Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice
Profile
$ - inexpensive
American, Mexican, Eclectic (Varied)
Coffeehouse also serving vegetarian and vegan food
Located near the University of Arizona, Bentley's is popular among both students and the community at large. They are a locally owned, independent coffeehouse. They offer light meals, including some vegetarian and vegan options. Breakfast is served every day, and vegan breakfasts are available.
Bentley's offers free wireless internet access, and there is sometimes live entertainment (music, open mic night, etc.)
- Kid-Friendly
- Outdoor Seating
- Wireless (free)
Added by Suzanne on Oct 31 04 (updated Oct 31 04)
Reviews
Unlike another reviewer, I kind of like the veggie burger. The ones at Lovin' Spoonfuls are much better, but as far as I know this is the only other veggie burger in town that's made in-house (Cup Cafe has a Boca burger). However, since discovering the burgers at Lovin' Spoonfuls, I haven't had a burger at Bentley's.
The hummus is pretty good, and it comes with plenty of colorful vegetables and pita wedges for dipping.
The vegan tamales were not very impressive. Ditto for the bean/rice/veggie burro -- though filling, it was also pretty bland.
There is always a vegan pasta option, and there often seems to be vegan soup available. I've never tried them, though.
A recent addition to the menu is the "super vegan" sandwich, and it's actually pretty good, though I wish it were heavier on the hummus.
There are a lot more lacto-ovo options, such as veggie sausage, loads of desserts, and worry-free bread (I'm not totally convinced that the "vegan-style" veggie burger is served on a vegan bun).
They have a pretty incredible vegan chocolate pie, but it's not always available. In my opinion it's kind of not worth going here if you're not going to be getting pie at the end of your meal.
I have an extreme nut allergy and I have previously gone to Bentley's with my husband and friends. Bentley's could not guarantee that no nuts would be in my food, so I did not eat. This time I went with my husband and several friends, I also brought a small dish of cheese that I could eat while everyone else was there. The manager came over told me I was stupid for bringing the food in and insulted me in front of the entire groups I was with -- who had bought food from Bentley's. The behavior was unbelievable. I will never go there again and I am actively encouraging others not to eat there. The service was so terrible that it can not make up for the food.
I and several of my friends have been sorely disappointed by the lack of good customer service in this establishment. The coffee and food is sub par.
They made a large Americano for my boyfriend with only two shots of Espresso (should be four) and balked when they were asked to correct it.
On another occasion my friend requested a "White Mocha" and was read the riot act for requesting a drink whose title was apparently too Starbucks-sounding for their tastes.
Their pastries and coffee were not outstanding in anyway, nor was their atmosphere and definitely not their service
Unfortunately some of the baristas have a nasty, elitist attitude. This is unfortunate since my friends and I make sure that we patronize independent establishments in Tucson. This kind of elitist attitude turns people off who may be looking for quality alternatives to Starbucks and the like.
I really wanted to like this place but the unacceptable service and food made me cross it off my list. Please...go to Raging Sage. It is one of the best cafes I've ever come across in my travels.
I'm a big Bentley's fan. This is my preferred coffeehouse, providing that there's no live entertainment. (If there's someone performing, then it's too loud to talk to my friends.) Their coffee is great! And it's fair-trade and organic!
Vegan food options include a veggie burger that should be avoided at all costs. (It's terrible.) But aside from the awful burger, the food is really good. They have a red bean burrito, vegan tamales, salads, soups (usually at least one is vegan), and more. There are many more vegetarian options that are not vegan.
Their breakfasts are good and very reasonably priced. Tofu can be substituted for eggs, and I'm a big fan of their tofu scrambles. (I like adding jalapeno peppers and mushrooms.) Vegans should ask for margarine on their toast instead of butter, which they will use if you don't say otherwise.
Bentley's almost always has two vegan desserts available, one cookie and a chocolate tofu pie (which is very rich--I usually split a piece with someone). And of course they offer non-vegan desserts (cookies, cakes, etc.)
And free wifi access. Love the wifi.
Kids are welcome at Bentley's. There are toys available and a little (very little) play area. The place is almost always noisy (it can get crowded), so kids won't be glared at for talking, playing, and doing kid things.
I've gone to this place several times over the last few years. Sometimes the staff is really nice and other times the service has been terrible-- it really depends on which people are serving and how busy the place is. Years ago I used to be a regular; but after a number of bad experiences with rude staff, I only go there occasionally now.
If you go at peak times, expect to wait about 25-30 minutes (or even longer) for your food. However, at off-peak times, you can usually get your food within 10 minutes. During peak times there also may be a lack of seating, so you may be standing up waiting for a table or sitting on the few tables outside.
One thing I like about the place is that there are a good number of vegetarian and vegan options. Some of the dishes are great... I really enjoy their soups.Most of their soups are vegan. Another plus is that it is open both early in the morning and late at night; one of the few places still open after 9pm. Although they are usually listed as closing at midnight, sometimes they choose to close early if they feel there are not that many customers-- so if you go there at 11pm and they are closed, don't be surprised.
Some cons are that they use the microwave pretty liberally to warm up their food... which doesn't appeal to me. Another issue is that many of their desserts labeled as vegan are not 100% vegan (they don't contain dairy or eggs, but many labeled as vegan do contain honey (I saw the actual ingredient lists, so I'm not making this up)... although they are quite healthy otherwise, containing whole grains/oats, or whole wheat pastry flour with little or no refined sugar.) But for a strict vegan this would be an issue, so I recommend you check if the dessert item labeled 'vegan' has honey before purchasing; though for a vegetarian this place has great options.
Another good thing about this place is that it has free WiFi... though often it doesn't work, and you have to ask the staff to restart it. There are many college students there working on their laptops. The place also has a nice coffee-shop ambiance, as there are a lot of paintings on the wall (available for purchase) by local artists (I have even seen kids' paintings in the past for sale). Another plus is that this place has an adjacent parking lot, so you can most always get parking there (though this may not always be the case during peak times, though there is usually space available).
Another thing that some people may like is that they often host music events where artists will sing or play the guitar or tell jokes, and there are open-mic nights. Those are not too frequent, so if you are interested, call the staff to find out when events are going on.