Stops We Like: Backyard Beans Coffee Company

(2021) Of all the menu items I’ve read, Backyard Beans Coffee Company in Lansdale’s sandwich called the Meat Treat sticks out in my mind. A small coffee cafe company with two locations (the second being Ambler), Backyard Beans Coffee Company is the kind of place built for cyclists. It’s been used by the Instigators group ride as a starting point. Or, like today, it was a destination point for an out-and-back.

A roll from our office, the route to Backyard Beans in Lansdale was a thick application of SEPTA train views. The trains parallel the route, cross the route on a diagonal, and finally force us to navigate several train track crossings in Lansdale before the cafe comes into view. A tucked away storefront faithfully on the corner of Main Street and Wood Street, Backyard Beans invites you to look beyond the facade and into its modern open setting.

Before going into the cafe, the cycling presence is evident. An adjacent alley is stocked with tables and chairs smartly spaced. Here the bike was parked amongst two others. A cyclist at the nearest table gave a greeting. The bike would be safe with him. Off I went into the store for the motivator - Punch in the Face nitro cold brew.

The inside of Backyard Beans Coffee Company in Lansdale is open, airy, and welcoming.

Gaining access into the cafe is quick. Just as quickly there was a greeting followed by a quick order from what can only be perceived as a command center. The ordering station occupies the main room. Glance beyond the workers to see a room in the back where people were seated, laptops open, munching or sipping away. With a careful tap pull, Punch in the Face was dispensed into a plastic cup and I made my way back to my bike. In perfect timing, my trusty bike guard was packing his pockets to head out to wherever by bike. Even the other bike had been taken away in the short order time.

So there I was sipping on a Punch in the Face nitro, curiously adorned with ice cubes, soaking in an ever-increasing sunshine. Two tables were taken, one turned over in the short time it took to gulp the refreshing cold brew. I don’t spring for heavy meals at mid-ride stops so the Meat Treat would have to be reserved for a later time, perhaps a treat for finishing an Instigators ride. Is it possible to work up enough appetite for a breakfast sandwich that runs the possibility of sausage, bacon, and scrapple all in one? 

With its ease of access, Backyard Beans Coffee Company in Lansdale, PA, is a great starting point or stopover for cycling. It’s about time I got over to the cafe. As I packed up, a patron walked by with a six pack of nitro coffee in light roast. Now look at me. One visit and I have managed to promise an order of a nitro six pack and a blitzy Meat Treat. Better stop here before more gets added and the team car is called on account of too much food.