Five Reasons to Visit Peekskill’s BeanRunner Café

Last week, we asked Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch readers to name their favorite spot to have lunch in town. Of course, our lunch-loving readers mentioned hot spots such as and . But the place that got the most mentions was BeanRunner Café, the dining/entertainment spot on the corner of S. Division St. and Esther St.

Just in case you are not familiar with the Bean Runner Café, here are the top five reasons you might want to stop by.

 5) You can enjoy a chat with the owner.

Ted Bitter is a native of Jamaica who moved to the Peekskill 17 years ago.  The former track and field runner, who now coaches The Westchester Striders, has transformed an abandoned building into a thriving business that has just a few hints of his Caribbean roots.  “Even the colors here are very subtly red green and gold, [colors associated with Jamaica],” he tells us. “It’s very subtle.  I didn’t want to go strictly Rasta. You have to really look to see it…but it is there.”  Bitter also incorporates his love of track and field throughout the menu, which includes choices such as the Olympic Mile, the 200 Meter, and The Stadium.

 4) Your children can have fun in the kids' room.

While mom and dad are enjoying a quiet talk over coffee, the children can have a blast playing in the kids' room. The colorful room is packed with toys that will keep the little ones entertained.  “The kids' room was not originally meant to be a kids' room,” Bitter tells us. “It was meant to be a rental space, but kids came in and wanted to play and the room was empty. I let them play and it evolved into a play room. I started to put toys in there, mostly given to us by parents!”

 3) You will be soothed by the atmosphere -- and the art.

“The atmosphere in the main dining room is warm and serene,” Bitter says. “We have great quiet background music. It’s the perfect place to eat and have a talk because it’s not too loud. It doesn’t disturb you…It is soothing to the spirit that’s a big part of creating the atmosphere for me.”  Something else that adds to the atmosphere in the casual-yet-tasteful space?  The  artwork! “There’s art all over the place.  It is visually very beautiful,” Bitter says. Every six weeks, the café changes the paintings on the walls to feature a different artist. “I did not want to have just a set of pictures on the wall that was stagnant…[The exhibits] are now well known in the area.”

 2) You will be tempted by the menu.

The Bean Runner café serves paninis, specialty soups, salads, wraps, and more. Their sandwiches include the Caesar’s High Jump (Caribbean chicken, parmesan cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato, and Caesar dressing on a panini) and the Javelin Throw (Grilled red pepper, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese and basil with a splash of Italian dressing on a spinach wrap.) The soups are also a hit. “Our most popular soup year round is the Chicken Sausage Jambalaya,” Bitter said. “The soup that is popular for the summer is the Chilled Gazpacho. All of the soups are terrific.” There’s also an espresso bar – and the café serves real fruit smoothies and desserts.  Beer and wine is also on the menu.

 1) You will enjoy live music on the weekends.

BeanRunner Café welcomes live musicians on Friday and Saturday nights, but Bitter says it isn’t the typical bar setting. “It’s not a bar where people come and drink and laugh and talk while music is being played in the background. It’s a small performing hall…people come to hear the musicians we book,” he says.  The BeanRunner has become such a popular venue in town, there’s now a long waiting list of musicians wanting to play on its small stage. “Right now, I have well over 150 musicians waiting to be booked from all over the tri-state area,” Bitter says.

 The BeanRunner Café is located at 201 South Division Street. It is open daily.

Editor's note: This article has been adjusted to reflect that Mr. Bitter moved to Peekskill 17 years ago.