Beans and Vines

Beans and vines was my first review on yelp so i recently visited the new location and i thought it was time for an update. I went on a Wednesday and wow it was very packed i'm happy to know that business is doing well. We waited prob less than 5 minutes to sit. From the moment we walked in we were nicely greeted which is very important to me as i have been to restaurants and you're just standing there waiting for someone to assist with tables which can be annoying.

The place is bigger than the first location it has a cool bar at entrance and another one in the dining area. There is also a main dining table that holds about eight to ten people and then some side tables.We sat in the dining area with others and i do prefer to sit away from others but i think it was because they had a section closed for a private event.

The wine selection is pretty cool as the walls are all filled with wine bottles. The food here is in large amounts the salads are huge for my big salad eaters just make sure you tell them you want the dressing on the side if you do not want it all mix in. The appetizer i ordered with a friend was the "chicken sate" this was larger than i expected. The chicken i found delicious the peanut-butter and coconut sauce was interesting a bit sweet wasn't my thing but i enjoyed trying it. The entrees my friend and i share the pasta primavera with shrimp and the lobster ravioli both were very good and a lot in quantity. I had the lobster ravioli the first time they open here and it was perfect i found it a little more saltier this time but it was still very good. I will love to come back for appetizers and drinks the setting is very intimate but casual

Place is still beautiful, vibes is still right, they have communal style tables, and alot of tables for two, along with some group tables. I say if you just want to make a visit for two, then definitely make a reservation. When I made a visit this time, I missed the happy hour but the drinks are so good here that I didn't care that I had to pay $10.00 for a margarita. It was the best darn one I had, and I had plenty. I also ordered the lobster ravioli and when I tell you how buttery and delicious it was, oh my goodness I get so weak just talking about it. If you follow me or my see my reviews you will see alot of future check-ins from me, either because of their happy hour or because of that lobster ravioli.
I didn't really care for the dessert but, at this point Beans and Vines can do no wrong. The service is always great and I always leave here happy. Round of applause to you guys, and the chef. A great gem in the neighborhood.

LOVE IT! Brand new location. Interior and decor looks nice. Portion size looks large, which is true, but the way they organize food on smaller plates kind of tricks your eye. One thing is it takes a while for the food to come out. So sit back and relax and patiently wait for your meal while you smell your neighbor's dish.

Chimi panini with salad - the Mustard/mayo sauce was lovely. I liked how they flavored their chicken. If I were to nitpick, the bread they used looked exactly like the ones you get at shoprite (sandwich thins).

Grilled shrimp tostada appetizer - got it on a bed of salad with zucchini, asparagus, and 4-5 jumbo shrimps. Looks like an own entree!

Portuguese octopus - surprisingly soft, not as chewy as expected. Tomato sauce on point.

For dessert I had the Chocolate lava cake (currently not on menu) but highly recommended! Be sure to ask for it!A couple words that comes to mind when I took a bite out of it was - Heaven, Rich, chocolately!
I wish the chocolate lava would be warmer which would complement well with the ice cream. But if you're not a chocolate person their pudding bread is the next popular choice!

Here's hoping they open another location in jersey so I can frequent it more! Hope for lots of success here, my tastebuds got along quite well at this restaurant.

Absolutely fantastic food--I have *never* had a bad meal here. You can tell this place is run by people who truly love what they do. They also have an extensive wine list at all different price points. Inwood's best kept secret. Very reasonably priced as well! Service is always top notch. I have moved away from the neighborhood but every time I go back for a visit, I have a meal here.

Cute location for a date night. I had their "gourmet chimi" and it was tasty and cooked well. And their yuca fries are great as well, not many places have good quality yuca fries!! I've ate here about 5 times and will continue to do so :)

The price are very high for the median income but worth it ! The service presentation and quality of food is excellent!

So good and bad things here.

The good: food was delicious. I took myself out to brunch and decided to get a duck quesadilla, veggies, and passion fruit juice. The eggplant tapanade was a little salty, but the veggies were wonderfully done. Also, the decor is quite nice, even if lightig is a little dim.

The bad: I was the only person in the restaurant and service was... Not optimal. There was a lot of waiting and waiting and confusion about payment (how to apply the Yelp review, how to run the credit card machine). But not bad!

I'm sorry, what? If I could I would give this place 0 stars...can someone explain the hype for this place to me because literally everything missed the mark on my end. Where do I start...first, they have a small outpost a block away for takeout only. I went inside the restaurant and an employee informed me he would be heading that way anyways so to follow him. On the way there I asked if they took credit and he just said yes. When he charged me for the panini which was $12, the receipt said $13 and change. I'm not one to fight about a dollar and change, that's not the problem. The problem is you HAVE to inform that there's a surcharge! The outpost is a deli basically and I didn't think it would be considered a restaurant ie have a surcharge when it's $10+. I've never worked a day in my life in the food industry but this is literally just common courtesy. No I did not mention it because I'm not one to start a fuss but it would've been greatly appreciated.

Now, the food. I didn't opt for their "special chimi burger" but maybe I should've. I ordered a simple roasted turkey panini and not only did it take well over 20 minutes which I find hard to believe it takes that much time, but it was appalling. There was nothing inherently wrong with the turkey, red peppers, and pesto sauce, except for the fact that it was extremely bland. The bread, however, was rock solid (and not in the good way lol) and literally crumbled in every bite. Inwood does have much better alternatives for a quick bite such as the Broadyke Meat Market, Beans and Vines is just definitely not one of them.

Come here if your group is looking for an intimate setting for conversations.
Come here if your friend needs to calm down from the drama and needs those $5 happy hour mojitos or margaritas.
Come here if you want to chill by the candle lights.

This is the place for calm people - or people who need more peace in their lives. There are plentiful options for food and drinks.

Group of 6 of us came around 5:30PM on a Thursday. Only a couple tables were taken. We were seated at the corner of the restaurant. The happy hour deals (5-7pm, $5 mojitos and margaritas, $4 draft beer, wine maybe) is wonderful. The mojitos are delicious - regular and flavored ones. The passion fruit mojito tastes like you are biting into ripe passion fruit and that's always great.

Appetizers
Guacamole ($10) 's plantain chips are super crunchy, if you like that. Of course, it is the perfect vehicle for dipping.

Cornmeal dusted calamari ($12) is delicious - it's perfectly cooked to give best chewing experience. If you close your eyes and chew the calamari, you can almost see the process that it was prepared for you. Hot frying oil. Liberally seasoned cornmeal. The slow-motion action of being flown in the air and the bowl for optimal surface coat. I wasn't the biggest fan of the sauce, but the cornmeal exterior is so yummy that I didn't even mind the slow service. Loved every bite.

Entrees
Sea bass ($28) - good chunk of sea bass. The highlight of this dish is the creamed spinach. It is the source of all flavor on this plate. You might think the sea bass is bland, but when you dip that white meat onto the bed of liquidified spinach, you'll inhale all that juicy meat. Plus it's fish so you don't feel guilty (except for the overfishing part but this is wild caught so it's not too awful).

Pork chop ($19) - it's pork chop. It's a huge pork chop. It's slightly dry, but the caramelized baby carrots will pick you right up.

Octopus ($24) - it's smaller in portion size, but it is NOT chewy. It is tender and delicate. It's like butter, but purple.

Spaghetti and chicken ($19), salmon ($24), chicken breast with salad ($14) - basic but trustworthy. Can't go wrong.

Dessert
Flan ($9?) - so good. SO GOOD. This flan has been authenticated by my domincan friend who says it is SO GOOD. I finished it by myself so I didn't have time/space/energy to take a bite of other people's.

Lovely lovely dinner. Slow service. You will have to track down your server, but when you do she/he will be super sweet.

This is only for their takeout place:

I've loved their Southwestern Chicken Caesar Salad. But two things that've made me stopped purchasing them: Not giving the common courtesy to tell their customers that there is a surcharge to their order if they don't pay by cash. Secondly, them raising their prices 8%-15% the last 18 months. Paying over $17 for their salad has now been costly and have seen myself not eat there as much as I use to. Granted, inflation is going in the economy, but this place isn't located on the Upper East/West Side to be charging at their current prices. Sadly, their value is long gone from what they use to be