by Christine Ottoni
If you’re wandering the city – laptop in hand – looking for a place to get some quality work time in, look no further. With WiFi, spacious tables, and most of all, a welcome attitude, these spots are well-equipped to meet your working needs and are perfect for freelancers, students and entrepreneurs alike. [Image credit: iStock.com/g-stockstudio]
Indie industrial roastery and sprawling café
Propeller is a stylish café and roastery tucked away in an industrial area just north west of Lansdowne and Bloor. Wade Avenue is home to warehouses, auto body shops, old studios and now, a trendy roastery named Propeller. The café has high, industrial ceilings and is home to five or six long communal tables. Get there early in the day to secure your spot, Propeller fills up around midday, with neighbourhood types stopping in to meet up with friends and get some work done.
Cozy, exposed brick in the heart of K-town
The Good Neighbour’s second location is open and airy, with an exposed brick wall, wooden seating and tables and a warm coffee bar counter. Comfort food treats like a pumpkin loaf, croissants and cookies are all up for grabs to keep your energy going. This is a great rainy day spot to retreat into whatever project you’ve got on the back burner: brainstorming, sketching, letter writing and more.
WiFi free workspace for keeping you on track
Manic Coffee is a neighbourhood staple at College and Bathurst. This indie coffee shop has lots of seating, Intelligentsia and Social beans on the bar, and, get this, no WiFi. Manic is perfect for those tasks, projects and work hours that don’t require the Internet – in fact, its absence might be just what you need. Got a bunch of papers to mark? Need to crush your readings for next week’s classes? Write a proposal, make some calls and edit your reel, all in the comfort of a distraction-free zone.
Cool Queen West café makes a home for freelancers
Early Bird Espresso is a busy café on Queen West. This space has lots of up-front seating, including two-top spacious tables for laptop users, a communal front table and a patio for summer days. This new building has all the Queen West fixings, including exposed brick and industrial lighting fixtures. You can tell a lot of thought went into the general aesthetic of the space, and all in all it’s a really lovely place to spend a few hours.
Social innovators create a comfortable, community café at Bathurst and Bloor
The community café on the main level of the CSI Annex building is an awesome spot for studying, working and arranging meetings. The WiFi-equipped space is furnished with mismatched couches, easy chairs and large wooden communal tables. It channels a kind of living room feel, and if you’re the kind of person looking for a home-away-from-home workspace, this is perfect for you.
Ecclectic-cool on King Street East
Rooster’s King East shop has an eclectic vibe and offers mixed sofa, bar and table seating. It’s a welcoming day haunt with friendly service, lots of snacking options and high-quality coffee. There’s a bright back bar, quirky mismatched furniture and exposed overhead pipes to complete the east side feel.
Tucked-away café keeps you dialed-in
Situated in Toronto’s east end, Boxcar Social’s second location boasts ample space and generous seating. It’s a coffee shop by day, turned craft beer bar by night. It’s right off Queen East on Boulton so has a definite off-the-beaten-track vibe to it. Once you arrive, you may feel like you’re privy to a neighbourhood secret. With award-winning beans from roasteries around the world plus artisanal pastries from Bake Shoppe and Delysees, Boxcar Riverside is equipped to keep you working all day long.
