Best Coffee Shops to Work From in Washington DC
When you're visiting Washington, DC, and are waiting to check into your hotel but still have hours to wait, don't waste the time just hanging around. There are some fantastic coffee shops in DC that you can work from which will help pass the time and make sure you keep up to date with your workload.
If you're a coffee connoisseur, you'll be pleased to know that the coffee shops in Washington, DC, have the art of coffee making down to a fine art.
You might have to put up with the noise of coffee beans being ground or suffer the smell of bacon being grilled for breakfast sandwiches, but let's face it, that's not really much of a hardship. If you think the chaos of a cafe will break your concentration, you can always go to one with outdoor seating. However, that's not something to be recommended in the middle of a Washington, DC, winter. It's a bit like iced coffee. Great when it's hot, but not so good when the temperatures are below freezing.
Should you need somewhere to stash your luggage while you get to work, you'll find Bounce luggage storage facilities in DC are the perfect option. They're conveniently located for easy access, super economical to hire, security tagged, and insured.
Bounce luggage lockers are also great if you've been shopping in Washington, DC, and don't have anywhere safe to store your purchases. Even hiring one for a week won't leave a visible dent in the dollars in your wallet. In fact, they're so cheap, you won't notice the expenditure at all.
Best Washington DC Coffee Shops For Working From
When you're going to be working from a coffee shop, it's good to know before you get there what amenities they have. Read on, and you'll discover not just which cafe has great coffee or serves cold brew but which ones have accessible power outlets and free wi-fi.
Open City
While it might not have been specifically designed for remote working, Open City truly is one of the best cafes to work from in Washington, DC. Located in the neighborhood of Woodley Park, this coffeehouse-diner has a spacious interior with individual tables set well apart and a large patio area with outdoor seating if you need some fresh air.
Open City are breakfast specialists and start serving at 7 am and continue knocking out the pancake stacks and french toast until 9 pm. That's great if you're jet-lagged and don't know what time of the day it is.
They do, in fact, have such a complete and varied menu you could quite happily devour breakfast, lunch, and dinner and keep yourself awake by drinking several of their special espresso drinks. What's also good to know about Open City is they have happy hour from 4 pm to 7 pm on weekdays.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
2331 Northwest Calvert Street
Commissary DC
Go to work in the Commissary DC, and after one coffee, you'll start to feel like you live there. This Washington, DC, coffee shop is a popular one with the neighborhood locals, and it's understandable why. While they may call themselves casual, it's actually quite smart in an industrial chic way with exposed pipework in the ceiling, a wall lined with sofas, and lots of small tables, some of which are next to power outlets.
They like to keep prices at the Commissary DC within a range that's affordable to everyone, so you won't be paying through the nose for food or drink here. At this local coffee shop, they serve separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, a variety of specialty coffees as well as chai lattes, lots of scrumptious desserts, and have a great cocktail menu too. There's no wonder it's the most popular place in Logan's Circle. Who wouldn't want to go there every day if they could?
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
1443 Northwest P Street
Doubles
Go to work in Doubles coffee shop in Washington, DC, and if you're used to being in an office environment, you'll feel quite at home here. Doubles occupies a two-story building where the downstairs area is all business, and the upper floor is for distraction.
The ground floor of Doubles is perfectly set up for work. They've even been considerate enough to place power outlets and spotlights over the tables. It's a cool environment to be in, too, and the polished cement flooring and painted brickwork look good without being flashy.
They also have a massive patio with ample seating, so if you prefer to work outside, you can. When you've closed your laptop for the day, head upstairs, and you can de-stress with a game of ping pong in the games room.
You'll find working hours are short at Doubles coffee shop from Monday to Thursday as they open at 8 am and close at 2 pm. Friday and Saturday, they stay open until 5 pm. It's enough time to enjoy some of their specialty drinks, like a pour-over or a chai tea or vanilla latte, while wolfing down one of their tasty sandwiches or sweet or savory baked goods.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
3118 Northwest Georgia Avenue
Grace Street Coffee Roasters
If you're in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, you won't want to miss dropping by Grace Street Coffee with your laptop. Inside it's bright and spacious and furnished with long tables made from refurbished planks of wood. They go well with the rest of the décor, which is industrial chic.
One of the best spots to work from at Grace Street Cafe is the corner seat by the window. You'll get a great view of people passing by and within easy reach of the nearest power outlet.
They're coffee specialists in this DC coffee house and only use single-origin beans they roast themselves. The espresso drinks here are in a league of their own, and drinking just one will have you typing at formula one speed. Food is standard coffee shop food, so don't expect much more than sandwiches, globally inspired pastries, and salads on the menu.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
3210 Northwest Grace Street
La Cosecha
La Cosecha is one of several coffee shops in the Union Market District of Washington, DC, and it's one that has a definite Latin American vibe. If you don't like working alone, you'll be in your element here as, as far as coffee shops go, this place is absolutely enormous.
There are tables inside and out, but you may find the outdoor seating a lot quieter than the inside as it's away from the general hullabaloo. La Cosecha not only serves great coffee but is an events venue that promotes Latin American art and culture. If you like to start your day with an authentic breakfast burrito or a plate of tacos, then this is the coffee shop for you.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
1280 Northeast 4th Street
Big Bear Cafe
One way to make sure you get time off at weekends is to work from the Big Bear Cafe. This coffee shop only offers free wi-fi for remote workers from Mondays to Fridays. At weekends they switch it off, which in itself is not a bad thing.
While the Big Bear Cafe's interior is great, what sets it apart from other DC coffee shops is its outdoor patio. If you love a garden environment, then you'll love this brick-paved courtyard where the walls are covered in vines. Work there, and it'll be like working in a fairy dell. They don't give up on the patio when it gets chilly either but heat it up with fire pits which just adds to the enchantment.
While the Big Bear Cafe is open until late, they won't appreciate you taking up a table during the evening rush. Stick to working during their daytime opening hours from 8 am to 3 pm, and you won't get the cold shoulder or be asked to leave.
The daytime fare at Big Bear consists of breakfast bowls, burritos, filled bagels, wraps, and sandwiches. They might sound basic, but in this place, they're anything but, so expect a flavor sensation from whatever you choose to nibble on while you're working.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
1700 Northwest 1st Street
Tryst
It would be harder to find a more laid-back, casual working environment than the one you'll find in Tryst. This huge coffee shop is just about all you could ask for and more for a great place to remote work in Washington, DC.
Tryst is fronted by a terrace full of garden furniture that's right next to the sidewalk. Walk through that into the inside, and you'll be somewhere you'll probably end up calling your home away from home. It's a place that doesn't need to have "welcome" on the doormat because you'll see it on the barista's faces. The eclectic and colorful interior is about as Bohemian as DC gets, so if you’re into hip locations, make the most of it.
Tryst is, in fact, three places in one. Coffee shop, bar, and lounge so you won't feel as if you need to finish your work in a hurry. You can literally spend all day here, work, and take a break when you want without going anywhere.
As well as a more than decent selection of pastries, they serve a fantastic all-day breakfast menu at Tryst. They don't stop there on the food front either but also serve an all-day lunch menu as well as lots of specialty drinks such as a lavender honey latte, juices, and smoothies. Tryst truly gets a big thumbs up for being one of the best coffee shops in DC for working.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
2459 Northwest 18th Street
Sidamo Coffee
Being a remote worker in DC can make you feel anonymous and that you're just another cog in a big wheel. If you're missing something small and friendly, head over to Sidamo Coffee, and you won't feel anonymous anymore.
Sidamo Coffee is one of those coffee shops with an atmosphere that embraces you the minute you walk through the door. It's not flash, it's not sophisticated, but it's cozy with polished wood flooring and menus scribbled on chalkboards along with some imaginative designs.
Here you can set up your temporary office at one of the small individual tables. Above the tables, you'll find artwork created by local artists on display and for sale. That's not the sort of community support you find in most coffee bars in DC.
At Sidamo Coffee, they only brew with single-origin coffee, and while the menu is short, everything they have is fresh and well-prepared, from the breakfast sandwiches to the cakes and pastries they bake in-house. It's definitely not a bad place to spend a few hours working.
Free Wi-fi:
Yes
Location:
417 Northeast H Street
Conclusion
As you've read through this article, you may have noticed that some of the best coffee shops in DC are the smaller, independent ones. They have their act together and serve not just great coffee but delicious food and look after their customers well.
It doesn't matter which neighborhood of DC you're in, be it Navy Yard, Logan Circle, or Capitol Hill, frequent the smaller establishments rather than the coffee shops with chain names that serve soggy pastries, and you'll find a better welcome than you could have hoped for when you're working remotely.
