Coffee group drops anchor on West Babylon waterfront
A waterfront café and grill run by the operators of the Bean coffeehouse chain has opened at the docks at the foot of Bergen Avenue in West Babylon.
Low Tide Bean opened at 605 Bergen Ave. over Memorial Day weekend, according to co-owner Julia Lagerstedt. A sister business to the Bean coffeehouses, it occupies the former South Swell space, the waterfront counterpart to Babylon Village’s Swell Taco.
The café sits at Bergen Bay Docks, a working waterfront stop at the end of Bergen Avenue where boaters can pull in for fuel, bait, tackle and ice before heading out to the Great South Bay. Low Tide serves as the docks’ food operation, the role South Swell filled in previous summers.
Low Tide Bean pairs the Bean’s coffee menu with a full grill. Breakfast includes bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, açaí bowls, overnight oats, bagels and baked goods, while the lunch menu lists a smashburger at $15.95, pickle-brine wings at $11.50 and chicken tenders and fries at $10.95. Grab-and-go sandwiches are stocked in a refrigerated case. Signature drinks include an Arnold Palmer with raspberry syrup, a coconut-and-pistachio iced latte and an Americano with honey, brown sugar and cinnamon. Guests are seated outdoors at tables along the water, and the owners gave the space a nautical, coastal look before opening.
The café is the newest venture from the group behind the Bean coffeehouses, which trace their roots to 1992 and run locations in Babylon, North Babylon, Bay Shore and Sayville under partners Sal Gervasi and brothers Charlie and Michael Ferrara. Gervasi took over the Babylon shop in 2010. The group has repeatedly moved longtime staff into ownership of its newer stores, and a grill-forward format is not new for the operators; the North Babylon Bean runs a full kitchen that sets it apart from their coffee-only shops.
Lagerstedt worked at the Babylon Bean for six years before taking on the new location, which is open daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. through its first summer on the water.
