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3 years ago
Pub crawls are passé; everyone's coffee crawling these days
Consider aesthetic cafes your antidote to WFH mundanity.
Calling one-day-a-week office types and freelancers: if you know your DPD delivery times a little too well and your neighbours’ murmurings a little too distinctly, it’s time to look beyond the four walls of your ‘office’ (bedroom).
Escape the tediums of working from home (hanging laundry) – at the coffee shop, it’s just you, your laptop and your bean juice. It’s your one-stop shop to bust the daily mundanities and inspire your most creative work. And who’s to say you have to stick to your local cafes? Use it as a way to explore the different boroughs of London, and before long you’ll be well and truly out of your working from home rut.
Things to consider: good, stable Wi-Fi (without those one hour time limits, the worst), plugs (essential), as well as the aesthetics and atmosphere. Consider this your tried and tested guide to finding the coolest cafes to work from in the capital.
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Best For: Lovers of Monocle magazine who love independent businesses and the printed page.
Why Go? Have a flick through the magazines and beautifully crafted coffee table books on show. There’s nice chic lounge areas for those who work best in upholstered furnishings.
The Down Low: Since this cafe is an aesthete’s dream, it’s an often busy space, so best to avoid the peak times. 18 Chiltern Street, W1U. cafe.monocle.com
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Best For: Those into dried flowers, zero waste, and that earthy aesthetic.
Why Go? A gorgeous cafe that overlooks the Clapham Common park, you’ll be quickly sold by the wooden mis-match furniture, tables aplenty, and all-round soothing vibes. With all sorts of delicious pastries, and banana bread style cakes, you’ll never really want to leave. They also have a little gift shop on the side of the cafe that sells eco-friendly gifts, cards and homeware. The Grade II historic site was formerly a chemists store, which adds a certain charm too.
The Down Low:Â There are plenty of charges around, but you’re encouraged to work for no more than a couple of hours, so this isn’t one for a full day stint. It’s open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 9 pm, and Saturday it is 8 am to 10 pm, and Sunday 9 pm to 9 pm. Note the evenings are for dining, not coffee. 17 The Pavement Clapham SW40HY. commonclapham.com
Image courtesy of @commonclapham
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Best For: Those into biophilia and aesthetic cafes, and love a good procrastination park walk.
Why Go? With floor-to-ceiling windows, take in the park runners, ancient trees, babies in prams, all the comings and goings of Battersea Park. It’s also fortunate they also happen to make fabulous coffee. Gaze onto the lake (which the cafe is adjacent to) and you’ll be sure to get the creative juices flowing.
The Down Low:Â Chargers are available to the tables next to the walls, and it’s not usually heaving during the week, so you should be fine to take a table. The cafe is a mix of families, runners, and all the rest of it, so don’t come expecting total peace as a disclaimer. Lakeside Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ. peartreecafe.co.uk
Best For: Oat-flat-white-freelancers who are contagious to good energy in a place. This one’s to soak up creative vibes.
Why Go? If you’re wanting a quieter, more residential cafe, with an effortlessly rustic shabby chic vibe, this one is for you.
The Down Low:Â Open from Monday to Friday 8am to 3pm, on Saturday and Sunday, it’s open 9am to 3pm. 111 Brixton Hill SW2. stircoffee.co.uk
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Best For: Slick contemporary art enthusiasts with a penchant for people watching who love to gaze out at London’s skyline.
Why Go? Come for the city views, and stay for the infectious buzz of working in the artistic hub in central London.
The Down Low: It’s temporarily closed until further notice, we’ll be updating this page as soon as we hear more.
Level 1, Natalie Bell Building, Tate Modern, SE1 9TG. tate.org
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Best For: Lovers of dance and those who like being in the bustle of central London with views of Covent Garden.
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Why Go? Head to the Royal Opera House, but don’t head downstairs to the cafe at the bottom, go upstairs up to their heated outdoor terrace where a coffee is only ÂŁ2.90. Plus, if you’re needing a five minute break, have a peruse around the original dresses and point shoes previously worn by the dancers that are on display.
The Down Low: Opening times are dependent on performances. Plugs aren’t easy to come by so not recommended for a long work stint. Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD. roh.org.uk
Image courtesy of Hufton+Crow
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Best For: Those wanting a proper stint of work (ÂŁ10 for unlimited coffees for the day), and be amongst plants and bright light windows.
Why Go? This one’s a money saver if you’re a regular frequenter of co-working coffee shops, as they offer a ÂŁ50 fee for unlimited coffees for a month, which actually, isn’t half bad at all.
The Down Low:Â Working hours at Canova, from Monday to Thursday 8am til 12am, Friday its 8am to 2am, Saturday it’s 9am to 2am, Sunday is 9am to 11pm. No need to book in advance, full details here.
www.canovahall.com
Best For: Lovers of art history and dark academia looking for inspiration.
Why Go? If you’re craving a bit of calm in your 9-5 (and a bit of ecclesiastical drama), with its high ceilings, and superlative coffee, The Wren Coffee, out of all aesthetic cafes, is where you should head first.
The Down Low:Â The Wren Coffee is open from 7am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday (note on Thursdays, it’s 7:00 to 12:45 and 2pm to 4:30pm). Yes, there are chargers, but only on the few tables next to the walls.
The Wren Coffee, St Nicholas Cole Abbey, EC4V 4BJ. thewrencoffee.com
Image courtesy of The Wren Coffee
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