee house would be open from 7am to 10:30p at the least. Their weekend hours make no sense whatsoever, as they have a monopoly on non-alcoholic socializing in N. Shelby/Hoover and they utterly neglect to make use of it.

Who (besides Old Testament fundamentalist, Chik-Fil-A) closes shop on Sundays anymore? Last time I checked, this was the 21st century.

Beyond their maddening hours, the coffee is usually quite good. As long as you get an experienced barista (You'll know if you didn't.), the coffee and espresso drinks are on par with or exceed the quality of other independant coffee houses in the area. Chains simply can't hold a candle to the individualized service and singular artistry that small, mom-and-pop coffee houses offer, and Bean Hole is no exception.

The ambience inside the cookie cutter strip mall exterior is a pleasant surprise, if a bit claustrophobic in places. Seating is very comfortable, including sofas, armchairs, and the usual tables and chairs. There is also seating outside on the patio which is quite handy for those who take their coffee with nicotene, cream and sugar.

A nice touch inside are the photographs on the walls of regulars and locals, giving a sense of relaxed familiarity. Lighting is more than adequate but certainly not overbearing. The free wi-fi internet access is most convenient, especially when compared to the pay-per-use service that a competing chain "offers". There is ample parking directly in front, as well as to the side of the shop.

The Bean Hole is an excellent coffee house that presently exists far below its potential. With an actual publicity push and a genuine interest in the community, it could easily become the top attraction in the area.

Very often, I wonder whether or not the Bean Hole is even interested in making money.    [31 Aug 2005 12:31:48]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: breve

     ­Virgilturtle   virgil [at] virgilturtle [dot] com