The 11 Best New York City Coffee Shops For Freelancers

I’m so excited to be bringing you all this highly requested blog post. As I’m sure many of you know, I’m currently freelancing and I often work out of coffee shops when I have to get stuff done, but not every coffee shop is ideal for laptop dwellers.

In fact I’ve even gone through a truly awkward scenario where I purchased food and a coffee and as it was being prepared I tried to log on to the shop’s WiFi...only to realize that they didn’t have any!

So I decided it was time, once and for all to put together a list of some of the best places to work in NYC if you’re a freelancer or blogger because I tried Googling it and I couldn’t find any posts about the best coffee shops to work in in NYC.

These are all coffee shops tried and tested by yours truly. I mostly stick to Brooklyn and Manhattan and I’m sure I haven’t found every single amazing spot for freelancers to work out of (and if you have any, please leave them in the comments!) but every one of these has been great to me. Each spot on this list has WiFi, a bathroom and friendly employees who work there.

Some spots I’ve worked at for two hours at a time and some I’ve camped out at all day and I hope that no matter how long you’re there that this post saves you a few minutes either scrolling through Yelp reviews trying to get some answers or time that you would have spent scoping these shops out in person. If you’re looking for the best cafes to work in in NYC, you’ve come to the right place.

Brooklyn

Breukelen Coffee House - Crown Heights
764 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Not only does this place have all of the essentials, but it really feels like a place where people are encouraged to come and camp out all day. Their matcha latte was delicious and they also have food (I’d definitely recommend the bacon, egg, and cheese croissant) and it felt like a community of other freelancers who could spread out and get shit done with outlets galore.

Woops! - Williamsburg
548 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

If you have a love of hard work and a sweet tooth, you’ll love spending the day working at Woops! Located right of the Bedford Ave L, this coffee shop is such a splendid place to post up for a while and get things done. You can grab a table or some of the seating by the window and nibble on macarons as you work.

Hungry Ghost - Williamsburg
721 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

I’ve been loving the newest location of this coffee chain. It’s clean, the staff are friendly, and there are a ton of places to plop yourself as you get work done. If you want an outlet, make sure to claim a spot with a stool against the wall you don’t run out of juice. Ironically I actually don’t love their coffee but they make a mean matcha.

Devoición - Williamsburg
69 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

I would say that Devoción makes the best coffee on this list, because who can resist that Colombian blend? Other than that, this is a great spot to bring your laptop to and grab a small bite as you work. Just as a heads up, they don’t offer WiFi on weekends (specifically to deter laptop-dwellers)

Sey Coffee - Bushwick
18 Grattan St, Brooklyn, NY 11206

This is probably one of my favorite spots to get some work done. This Bushwick coffee shop is bright and filled with plants and feels like a place that welcomes everyone whether you want to meet up with a friend for a cold brew or get some work done solo. You may have to move around a bit to get a seat by an outlet but it’s not impossible if you’re patient.

Odd Fox - Greenpoint
984 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

This is my most recent and most delightful discovery when it comes to places to work in Brooklyn. Odd Fox GETS IT. Every table has a sign on it that says “this is a shared table and no bags on chairs,” which makes it super freelancer friendly. Plus, there’s an adorable garden out back where you can sit and work. I would just recommend bug spray if you go outside because a mosquito found me and would not leave me alone.

Rose Wolf Coffee - East Williamsburg
867 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

This spot is a recent addition to my neighborhood and I’ve only been once but I am already in love. The seating area is separate from the coffee counter so you can really get shit done. They’ve got great coffee as well as some vegan and gluten-free pastries to snack on too. Plus, it’s women-owned, which I love.

Manhattan

Spreadhouse - Lower East Side
116 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

Is there anything more satisfying than a coffee house with tons of rugs, lots of random places to plop and excellent lattes? Literally no, so look no further than Spreadhosue. They have food and tables and it’s a shop that I return to over and over again for the good vibes and good coffee.

Cha Cha Matcha (Broome St + Chelsea)
373 Broome St, New York, NY 10013

During the weekend this pink and green paradise is packed with tourists, but throughout the week it’s a great place to work. The Flatiron location is newer and definitely has more outlets than the SoHo location but you can still make it work in SoHo. Don’t order your average coffee—get the pink drink, the divine drink, or the matcha lemonade to spice it up a bit. The music can be loud but if you have headphones you’re fine. *The Nolita location doesn’t have WiFi or a bathroom!!*

Joe & the Juice (any location but if I had to choose go to the SoHo one)
67 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Every trendy New Yorker will at some point in their lives get a beverage from Joe & the Juice. This Copenhagen-born chain has pretty reliable shops when it comes to outlets, WiFi and high-energy employees. I definitely recommend the SoHo location off of Spring Street since sometimes models like to hang out there and it can be fun to people watch. The music here can be extremely loud so just keep that in mind.

Max Caffe - Harlem
1262 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

One of the few reasons I’ll ever trek back uptown to Columbia territory is to get some work done at Max Caffe. Max Caf knows what’s up. There are tons of couches and tables, a reasonable amount of outlets, and this place has food, coffee and even wine! If you find that yourself there past 5PM order yourself a glass of the house wine and stay a while as Max transforms from workspace to cozy date spot. Also if it’s nice out, grab a seat outside!

Do you have a favorite coffee shop to work at? Leave it in the comments!

yours,

Austen