Spartanburg speakeasy-style coffee shop opens in burger, bakery basement | Spartanburg Business

SPARTANBURG — A speakeasy themed coffee shop is now located in the basement of a 1931 Prohibition-era art deco cottage.

Owners of The Hidden Bean, Mike and Deana Okun, have renovated the basement of their burger restaurant on the west side of Spartanburg to give customers a blast from the past.

All photos on the wall capture Spartanburg in the 1930s. The walls are painted black and the windows are stained glass. Next to the fireplace, a red light over one of the doors plays up the speakeasy theme.

“When you come here, you’re getting more than just a cup of coffee, you’re getting an experience,” Mike Okun said.

The soft opening for The Hidden Bean was on May 19, and the owners are preparing for a grand opening in a few weeks. It is located at 8881 Warren H. Abernathy Highway.

The Hidden Bean has drip coffee, Americanos, lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, traditional Miami-style Cubanos and loose leaf hot teas. The shop is supplied with coffee from a local roaster Mozza Roasters.

The owners said they wanted to add tea because it’s an important part of their Asian and European cultural backgrounds. Mike Okun lived in Miami for 24 years and wanted to introduce a popular Cuban-style coffee, cortadito, to Spartanburg.

Mike Okun said the space the coffee shop is in was used for storage and was once a family room, and the other portion of the coffee shop was once a one car garage. The Hidden Bean is also the retail location for the owners’ organic, soy wax candle business called Blue Azalea Candle Co.

“One of the unique things about being in an open house is there’s a lot of areas where you can create these individual really cool spaces,” said Mike Okun.

In 2020, Mike and Deana Okun opened Burgers & Bakery. The restaurant is located in a house that was built in 1931.

“People love burgers and people love desserts, so why not just make it together,” said Deana Okun.

Deana Okun makes tiramisu, cheesecake, banana pudding, cobblers and pies. She said she makes a lot of European-style desserts from places such as Russia, Poland, Germany and Italy.

“Right now, I have about 300 different desserts,” Deana Okun said.

The Okuns are expanding their brand in Inman next year with Burgers Inc. into the second location of Holliday Brewing that’s set to open in 2023. 

The Hidden Bean is currently open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.