Take A Trip Off The Beaten Path

We drive past The Leaf and Bean as we try to find a parking spot in the overly-crowded, unseasonably sweltering, Strip District. We pass the cute tiny Italian cafes, the cheap street vendors selling savory smelling tacos, and the rowdy Steeler’s playing sports bars, but something about The Leaf and Bean calls to me, it calls to us.

Maybe it is the small black board on the sidewalk, scribbled with the tantalizing phrase—“Live music until 3:00,” or perhaps it is the old men playing checkers on rickety blue metal chairs outside. Or maybe it is just the fact that The Leaf and Bean is a place like no other – a place that sells both coffee and cigars, a place where you can be in two places at once, a place where you can enjoy strangers’ music and company. 

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There are so many people in the Leaf and Bean that you can barely walk in. It’s singer-songwriter Saturdays and there is a grungier, John Mayer look alike playing the guitar. He doesn’t sing. Instead, he shouts funny things into an amplifier which autotunes his voice.  His guitar picking skills making up for his lack of vocal talent.
 
“It’s rainy and cold outside, but it’s like being in Key West in here,” Stan, an older man in a striped button down, who is also a regular, chortles.
 
Two older men in their fifties, maybe late 60s sit and watch the guitarist and smoke cigars. Football is on the TV—Ohio State v Acron. A dreadlocked skeleton drives a motorcycle which hangs from the ceiling. Afficionado Cigar Magaiznes frame the walls. A urinal full of flowers sits on a stool. American flags and Budweiser Flags. Street signs on the coffee bar. A library in the back. A golden lab under the table whines for affection.

 
Stan puffs on his cigar and drinks his iced coffee. He explains that it was three years before he and his wife Sondra stumbled across “the hidden gem of The Leaf and Bean.” They had been shopping in The Strip, and heard music coming from somewhere. “I love the music, and I the love cigars– so we stayed,” Stan says, smiling. He explains that whenever they are in town on a Saturday, you can always find them at The Leaf and Bean.
 
The familial vibe, along with the beach shack ambiance, enhanced with knickknacks and vintage memorabilia, makes for an interesting experience. If you like music and don’t mind cigar smoke, The Leaf and Bean is definitely worth a visit, if not several. Also, if you’re looking for an interesting place to take a date, boyfriend, dad, or just someone who likes to smoke cigars, it is a really unique spot.
 
The Leaf and Bean is on 22^nd St. between Smallman and Liberty Avenue in The Strip.
 
Live Music every Saturday from 11:00-3:00 (entry is free).
 
Enjoy!