city Archives - vandira

Every now and then I work at a café in downtown Vancouver. I pick either a morning or an afternoon when I don’t have any meetings, walk over to a good coffee spot, and roll up my sleeves to get stuff done. Being in a different place with café-sounds around me helps me focus. Here’s a selection of my favorites.

When I first started looking for cafés to work at, it was a bit of a search to find good spots. By good spots I mean cafés with good coffee, WiFi, and preferably power outlets to charge my laptop. I find that it’s not that easy to find places that can tick off all three of those criteria. Nevertheless, you can find my recommendations per downtown area below. If you have any tips for me, please do share!

west end

Perfecto on Robson & Nicola

This bright spot has plenty of tables and quite a few power outlets. I’m quite critical of croissants, but Perfecto does them pretty well. It’s close to Robson’s shops and restaurants, so plenty to do after you close your laptop. You can also find another Perfecto café on Davie & Seymour.

Unfortunately, Perfecto on Robson has covered some of its power outlets, but you can still find some plugs if you sit by the window.

Fresco Cafe on Bute & Davie

Before I moved to another part of the West End, I used to walk Davie Street a lot. As I made my way up to Burrard Street for my bus, I always looked over to my left into Bute Street and saw the Fresco Café sign, but until a few months ago I never walked over to take a look. When I did, I was so pleasantly surprised! It’s a stylish, colourful, and cozy place, with a shared round table in addition to various seating options around (and outside!) the café.

downtown

FUNK. Coffee Bar on Thurlow & Dunsmuir

This has quickly become my favorite place to work downtown. It’s spacious with different types of seating areas: high long tables, low long tables, two cozy corners with couches and armchairs, and window seating. Delicious coffee and fresh pastries served by super warm and friendly staff. The first time I came here to work, I couldn’t help but smile at all the interactions happening around me all throughout my stay. Oh, and they serve dumplings and baos after noon!

Matchstick on Richards St

I knew Matchstick on Davie Street, but learned that there’s another one in Yaletown. When I went there for a coffee at the end of a run, I was pleasantly surprised by the set-up of this location. Since then, I’ve sat down to work here a few times and couldn’t recommend it more. There’s a long table with plugs, as well as little one/two person tables on the left side. When I was there last, I had a vegan BLAT sandwich which was to die for. Please try it if you’re ever there!

Indigo on Robson

I looooove the Indigo book store. There’s a café on the first floor with access to some power outlets. Past the café, just by the Fiction and Graphic Novels section, you’ll find a low long table to sit at, as well as a high colourful table by the Romance section. Both tables have power outlets within the table, including some USB-A ports.

Gastown

Nelson the Seagull

I absolutely love this place. This sourdough bakery has a delicious menu, nice coffee, plenty of shared tables to work at, AND power outlets. It does get busy around lunchtime, so I’d recommend going there early, or after lunch rush hour. Before you leave, consider buying a sourdough for tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch.

Nemesis Coffee

To be honest, this is not necessarily the best work spot because they don’t have WiFi and there’s no laptops allowed in the weekend. But if you’re okay using your phone’s hotspot for internet, or if your tasks for the day don’t require WiFi (e.g., lots of reading or writing to do), definitely go here. Plants everywhere. A big shared table. Their coffee is really nice, with a nutty flavour. Even the decaf tastes good. But the best thing about Nemesis is their food. That Bodega sandwich yuuuuum.

mount pleasant

Prototype Coffee

Prototype Coffee is a micro coffee roastery, so expect top quality coffee! You’ll find lots of people working here. The design of the back wall is gorgeous, and the coffee is great, but definitely on the expensive end, so do keep that in mind. Great for an hour or two!