Reviews (87)
Really loud outside, we could hardly hear each other, but it was freezing inside with the AC vents pointed directly at the few open (dirty) tables. Every other table was occupied by solo customers with laptops - this place would benefit from a long counter with chargers to discourage singulars from taking up entire tables for hours at a time. My London Fog was good, but it took forever for them to get it to me, and I watched in disgust as the girl fished around in it to get the tea bags out with her bare fingers. I had high hopes, but I won't be returning. We had to park down the street and walk, which we didn't mind.
Very high quality coffee and relaxing atmosphere. Love the latte, complete with design on the top. This is why local shops are gems. Service varies, one day super polite and offers to heat pastry, next day rushed service and pastry plunked on counter.
Its overall quiet with a study/work-focused ambiance and friendly staff. Note wifi system is receipt based, ie. you have to purchase something in order to connect to the wifi every 2 hours.
Still love this coffee shop. They've added a hot breakfast sandwich and sometimes have other offerings in their cold case like turkey on a croissant... yum. Am fond of this coffee shop but wish they offered more variety on their food menu. Maybe even a monthy special. They will cheerfuly add something, like a few bits of tomato to their smashed bean toast or some beans to their date and goat cheese toast. They are more expensive than others but have been consistently good and are warmly dog friendly. Expression drinks have been great, no complaints.
Dean is an absolute gem! Great menu options, fresh items in the to-go area, & pink accents are adorable. Very spacious & lots of seating options indoor/outdoor. The employees were very welcoming/happy even when interacting with each other. It's great to see people who not just work there but are happy to be there as well. Very refreshing to see. Highly recommend if you need a coffee break, on the go items, or to sit down for a while for homework/meetings.
I'm visiting the area, saw this shop from the street and thought it looked cool. Came back specifically to try it and...they do not allow outside food. Yet, when I asked for foods I eat, they have none (fresh fruit and meat). So not cool.
Great coffee. Great pastries. Student friendly. Love it.
Edit: I wish to inform the owner that I am not the person they are referring to in their response. I find my comments to be a review of my experience and not a rant. At my time at this cafe, I have never spoken to any manger/owner and have never brought in outside food. I don't wish to have someone else kicked out of your establishment for being confused with myself. I’m a student and Dean is one of the nearest coffee shops. The quality of the coffee and food does not match the standards of the surrounding coffee shops. I’ve tried various drinks such as their cappuccino, mocha, and “Vietnamese” coffee. Their mocha was the best of their drinks, but still not good. The cappuccinos I’ve had were overly bitter and left an unpleasant aftertaste, making me question the quality of their beans. The drink that I have the most issue with is their “Vietnamese” Coffee. I recently watched an Instagram post that highlighted the “Vietnamese” Coffee as the best in all of SB. In reality, that is far from the case. The first time I ordered it, I was expecting a beverage that tasted similar to an actual Vietnamese coffee. Not only was the drink far too sugary, but I think what Dean serves is wildly unauthentic and culturally insensitive. I say this because after tasting the beverage, it is in no way remotely similar to Vietnamese coffee. After ordering, I asked an employee what was in the Vietnamese coffee. Their reply was a list of ingredients that are actually not even in Vietnamese coffee (e.g. espresso shots, caramel, whole milk) with the exception of the condensed milk. This leads me to believe that the beverage was only named Vietnamese coffee due to the condensed milk. Being Vietnamese myself, I find the naming of this drink highly inappropriate. While I understand that Robusta beans are hard to come by in the US, Dean’s “Vietnamese” Coffee doesn’t even slightly resemble Vietnamese Coffee. I would highly suggest that Dean rename this drink to include the words “inspired” or “
Hesitated about sharing my hidden gem, but what can you do when you find a nice cafe like this? This newly opened cafe hits everything on my checklist - good coffee, great ambience (modern), welcoming baristas, amazing scenery, clean restrooms, sturdy tables, outlets, etc. Definitely a great place to study, get work done, chat with your friends. Fewer people in the mornings, so highly recommend you come in early.
Management is terrible and expensive. Very rude. I remember one time I went and I am hard of hearing, so I didn’t hear my name. When I went to the pick up area to see if my latte was done one of the owners or manager told me very rudely she has been saying my name many times. I tried this coffee shop many other times to give it a second, third, and maybe fourth chance, but the service from the manager and owner is always disappointing. The workers are very nice just to note.
Great coffee
What a great local gem. Experienced it for the first time yesterday. Enjoyed coffee and avocado toast - great Wifi - had a great meeting in the outdoor patio. Add this to your regular coffee shop tour !
Dean seems to be a place for the young and the woke. A coffee shop it is not; at least in the traditional sense. It's a simple, coffee house with simple food, though neither the food or coffee is memorable. However, I would imagine that it's a great place for the upwardly mobile to meet and discuss their latest ideas. The decor is industrial; large, open, clean, and sterile. Fitting since it's in an industrial area. Lots of people inside and out hunched over their laptops. Which reminds me of it's best feature; the large outdoor patio. Plenty of fresh air, but you'll be hearing the woosh of Hollister Avenue, and trying to keep the rickety old patio table from spilling your London Fog tea. Dean's food is easy to prepare, but not the fare you're likely to see at a Panera's. My spouse got avocado, red cabbage, tomatoes, and pepitas on sourdough toast. She said it was kind of good, but the over-toasted sourdough cut her mouth. This Boomer ordered the most basic dish they had: a breakfast sandwich with sausage. Though, I doubt the sausage ever belonged to an animal. It was OK, but the greasy butter covered it and required many napkins. Maybe I was wrong to describe Dean's as Woke. However, their website devotes as much space describing their "Vibe", "Playlist", and community partners as it does its food. OK.
VERY BUSY location, so be aware in case you want to sit down at the location. However, the coffee is great and is always a nice stop for us before road trips. They have plenty of syrups (make sure to ask about them!) and a ton of different unique options. We have always had the most pleasant of service here as well. :)
Dean is the reason I’m out the door before dawn and get in my 5 mile walk, ending at their outdoor patio and sipping THE best no-cream-no-sugar simple cuppa dark roast. It’s worth every step and the decor, art, food and people are top notch.
It is unexpectedly amazing. The coffee is good quality, and the atmosphere is great for work and study. I had not a chance to try the food but it looked amazing and everyone seemed to be there for the bagels and toast sandwiches!
Good atmosphere. I had a americano and it was good. Everything was good overall.
Great cup of drip coffee and at a reasonable price. Staff was friendly and helpful.
A good spot for excellent coffee and freshly made foods. The food items are slightly more expensive than they should be but the egg salad is tasty.
My gf loves the matcha here. A few Ev chargers here aswell.