South Korean coffee chain Caffe Bene has opened its doors on Broadway and 49th street. Last week we posted photos of the impressive space, which boasts comforts that most Starbucks locations lack these days: plenty of seating, a book nook, flat screens and more. But what about the coffee and baked goods?

I spent way too much money on breakfast and indulged in a small maple latte macchiato ($4.35) and a chocolate croissant ($2.75). The espresso drink was tasty, but I probably wouldn’t spend for it again. The pastry was nothing special; I wish my croissant had been flakier. As I was paying, I eyed the fantastic-looking signature waffles on display by the registers. Lunch’er Jo stopped by and confirms they’re tasty and freshly made:

Checked it out today around 2PM, solely for the waffles. Place wasn’t too busy. I ordered a sweet waffle with ricotta, fig sauce and almonds. Tasty little treat which is cooked while you wait. Only issue I see is that it’s way over priced at $6.48 including tax. Didn’t try the coffee.

The the food selection here is vast, ranging from breakfast items (pastries, donuts, muffins and the like), pre-packaged grab-and-go sandwiches and desserts (pastries, the aforementioned waffles and gelato). I especially appreciate that in addition to your regular-sized sandwiches, they offer smaller portions (at smaller prices) for those days when you’ve eaten a good breakfast or plan to over-indulge at dinner. Price-wise, this spot is comparable to the green giant, with specialty coffee drinks ranging from $3-$6.

If your job is the kind that affords you the luxury to work outside of Midtown office buildings — like freelancers, writers, etc. — this comfortable outpost might be just the spot you need to be productive for a several hours.

Caffe Bene, 1605 Broadway (between 48th St & 49th St)

Well that didn’t take long. The ambitious South Korean coffee chain, Caffe Benne, is now open for business at 49th St and Broadway. The massive venue boasts plenty of seating, a book nook, gigantic flat screen TVs, pastries, doughnuts, gelato, and pre-packaged sandwiches. Oh, and there’s coffee as well, which on my visit a bit flat, but inoffensive. Check out the drinks menu and a peek at the interior after the jump.

Caffe Bene – 1605 Broadway (between 48th St & 49th St)

I got a regular (medium) latte with an extra shot since the barista told me that their medium drinks only come with one shot (the ‘Bux does two for a similarly sized drink). It was a fine latte, not too bitter, not too watery, but it was expensive–$3.95 for the base drink plus 75 cents for the extra shot. That’s more expensive than Starbucks and what’s more I can get a two shot latte with organic milk and fair trade coffee for just over $3 from Pret.

While I was there I nabbed one of their signature doughnuts ($3.25) and enormous chocolate frosted square yeast doughnut that was filled with both vanilla and chocolate pudding.

Again the doughnut was fine, the little touch of orange extract was and unexpected but pleasant surprise, but the doughnut itself was a bit dry and dense and the pudding was in the Jell-o instant realm, fine if you love the Boston Cremes from Dunkin, but not what I was expecting for over $3. I don’t think Mark Israel from Doughnut Plant is losing any sleep over these guys.

While this was a fairly lackluster visit, I know that CBTL has its loyal adherents. What am I missing here?

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 1412 Broadway at 39th St, (212) 575-3854

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf isn’t the only west coast coffee spot coming soon to Midtown… Eater reported yesterday that signage for San Francisco’s Blue Bottle has gone up in Rock Center. Their Williamsburg location garners huge lines every day, and Coolhaus sells the stuff on their trucks, but obviously that is no substitute for a permanent location in the heart of Midtown lunching. Their Facebook page says they “have no idea when it’s going to open”, but Eater says it will be sometime this summer. Here’s hoping it will be in time for us to enjoy their amazing iced coffees in this ridiculously hot weather.

It may be a long time (or never) before we see an In-N-Out in NYC but another popular LA based chain is set to open their doors soon. Koshertopia had brought word that Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf are opening 3 locations in NYC (with the Times Square store to open in mid August on 39th btw. B’way+6th). If you’re not familiar with Coffee Bean, they’re pretty much like Starbucks but not as well known. And they don’t call their cup sizes as grande or venti, it’s good old fashion small, medium, and large. I’m from LA and a big fan of Coffee Bean so I’m super excited to finally get an ice blended mocha (or an off the menu ice blended half and half which is half mocha and half vanilla).

When I walked through the door there were a few men in suits standing in the corner sipping their double shot espresso. I know this is pretty typical in Europe, but there is something about a bunch of men holding tiny cups with saucers that I find quite hilarious. I know there’s a similar scene at Zibetto on 6th Ave. but I’m just more used to seeing people holding paper cups filled with coffee walking down the streets.

Looking through their sandwich selections, I ended up getting the BLT ($8) because I couldn’t say no to bacon. To tell you the truth, I had low expectations for this sandwich. Wasn’t sure how long it had been sitting there and really, how often do you find delicious sandwiches at coffee shops?

After taking a bite of the sandwich, I realized I was wrong. The sandwich was actually quite good. The ingredients tasted fresh and the bacon was perfectly salty (also they did not go cheap on the bacon, I had bacon in every bite). One thing I didn’t like about the BLT was the bread. It just wasn’t a good bread and it was hard to chew which made the whole sandwich difficult to eat. If only I can convince Previti in giving Manhattan Espresso Cafe bread for their sandwiches then we might just have ourselves a great BLT in Midtown east.

Manhattan Espresso Cafe, 146 E 49th St., 212-832-3010

We’re not the biggest fans of the ‘bux, but we do like 1/2 price, so consider this your heads up that starting this afternoon and running through May 15th Starbucks is doing half price frappucinos each day from from 3:00pm until 5:00pm.