I’m sticking with the naming convention of calling the Beany Greens by the train station that they are closest to. So although this, the fourth of the Beany Greens (if you count Daisy Green as the first), is in the Regent’s Place development, I’m calling it the Euston Beany Green to go with Paddington (Sheldon Square/Little Venice), Liverpool Street (Broadgate Circle) and South Bank/Festival Hall (midway between Waterloo and Charing Cross).

Regent’s Place itself is a couple of streets west of Euston. Set back a little from the busy Euston Road, Beany Green is on the pedestrianised Brock Street, connecting Regent’s Square to Hampstead Road to the east. It’s also right on top of Warren Street tube station and around the corner from Euston Square (which is between it and Euston Station).

The smallest of the permanent Beanies, it might have the most comfortable seats, which is a shame since 95% of the trade (based on my visits) is takeaway. It’s also got a nice, sheltered, shady outdoor seating area on the pedestrianised street-front. There’s the same Beany Green goodness though, with innovative, healthy food offerings and excellent coffee from The Roasting Party, although space limitations mean it’s espresso-based only.

August 2016: I updated my piece on the Beany Green branch at Euston, now called Beany Green, Regent’s Place. This is the original write-up published in July 2015. For an up-to-date description, please see the updated entry, while you can see what’s changed in my Coffee Spot Update on Beany Green.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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In contrast to the multi-faceted spaces at Daisy Green or the new Beany Green at Liverpool Street, the Euston Beany has a very simple layout. With its essentially square floor plan and incredibly high ceiling, it’s pretty much a cube. The counter, a lovely, tiled affair, is on the right, running the full length of the store, with a slight L-shape at the bottom for the espresso machine. What seating there is, you’ll find on the left.

As you come in, there’s a wooden window-bar with four high, red bar chairs. Opposite the counter, a long, padded couch-seat, perhaps the most comfortable seat in all Beany-land, runs along the left-hand wall, with five two-person tables in front of it. If you fancy sitting outside, three round tables, plus a pair of the usual Beany Green banana deckchairs, grace the set-back seating area on the sheltered, pedestrianised Brock Street.

Inside it’s incredibly bright, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows, punctured by huge double-doors (also glass), making it wall-to-wall glass at the front. On the off-chance its dark outside, numerous light-bulbs hang from the ceiling. I lost count when I ran out of fingers and toes. Best of all, are the two massive Shuby artworks (The Rawhide Trail), one on the wall behind the counter and the other on the opposite wall above the seating.

Although easily the smallest of the four Beany Greens (the one on the South Bank doesn’t count for the purposes of this size comparison), there are very few concessions to the range of Beany Green goodness on offer. For example, there’s a slightly smaller amount of cake on display than at the likes of Paddington, Liverpool Street and the original Daisy Green, while the coffee is limited to espresso-based drinks.

If you’ve come for food, there are, in order along the counter: wraps, fruit, salads (so many salads) and then, clustered around the till, cake, not forgetting the famous banana bread and its slightly less famous gluten-free cousin, the coconut bread. The counter is rounded off by the espresso machine, (which these days proudly carries the Fact of the Day), facing you at the bottom of the L, forming the perfect termination point of a natural progression along the counter.

It’s a friendly, busy place, with lots of locals and a buzzing atmosphere. Although I was relatively new to the Euston Beany, it turned out that I knew lots of the staff. For example, on my second visit, Chrissy, one of my regular baristas from Paddington was on (having jumped ship to Euston), plus Holly, the sister of Suzy, the manager from Paddington, and Georgia, who was the only one I didn’t know/know of.

On my first visit, I was just there for coffee, having a (typically) lovely flat white. However, I returned for lunch and had an amazing salad of a stuffed red pepper, plus one each of the four salads on offer, providing a really crunchy, tasty mix. Naturally, I followed it up with one of Chrissy’s flat whites.

I know I don’t focus too much on the food, but it is worth saying that Beany Green (and Daisy Green) does some amazing food. It’s really healthy and innovative, making a change from the usual run-of-the-mill offerings you get at some (but not all) coffee shops.

You can also see what I made of all the other branches of Beany Green that I’ve visited. Beany Green won the 2015 Coffee Spot Happiest Staff Award was a runner-up for the  Best Takeaway Coffee Award.

Disclaimer: In the second half of 2015, Beany Green launched a bond to fund its future expansion. I invested in this bond, and, like all bond-holders, receive free coffee as a reward. This Coffee Spot was published before the bond was launched.