Cool Beans Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Marietta

SUMMARY: Cool Beans is everything you would want in a quality, local coffee shop. If it weren't for a negative experience with management, I would be their #1 fan.

First, I'll speak independently of my negative experience...

The Basics: Excellent local coffee shop located just off Marietta Square, that is a favorite of the locals and has a loyal following, which is rightly deserved for the quality coffee. They carry a wide array of roasts which you can purchase and take home, as well as a variety of flavors and syrups. An assortment of pastries and snacks (though no dairy free options). I don't believe they carry hot food.

Unlike Starbucks, I've never had an issue with my coffee being burnt or too sweet. They can do anything from an espresso or latte to something of their own creation. The baristas are THE COOLEST people and deliver excellent service every time, often chatting with the regulars by name.

They have plenty of seating inside, with many outlets available. There are also several tables in an outdoor courtyard - it's nice to enjoy their coffee and a good book under a tree there :) Inside or out, the atmosphere is a perfect balance of calm solitude and buzzing community space.

Bathroom is run down, sadly. No private parking lot, but there's plenty of options on and around the Square.

My ONLY issue ... is management. Cool Beans USED to feel like a champion of the community, especially local artists. The walls used to be covered in different art pieces that customers could not only admire, but purchase, and a staff member would coordinate the pieces ensuring rotation and variety of forms represented. It was fun coming in and seeing new pieces take the place of purchased ones. I was even able to sell some crocheted coffee cozies to raise money for a local charity (I thought it would fit in well and 100% went to funding desserts for a Thanksgiving dinner at a shelter). It was a HUGE hit, selling out my stock twice. But when I tried to coordinate the next one with mgmt, the response was impersonal and disappointing to say the least. Despite trying to have a dialogue, the responses just stopped. If I hadn't already been a fan, I would've completely been turned off.

What used to feel like a true community space, has now leaned toward a standard local shop. It seems like space for artists has been reallocated to selling merchandise. Nothing objectivity wrong with this choice, and certainly we must keep in mind it is a business. But in my opinion, this choice has diminished much of the magic and appeal.

Ultimately, the baristas are nice and it's still a good space to get a solid cup of coffee and get some work done. But there's a nearby place that has become my go to and other places that have...

I've spend time in every major city in Georgia: Columbus, Albany, Macon, Augusta you name it. I've gotten a cup of coffee directly from Haciena Pomarrosa in Puerto Rico and I have yet to find a better coffee shop here or in between.

I have been living in Marietta for three years now and Cool Beans is a hidden gem amongst metro-Atlanta. Their baristas are extremely knowledgeable on nearly every product and they are more than willing to answer any questions on coffee making. Yes they are no doubt all English majors with think rim glasses but they are knowledgeable about their product, which is something I cherish in the food service industry.

Likewise, they ROAST their own coffee five feet away from their espresso machine. How freaking cool is that? We're not talking a huge Business2Business model like Starbucks, we're talking a model more like Farm2Shop with only one transport in between. At any given time you can see 10+ freshly roasted types of coffee in the selection rack behind the counter for sale.

The location itself is fairly... Coffee-shopish. It's tucked away behind the old train station with a beautiful late 1800's courtyard in the rear. A large eastern facing window behind the counter lights up the restaurant and provides a nice note of sunshine for those trying to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.

Additionally, the shop is very good at helping with local residents. The walls are decorated with for-sale art of local artists. The establishment is VERY dog friendly and if you have a Southern Poly ID they will give you as free upgrade and sometimes even stamp your frequent flyer card another go. Start coming in often and they will throw a nice goodie on top of your coffee (whipped cream, flavor, etc.), not that it will need it.

Finally, the price is reasonable. Expect slightly less than Starbucks. A cup of coffee is ~$1.00-$1.50 with a frappe running you $3.85. Organic, Soy, and Almond milks are available.

If you find yourself in Marietta or even worse, sitting in the drive-thru of Starbucks at the Marietta Square, park your car and take the extra 100 ft. walk over to Cool beans. You will be glad...

Incredible odd experience here this past Sunday. I was telling someone about this coffee place I use to go to everyday about 10 years ago off the square so we stopped by. Ordered 2 drinks mine was 2 shots of espresso over ice. I asked for half and half and was told where it was. Went to use it and nothing came out brought it over to the counter and was told it was a quarter full and to press the button on top. I said I guess I will have to get a job here to understand how this thing works. After I got the half and half back I proceeded to put it in my cup with the 2 shots and ice. I was called out by the guy behind the counter in front of all of the patrons that in the future I needed to order this other drink because I was using too much half and half. I asked him what are you talking about. With that a fellow worker next to me wanted to explain to me that a splash of half and half was okay but I used too much. I asked them where is the drink on the menu that has 2 shots of espresso and half and half over ice. He could not find it. I said I drink coffee out everyday typically 2 shots and always add half and half all over the country and never was I told how much half and half I could use. I asked him what is the difference in price they told me 50 cents I said okay ring up I will give you the 50 cents. He said no no. So now I ask if I ordered a black coffee do you allow people to put in half and half and he responded well yeah but a splash is fine....The other patron watching looks at me and says why put the half and half out if it's not free. I must say this was really odd and I did get some enjoyment out of it. I don't think that will every happen again. Could imagine a restaurant saying you are adding too much salt we need to charge you for that. At the end of the day we ordered 2 coffees was charged $5 I left and $1 tip and offered to give them the other 50 cents. So here is my question if you order a black coffee and you don't use the half and half do you get money back. Hey wait I didn't add any sweetener that should count for something.

Seinfeld would have...