Best Coffee Shops to Work From in Lisbon
The lives of digital nomads always sound a lot more exciting than reality often is. Yes, when you're not slaving away at your keyboard, you can go out and explore whichever city you're working in. If you're working in Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, you'll want as much free time as you can wrangle as there's so much to see.
Work always has to come first, though, and if you don't have a good wifi connection, any free time plans you make can get thwarted pretty quickly. Remote working, no matter where you are, can get lonely too. It's impossible to meet other digital nomads or even regular travelers if you're shut away in your hotel room for hours on end.
When your accommodation has a slow internet connection, which is driving you nuts and delaying you from hitting your deadline, or you need a little more human contact than the chambermaid asking if you need clean towels, it'll be time to take action. Pack your laptop in its carry bag and head to the nearest coffee shop in Lisbon for digital nomads.
After five minutes of working in a coffee shop, you'll start to feel human again. You'll certainly come across other remote workers, and even if you don't, the friendly staff will brighten your day. Once you've whizzed through your work, caffeine is amazing for production, don't waste time going back to your hotel to drop your things off. You can store your bag safely in a Bounce luggage locker in Lisbon for about the same price as a coffee.
All Bounce luggage lockers are individually insured and sealed with security tags. That means you don't have to worry that someone will disappear with your main source of income while you're watching the sunset from the battlements of Sao Jorge Castle. And, if you're interested in exploring some of the best shopping in Lisbon, you'll be happy to have your hands free.
Best Cafes In Lisbon For Working Remotely
Lisbon is full of great cafes that have been specially fitted out to cater to the needs of digital nomads. Plenty of power outlets, fast wifi, and whether you like a coworking space, a communal table, or prefer an empty table all to yourself, you'll be surrounded by like-minded people. It goes without saying that all of them serve great coffee too.
Copenhagen Coffee Lab and Bakery
It may have originally been founded in Denmark, but the Copenhagen Coffee Lab is one of the most popular coffee houses in Lisbon, Portugal, with digital nomads.
This not-so-small Danish chain operates six franchised premises in various locations across Lisbon, and each one has its own unique features. Find the one that suits you best, and you'll be working there every day of the week.
The interior decors of each cafe vary from stark white to old-world bare brick arches complimented by varnished wood. What they all have in common is access to high-speed wi-fi and enough space between the tables so you can work remotely on something confidential without worrying someone is peering over your shoulder.
The coffees they serve at the Copenhagen Coffee Labs are fairtrade organic in-house roasts and their bakery goods such as sandwiches and pastries are all artisan-made.
Locations
Campo de Santa Clara, 136
Rua Nova de Piedade, 10
Escolas Gerais, 34
Rua Prior do Crato, 1a
Avenida Alvares Cabral, 13c
Rua de São Paulo, 62
Rebel Cafe
The Rebel Cafe in Lisbon is one of the city's coffee shops where remote workers get together to share coworking space at the large, bench-style tables. If you're going to drop in here, you'll need to make sure your laptop battery is fully charged as there's not as many plug sockets available as there are in other coffee shops.
What this coffee shop has to offer is a bright and airy working space that's also dog-friendly, so if you're traveling with a fur buddy, you'll definitely want to check this place out. When you want an early morning start, you can get a good breakfast here too. There's everything on the menu here from smoothie bowls to bagels, plus a super selection of cakes should you need a mid-morning sugar boost.
Location
Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara, 35
Hello Kristof
Pop into Hello Kristof in Lisbon and you'll discover a lot of other freelancers doing exactly the same thing. This is one of the most popular coffee shops in the city for remote workers, and with good reason too.
Hello Kristof occupies the ground floor of an old building that's been renovated to a high level. Now, the beautifully designed cafe has an office atmosphere with spacious desks and plenty of power outlets as well as lots of natural light. When you're looking for an inspiring place to work, this is the one.
If you were late getting up, this is the spot where you can indulge in a decent brunch while reading your emails. As well as all the regular brunch-type food and baked goods, they serve vegetarian options like avocado and tomato on toast, acai bowls, and yogurt, plus a range of quality coffees and fresh juices.
Location
Rua do Poco dos Negros, 103
Fabrica Coffee Roasters
Fabrica Coffee Roasters is a Portuguese company with five premises in Lisbon one of which is a coffee truck near one of the local colleges. Their main focus is on producing freshly roasted specialty coffee of the highest quality possible.
All of this company's coffee shops, not the truck, have a similar contemporary décor of bare wood with polished steel trimmings. Seating varies between colorful sofas fronted by low tables and high bench-style tables with bar stools. They're not the most convenient for digital nomads to work at, but the coffee and toasted sandwiches made from artisan bread totally make up for the discomfort.
Locations
Rua das Flores, 63
Avenida Dom Carlos, 114
Rua do Commercio, 111
Rua Portas de Sto Antão, 136
Rua da Escola Politecnica – truck
Comoba
Comoba is the go-to coffee shop for vegan and vegetarian digital nomads. This coffee house does not work with any meat products whatsoever but maintains a vegan-vegetarian ethos by using quality meat-free produce.
It's a super airy place to work with large windows and completely white décor that will definitely kick start your gray cells if you're feeling a little stagnant. The vitamin rich gluten-free baked goods and large selection of speciality coffees will inspire you too. If you're into sipping a beetroot, matcha, or turmeric latte while surfing the net on high-speed wifi, this is the place for you.
Location
Rua de São Paulo, 99
Wish Concept Store
The Wish Concept Store is an innovative coffee shop with an adjoining boutique stocking LX Factory goods and a book store. Head here to work for a few hours and you can have good coffee, a great breakfast and do some shopping at the same time.
This coffee shop's small frontage belies a large and spacious interior where there's dedicated space for digital nomads with power outlets. There are also some super window seats where you can sit and watch the world go by while waiting for inspiration to strike.
The food offerings here are uncomplicated and vary between pastries, smoothie bowls, mini pancakes, and toasted sandwiches, all of which are exceptionally reasonably priced. It's one of the best cafes to go to if you’re remote working on a tight budget.
Location
Rua de Rodrigues de Faria, 103
Seagull Method Cafe
The Seagull Method Cafe is the perfect quiet place for any digital nomad who's hoping to find somewhere friendly and welcoming that doesn't mind you sitting at a table for a few hours. It's a little slice of home away from home.
This small, rustic looking cafe has an intimate atmosphere although one or two features of the décor may initially distract you from your work until you get accustomed to them. It's one of the best brunch spots in Lisbon, too, so if you enjoy a late breakfast, you'll love their smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, and avocado or their pulled pork on toast topped with gherkins. The wifi connection is as good as the food and the specialty coffee, so you may well decide to stay here working remotely all day.
Location
Rua da Palmeira, 23
Starbucks
The Starbucks on the Rua do Carmo in Lisbon is one of the prime spots in the city for those who want to work remotely and just blend into the background while doing it. This coffee house occupies a super spacious premises and while the décor borders on vintage, there's lots of dedicated workspace with easily accessible power outlets and most importantly, a good wifi connection.
The other plus about working remotely from Starbucks is, if you're one of their regular customers, you know that you can get good coffee and your favorite treat. Remote working can be lonely at times, so even though the moment might be brief, it can be comforting when someone in a strange city calls you by your name.
Location
Rua do Carmo, 2
Melbourne Elouera
The Melbourne Elouera coffee shop has a couple of advantages for any digital nomad who is vegan and likes to work al fresco.
Located in a corner position, it's not overly huge inside, although it has large windows and lots of plants, so it does have a fresh, garden-style appeal. So long as you have a good charge on your laptop battery, you'll be able to enjoy working on this cafe's pavement terrace. You may need to fight off other digital nomads for one of the tables closer to the door where you get the best wifi reception.
While Melbourne Elouera isn't a dedicated vegan cafe, they do serve a selection of vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, acai bowls, pastries, and cakes plus an exceptionally good oat milk latte.
Location
Rua do Possolo, 52
Give It A Shot
Remote workers who like a clinical environment with few distractions will be right at home in Give It A Shot.
Give It A Shot is sparsely furnished with small individual tables and has a contemporary décor that borders on the basic. There's a communal area but also special hot desks especially geared toward remote workers.
This slow coffee house puts brewing great coffee at the top of their priorities list and uses beans they buy directly from small producers. The food on offer here is simple plates of breakfast and brunch dishes like avocado on toast with poached egg, American-style pancakes with syrup, chunky toasted sandwiches made with artisan bread, and a wide selection of mouth-watering cakes.
Location
Rua Dom Luis 1, 22
Kaffeehaus
Kaffeehaus is the coffee shop to go to when you want good coffee, but some food that's a little more substantial than scrambled eggs.
Kaffeehaus is a Viennese-style cafe with a pristine black and white interior with marble-topped tables that are ideal for keeping your laptop cool in hot weather. When you're wanting a hearty brunch, you'll find their wiener schnitzel with potato salad or bratwurst with fries the perfect tummy fillers. The sacher torte here is totally scrumptious and will inspire anyone to get their work done quickly so they can move their laptop out of the way and dig into a slice without worrying about getting crumbs in the keyboard.
Location
Rua Anchieta, 3
Conclusion
Any digital nomad can't help but be satisfied with the choice of great cafes there are in Lisbon for remote working. There really is something for everyone, no matter what sort of atmosphere you like to work in, what type of coffee you like, or what type of food you want to eat while you're working away. Being a digital nomad doesn't get much better than it does in Lisbon and that's a fact. If you don't get to visit all the best cafes on your first visit, never mind, there'll be time on your next trip for a few more.
