The 11 Best Cafes for Working or Studying in Melbourne
Pull up a stool and get working (with a coffee in hand) at these laptop-friendly cafes around Melbourne.
The 11 Best Cafes for Working or Studying in Melbourne
Pull up a stool and get working (with a coffee in hand) at these laptop-friendly cafes around Melbourne.
For those who work from home, we salute you. It isn't easy ignoring the cobwebs you've just noticed in the kitchen or all your unwashed laundry sitting next to your desk. If you do manage to ignore all that and your bed, well, hats off to you and your tunnel vision. If you don't? Here's an article for you and all the procrastinators, procrasticleaners and procrastibakers out there who are in need of a Melbourne cafe where you can work or study the day away.
With great food, bottomless filter coffee, free wifi and comfy places to sit, it's well worth lugging your laptop to these spots and forcing yourself into actually getting something done. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to change out of PJs, but on the upside, you won't have to tell your housemates you've had a productive day when, in actual fact, you've been in the same YouTube hole you fell down hours ago.
Also, do keep in mind that these small businesses need to make some money off you, so be sure to order more than just a couple coffees when spending the day working from one of these cafes.
Recommended reads:
The Best Cafes in Melbourne
The Best Coffee Shops in Melbourne's CBD
The Best Breakfast in Melbourne
The Best Coffee in Melbourne
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11
The State Library may be beautiful, and seem imposing and cold, but don’t be put off — there’s warmth, comfort and productivity waiting for you in spades, especially inside Guild Cafe. Situated in a part of the library that’s was closed for 15 years, the cafe sprung up as part of the huge refurbishments the precinct went through a few years ago.
Big windows make for plenty of light, while large communal tables lend themselves perfectly to remote working with just you, your laptop, and a bunch of other focused people. Plus, the folks at Guild know what they’re doing when it comes to coffee, serving up expertly brewed St Ali beans to tired students and workers. It’s one of the very best cafes to work from in Melbourne.
Image: Tofu!.
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10
All-day dining in the bayside area may be hard to come by — but Fitzrovia should be your first port of call if you’re looking for somewhere to hang out all day with your laptop. Housed in a converted Federation mansion and with a brekkie menu not to be sneezed at — sweet potato fritters and carrot cake spiced toast included — Fitzrovia is open for breakfast and lunch all week long.
In the cold months there’s an open fire, so you can pretend you’re a writer from the 19th century and hack away at your unfinished novel while living the warm and cosy dream. Quill optional.
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9
If your weekday mornings are spent somewhere a little more corporate, Liminal might be the perfect multi-functional space for you to fuel up at before popping off to work. Located in the foyer of Collins Street’s T&G Building, this daytime diner has become a favourite for those working on their laptops — or having meetings — in the city.
Admire stretches of marble and lounge on comfy contemporary couches while you enjoy a wide range of brekkie staples. Menu highlights include the avocado on toast with fennel, grapefruit, endives and chilli oil; the moreish sausage and egg muffin; its breakfast roll with bacon, a fried egg, hash brown and secret sauce; and the breakfast platter with soft-boiled eggs, labneh, smoked trout, pickles and spiced carrots. The venue also serves as a wine store, event space and marketplace. Tick, tick, tick.
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8
Flemington is lesser known for its cafe culture than its neighbouring suburbs, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t full of options perfect for a working day with coffee — and Wolf & Hound cafe is a prime example.
Just near Newmarket Station, Wolf & Hound is a sweet little space with food that packs a serious punch (think chilli scramble and some hectic crumpets). There are vegan options, free wifi, nice vibes and artworks of doggos on the walls. If you’re looking for a North Melbourne cafe to work in, consider this local haunt.
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7
The southside provides for those seeking an out-of-home office in Melbourne, with Hobba on Malvern Road the place to go for a warehouse space that’s still comfortable enough to feel at home in.
Hobba serves up big hearty meals (think fried chicken and waffles or the grain bowl full of seasonal veg) and either house blend or single origin coffee options. Plus, the wifi is fast and free — so the reasons for going are many. Be aware, Hobba is a popular weekend brunch spot so, to nab a booth, you’re better off stopping by midweek.
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6
The nicest thing about A Minor Place is that it’s off the main drag — sitting innocuously on Albion Street in what just seems like another cute Brunswick weatherboard house, the Melbourne cafe is quiet in its surroundings but busy in its coffee and brunch seekers.
As well as the best fried haloumi you’re likely to find northside, A Minor Place is responsible for a pretty bumper smashed avo, a sunny outside deck, and a comfy indoors that’s just like being in your own house. Free wifi, plenty of power points and good coffee (by Industry Beans) round things off at this fab Melbourne cafe where you can work or study during the week.
Image: Visit Victoria.
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5
A down-to-earth offering on Victoria Street as it reaches into Brunswick West, Factory Cafe Bar is a quiet, unpretentious eatery that’ll welcome you in with the lure of very comfortable couches, and keep you with the promise of home-cooked lasagne.
A family affair, the owner and his mother can often be found serving together, and the quirky vintage decor will have you feeling even more at home. Enjoy the free internet, the home-baked treats, and see if you can nab the squishiest couch in the window.
Image: Will Afonczenko
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4
Melbourne is no stranger to a bakery come cafe that serves up daily brunch dishes, but Faraday’s Cage in Fitzroy has got to be one of the greatest. As it is a local bakery, you can delight in fresh sourdough bread and sweet and savoury pastries alongside an impressive selection of takeaway sangas.
If you pop by on a weekday, you’re likely to find a spot to settle in for a long day of working or studying — just be sure to order more than just a few cups of coffee. Not only does this Melbourne cafe deserve the love and money, but it would be a total fail to not try some of it’s next-level eats.
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3
If you feel like you need to get out of your natural environment to really get your work hat firmly on, why not head out of town a little? Earthly Pleasures is well worth the one-hour drive to Belgrave in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges — and pleasures it offers indeed.
Ethically focused and in dreamy lush surroundings, the cafe is set in a beautiful old stone building among green gardens. Take your laptop outside, make full use of the free wifi, and feel utterly refreshed (yet somehow also very productive). Homemade sweets, beer and wine are available, and the 8.30am–4pm opening hours step things up a notch to “I’ll stay here all day” levels.
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2
Code Black has set up shop in the CBD, Southbank and South Melbourne, but the North Melbourne and Brunswick venues are its best for working. At each of the sites, you’ll find some banging brekkie, coffee and pastries, plus free wifi and stacks of sockets for charging your laptop.
The North Melbourne site is a little on the quieter side, but the Brunswick cafe is bigger, open longer and takes on some wine bar energy as you get closer to 5pm. This means you can finish the day with a glass of wine or coffee-infused cocktail in hand, making the last few hours of work all the more enjoyable.
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1
Named after the symbol (and atomic number) for gold on the periodic table, the team behind this ambitious eatery have certainly gone for gold in every aspect of its production. The menu at Au79 — one of the very best cafes in Melbourne — represents an imaginative approach to food, twisting familiar brunch dishes into something new.
You’ll also have no trouble finding a table in the 200-seat space, which feels more like a greenhouse than an Abbotsford cafe. And with such size, you can easily bring a few mates with you for chats and motivation.
Top image: Hobba
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