Mandy Bean Specialty Coffee — Restaurant in City of Yonkers

I've been coming to this café for nearly two years. On average, I spend 4 to 5 hours here, sometimes just 1 other times closer to 10, depending on my workload and schedule. Their coffee? It's fine. Nothing special if you're just getting a plain black coffee or espresso, but they offer a lot of creative iced and espresso-based drinks. What used to make this place stand out, though, was the service.

I always made sure to support the café during my visits: 1–2 drinks every hours and a snack every 2-3 if I stayed longer. I’ve never expected to linger for free. I also always ask for my drinks without ice, not to get more for less, but because I have sensitive teeth. I never ask for the drink to be topped off. Just… no ice, and pour what you normally would.

This has never been a problem. Until today.

I decided to try the strawberry matcha and ordered a small, making it clear (again) that I didn’t want ice and that I was fine with a small gap in the cup. The total came to $8.50—pricey, but not unexpected here. But then I saw an extra $1.00 charge because I asked for no ice. And not only that, they told me it was a one-time courtesy to remove the upcharge, even though I asked for no substitutions or extra anything. I wasn’t trying to get more I was actively requesting less.

To add to that, I changed the ordered then to a small Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk, a standard tea order for decades, and they tried to charge me an extra $0.50 for that. A splash. Not a pour. Not a cloud. Just a bit of milk.

At that point, I realized: I’m done here.

There are plenty of other cafes with better basic coffee, longer hours, more food options, and just as many outlets. I’m not interested in paying a premium for a place that’s now nickel-and-diming regular customers over things as minor as “no ice” or “a splash of milk.”

To be clear: I don’t blame the barista. She was doing her job. But I do hold the management and ownership responsible. These are their policies, and they feel increasingly predatory. This café has gone from a solid 3–4 stars in my book to a hard 1. And...

As a paramedic, I’ve seen things. Things that haunt dreams. Things that smell like despair and expired mayonnaise. I’ve dodged airborne sneezes, cleaned up fluids I don’t have names for, and been yelled at by people who think “medical license” means I also fix cable. But through it all, there’s one thing that keeps me hanging on by the thinnest of frayed emotional threads: Mandy. Bean. Coffee.

This place? It’s not just a coffee shop. It’s a life-support system in bean form.

Now, don’t get it twisted — this isn’t your basic, bitter, caffeine punch-to-the-throat type joint. Sure, you’ll find fuel if you need it. But Mandy Bean is out here crafting full-blown experiences. The Dubai chocolate coffee? I don’t know what kind of caffeinated sorcery that is, but it’s like someone turned “the will to live” into a drink and served it with a smile.

Every cup is a different flavor story — one that says, “Hey, maybe you can finish your shift without rage-quitting or crying in the ambulance bay.” It’s creamy, complex, joyful, and somehow feels like a hug and a slap awake at the same time. Literal magic in your mouth. I don’t know what kind of barista wizard training these folks went through, but I’d trust them with my life more than half the ER staff.

Also, the menu is stacked. Whether you need a sweet little boost or something bold and moody to match your trauma response, they’ve got it — and it’s all weirdly, consistently amazing. No burnt nonsense. No watery sadness. Just happiness and emotional CPR in a cup.

Bottom line: Mandy Bean Coffee is the reason I haven’t driven my ambulance straight into the Hudson. If you’re a tired, overworked shell of a human with a demanding job and a fraying will to live, get in here. Sip the magic. Taste the meaning of life. Then go back out there and save the world — or at least...

It hurts me to have to leave a less than stellar review because the service was great, but hopefully they can learn from this. Firstly the staff and atmosphere were great. But the coffee was underwhelming. I own and operate a small cafe myself so I always try to support local independent shops when I travel. The espresso tasted extremely over extracted. It was very bitter, not sour (which I enjoy from a light roast) but almost as if they were pulling a double from a single basket, or the temp was off on the machine. I'm an espresso nerd and sat and watched the baristas pull shots, and the timing of the shots was spot on 20-30sec, while I didn't get to measure a shot it seemed like a bit too much liquid from watching the pours. Channeling wasn't too much of an issue as the shots had a nice single stream about 10sec from start. Tamping may help as they just level the shots after grinding.

The pros: they have a great workflow down. They clean all the baskets very well after pulling shots using hot water.

I think with just a little dialing in and adjusting if the shot ratios they would be pulling perfect shots.

Now, that being said the dirty chai was decent and covered up the bitterness a little bit. With some sweetener (which I opted out of) it would have been good.

So if you're still reading this, and you enjoy flavored and sweetened espresso drinks, you may not notice anything at all. But if you like a plain latte, cappuccino, or Americano, you may be less than. Excited.

I'd love to come back based on the customer service and atmosphere alone, but I would be more inclined to go for a "sweet...