There’s nothing like a great local café, exactly what we find when we visit Three Beans in Elanora.
Opened late in 2020, Three Beans is tucked away in suburbia in the very village-like 19th Avenue Shopping Centre. There it has a bright and airy corner position, the perfect welcoming space for any local to stop for a ‘sip and nourish’ break – comfortable without being cutting edge. Already, on our visit, it’s filled with locals, not a tourist in sight.
The second franchise store in Queensland, Three Beans is decorated in pale greens with comfortable outdoor wicker chairs. The store is lit by cane pendant light shades over the servery and a large Toulouse-Lautrec-like vintage painting on the back wall, a woman holding bunches of fresh fruit, its subtle message in clear view for patrons to see.
The all-day menu covers all bases. Food is well-prepared and tasty with a healthy twist to the menu. Vegan and gluten-free dishes are clearly marked and there are toasties and a brekkie board for the kids, as well as fries.
Pricing is also a local incentive. A slice of Burleigh Baker’s sourdough with jam will set you back $4.50, Avo on toast $9 or eggs on toast $10 and from there it ranges up through bowls, burgers and sandwiches, all dishes priced up to $16.50, nothing over. There’s even a Happy Hour from 11am to 2pm daily when wine and beer cost a neat $5, and a cheeseburger $8. Almost retro!
We try a few dishes and are particularly impressed with the duo of Fish tacos filled with freshly crumbed fish, salsa, fresh chilli, coleslaw and sriracha aioli ($12).
If you can tear yourself away from Banoffee Butterbing cookies in the display cabinet, the Three Beans signature Banana Bread is also noteworthy. It’s served toasted and topped with mascarpone and summer berries, making lunch for one local, accompanied by a rich dark Three Beans brew. Order it half-strength if you like a weaker coffee.
Like much of the food, the banana bread has been made in the group’s central Sydney kitchen. That’s also where the chicken has been roasted, feta marinated and mayonnaise, jam, lemon curd, dressings and dips all handmade.
This is not just about quality control. There’s more to it than that. This may be ‘just a local’, but it’s all about inner goodness rather than appearance. Do a little reading and you’ll find that there are some pretty high ideals driving Three Beans, referred to at the end of the menu.
The philosophy of the Three Beans brand is ‘Coffee, Vanilla and Mung’ (beans) or, in plainer language, great sustainable coffee (Coffee), the purest of ingredients (Vanilla), and avoiding preservatives and additives (Mung). Avoiding animal cruelty also scores high on the agenda (although it’s not a bean).
Cooperatively sourcing much of their produce through their Sydney base, we are eating Lilydale free-range chicken, Rhodes free-range eggs, Borrowdale free-range ham, organic additive-free drinks, juices and teas, with milk from Riverina Dairies. Take away packaging is eco-friendly, 100% bio-degradable.
Why? Because Three Beans’ founders believe that, besides being better for the environment, well-sourced organic produce simply tastes better. We can’t argue with that philosophy!
Three Beans Elanora, Cnr 19th Ave & Angelica St, Palm Beach Ph: 0473 630 783 Open daily from 6am – 4.30 (Mon – Fri), 6am – 3pm (Sat – Sun)