Review - Cake and the Beanstalk

1112 Locust Street
215.592.6505
Website, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 7 am - 8 pm, Sat: 8 am - 8 pm, Sun: 9 am - 7 pm
Free (and fast) Wi-Fi, Several Tables, Lots of outlets

Cake and the Beanstalk

Cake and the Beanstalk, located near Jefferson University,  is a relatively new establishment as they're only a little over a month old.  They occupy Flying Monkey's old spot, which wasn't that good, so I'm glad there's a new coffeeshop in town!  I should mention, that Cake and the Beanstalk isn't strictly a cafe.  They also boast a good selection of homemade and delicious desserts.  When I asked the owner, Daniel Klein, why he named it Cake and the Beanstalk, he answered that he wanted something that captured elements of both dessert and coffee.  Daniel has quite an impressive resume when it comes to his baking experience.  Drew Lazor from Meal Ticket notes that Daniel is a lifetime baker who's worked at Striped Bass, Circa, Morimoto, Le Bec-Fin, and Twenty 21.  I must say that his desserts are quite tasty.  I tried his Strawberry Shortcake and his one-pound  brownie with walnuts.  They were both pretty delicious but the brownie would've been much better if it had been heated up.  They also offer an array of other desserts, paninis and salads.

As for the coffee ($1.75), Cake and the Beanstalk uses Chestnut Hill coffee, which I've never heard of or tried.  So I was pretty excited to try it.  I asked the owner Dan what kind of roast/blend they use.  I think he was a bit surprised with my question and wasn't sure how to answer.  He said it was a house blend but didn't know anything more beyond that - except that he thought it might include some South American beans... and that he thought it was a medium roast... I was definitely disappointed to hear this from my barrista, but I took my coffee and brownie and sat down.  The coffee wasn't bad at all actually.  It was definitely brewed recently, didn't taste watered down, burnt, or old.

As for a cafe itself, I really liked how they set up the place.  They definitely took the name of their establishment to heart and made the decor fit.  They have unique and colorful tables, and no 2 chairs are alike.  There is also a beanstalk painted on one of the walls of the bathroom that's kinda cool.  They have big windows, which is nice because you get a nice view of the garden next door.  It also lets in a lot of sunlight, which I think is mostly a good thing.  My only gripe is that during the late afternoon hours, the sunlight is right in your face, which I hate.  It makes looking at computer screens impossible!  I stayed there until the sunset.  Once the direct sunlight was out of my face, I was able to study much better.  But I was then confronted by another problem - my table was definitely too dark.  Looking around at the cafe, I think the other tables were adequately lit.  I was at the table at the front end.  While there were lights right above us, they weren't turned on for some reason and made studying quite difficult.  Besides issue with lighting, I think the place makes a relatively good studying place.  The decor is quite colorful and refreshing which can be a nice psychological relief after spending hours in a concrete library.  They have super fast internet (9.82 mbps), decent number of tables (that weren't too crowded), and certainly enough outlets for all your electrical needs.  They also had one table outside right next to the garden.  I think once the weather gets  bit warmer, that could be an awesome place to read a book.

Overall, it can be a solid place to study - I just have issues with the lighting.  Coffee wasn't bad but I wish Cake and the Beanstalk would take a more serious approach with their coffee.  They don't have to be snobs about it but at least know what kind of coffee they serve.

3 out of 5 beans, with room to improve for sure.  Please share your thoughts!