This past Saturday I had the opportunity to partake in the grand opening of the new Leaf & Bean by Island Jim in St. Augustine FL. If this name sounds familiar it’s because it’s the sister shop to the original Leaf & Bean in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania owned by Island Jim Robinson. In fact, Island Jim told me, he is now a resident of Florida and his face will be seen often at the Saint Augustine location. Of course, Jim has a partner in this business, so Jim’s job is really to show his face while his partner in the business manages the day-to-day operations. The lounge opening kept getting pushed back for various reasons which they ultimately made light of with these cool Staff shirts. Originally planned to open in February 2024, then March, then April, and finally here we are in May.
As for the location of the lounge, it is located just across the Bridge of Lions, right on Anastasia Ave on the northern tip of Anastasia Island. So, Jim now truly has a lounge on an island. The exact location is 113 Anastasia Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080.
It took me just over 2 hours to drive from my home to the lounge. The lounge is easy to find cause you can’t miss the sign. It is located right next door to the Historic Inn hotel. The building itself, dates back to the 1950s I’m told and it has been used for various businesses most recently a restaurant – which was a blessing for the build out as they only needed to build a walk-in humidor and set up the outside patio area. The bar and seating areas were already in place.
As this being a major event, parking was a premium, but I was able to find a spot on Gerado St. just a half block away. The lounge does have a parking lot in the front, and I am told patrons can also use the Anastasia Family Care parking lot during non-business hours.
Walking up to the lounge, you can’t help but take in the stone and Spanish architecture of the building and the large outside patio which has a patio shade on the left side in case of inclement weather (it is Florida). It should be noted that this is a dog friendly establishment, so bring your “fur baby” with you and enjoy a fine cigar and beverage.
Once you enter the lounge you’ll notice it’s fairly expansive. There is a large bar with ample seating off to the left, numerous hi-top tables with chairs throughout, in addition to a number of booths that were from the restaurant previously. I found the seating at the tables to be comfortable. From what I saw, the rest of the seating areas were just as inviting.
The lounge has only a beer and wine license, so you won’t be able to get a cocktail, whiskey or rum – but the selection of beer and wine should suffice you just fine. Let’s not forget the fact that this is the Leaf & Bean, so you can also get a fine cup of coffee. As a Guinness drinker I was pleased to see they have the creamy dark brew on tap.
Moving to the humidor, the team did an awesome job building out the walk-in humidor. I was told there is about 300 or so facings int he humidor that cover everything from large popular brands, to select boutique brands and of course all Island Jim brands and those made by Oscar Valladares. Some of the other small brands that can be found are GTO and Catelli.
I spent a good part of the day in the lounge and found the staff to be very attentive, always emptying ashtrays and asking if you need anything. The air quality was good as they have a few rabbit air units around the lounge. I didn’t notice any major smoke eaters hanging from the ceiling.
As I do with all my lounge reviews, I like to see how clean the bathroom is. The Leaf & Bean has two bathrooms in the back of the lounge. One is clearly marked and is for general use and is not gender specific. The other was not as clearly marked but it was available. The bathroom was super clean with no debris on the floor and even the ashtray on the sink was clean. Kudos to the staff for keeping up with the cleanliness.
Overall, my visit to the Leaf & Bean – St. Augustine was enjoyable and it was my pleasure to participate in celebrating the grand opening. The crowd was fun and inclusive. I even met some folks that came all the way from Cincinnati to join Jim and his family for the opening. There was a food truck that served up some fine Latin Food including Cuban Sandwiches. For the day of the event, you could get a token for $10.00 at the bar and that got you any meal on the menu from the food truck.
A Little Extra
I would also like to give a shout out to Wayne Wohlford from VikingPicks.com who was showcasing some of his handmade, artistic Cigar Picks. They are the only Patent Pending picks out there. Each pick is handcrafted and twisted steel so that the cigar does not spin around on the pick.
YEA WE ALL HAD FUN!! Congratulations Island Jim!
Leaf & Bean by Island Jim – Location and Contact Info
- Address: 113 Anastasia Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080
- Phone: 904 615-1413
- Hours of Operation:
| Sunday | 10 AM–6 PM |
| Monday | 10 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM–11 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM–11 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM–11 PM |
