Spencer Okada, an animator, and Khanh Tran, an interior designer, started Artbean in July 2020, inspired by coffee care packages from Khanh's family in Vietnam. The name blends the two things they love most, art and coffee. Artists are paid upfront to design limited-edition labels, and a wall in the shop shows their work, changing every two months.
The cafe opened on Doyers Street in 2022. A folding glass window opens onto a counter with two stools on a raised steel deck, so drinks are served straight to the street. Red brick lines the left wall and the wall behind the bar, and all seating is outdoors.
