Bean & Bear Café

Bean & Bear Café Owner Katie Spangenberg hopes you take the extra-few-minutes drive off the highway and shop local, not just for the locally roasted drip coffee and made-to-order food, but for the vibe. Walkable from Edinboro Lake and the university campus and not far off the highway, the café is what’s known as a “backwards coffee shop” — unlike other cafés that close by mid-afternoon, Bean & Bear has tapped in to the culture of having coffee in the afternoon, and stays open later to offer those getting out of work an extra hour to get coffee.

Born and raised in Edinboro, Spangenberg opened Bean & Bear Café in 2023 to solve the problem of a college town with no coffee shop. The spacious café with the standout ceiling provides a comfortable place for townies, students, Edinboro Lake vacationers and even those in town for soccer tournaments to talk, work, collaborate, learn and hang out. Fresh flowers accent the tables where first dates, meet cutes and people-watching happen, and groups from book clubs and student groups to sign language groups and mom groups chat over lattes and scones.

Bean & Bear’s full breakfast and lunch menu includes the popular pancake sandwich (egg, cheese and sausage between two fluffy pancakes), and all baked goods are made in-house. For those with dietary restrictions, the café offers milk alternatives, gluten-free wraps and no-bake cookies. The cafe also has kid-friendly food and drinks.

Patrons love the fun monthly specials. Past themes have included New Girl, The Breakfast Club and Harry Styles, just to name a few. The café standout special is a new specialty cold brew every month; and for chai drinkers, Bean & Bear’s brew has a spicy flavor. “I don’t know why, but I can always tell if a coffee shop is good by its chai,” Spangenberg said.

Another non-coffee favorite is a line of Refreshers that rotate seasonally. Year-round staples include lemonade and peach. Boba can be added for an additional fee.

Regular events include mug painting nights, karaoke nights, Board & Brush events, even a Silent Book Club — a low-pressure club where attendees read individually for an hour, and then have the option during the last half-hour to socialize and share what they’re reading. Merch on sale includes Hurry Hill maple syrup and Happy Mug coffee. The patio is dog-friendly, and they offer pup cups on the menu.

Bean & Bear is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday during the school year; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. During the summer, they are open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The kitchen closes at 2 p.m. daily. Debit, credit, tap and cash are accepted. PennWest Edinboro students with a valid ID get a 10% discount during the semester.