Settlers of Cafes

1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 8 / 10 There is large table with chairs on both sides that is perfect for work. There are some couches near the door and some high tables at the end by the leather couches. 3) power outlets 8 / 10 There are power outlets for the tall tables but the leather seats and small table tops aren't made for a laptop. The big table is perfect for work though. 4) vibe: 8 / 10 It's a rather quite Starbucks (in Starbucks scale) given its neighborhood. Overall: 8 / 10 Not much to say about a Starbucks. The panorama says all you need to know.

Newly opened, this Philz coffee shop is a decent spot in town to work from! Take a look for yourself: 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 7 / 10 There are some small round tables with chairs along one of the walls. There are some less round shaped tables around the coffee shop as well. One unique, nice thing about this coffeeshop is the leather cushioned areas of each window that you can seat on! 3) power outlets 8 / 10 There are plenty of power outlets in this coffeeshop. Unfortunately you don't get any on the front wall, where all the nice leather seating areas by the window are (check the panorama above). 4) vibe: 9 / 10 The vibe is work friendly. Most people were working on their laptop on the day I visited. Overall: 8 / 10 Overall a pretty decent spot to work for a few hours. They don't have a espresso machine and serve only pour over coffee.

Bean Bag Cafe is another good spot for work. What sets it apart is its cafe feel and its diverse menu of smoothies, food, crepes and coffee drinks. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 8 / 10 There are plenty of tables to sit at. Check out the panorama picture above to get a good idea of the interior design. 3) power outlets 7 / 10 There are some power outlets in the cafe. Most high tables that look outside have access to a power outlet. A few of the tables and the tall table in the middle have power outlets beside them as well. But many of the chairs don't have access to any outlets. 4) vibe: 8 / 10 The cafe's vibe is pretty work friendly. You'll find many people working on their laptops in this cafe. Half the people will come for a quick bite and drinks though. Overall: 8 / 10 Nice cafe to relax, have some food and work the day away.

This Starbucks is huge. Plenty of seating spots plus large windows that capture a lot of sun light. They have a designated focus area for people who want a quieter space. Perfect for work / study. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 8 / 10 There are plenty of seating spots in this Starbucks. But there are proportionately more people here. 3) power outlets 7 / 10 There is a table at the back with power outlets. Plus the outside facing table. So you may have to wait a while before a power outlet becomes available. 4) vibe: 7 / 10 It's a Starbucks. You will be fine with you laptop there specially if you find a spot on the smaller focus area to stay away from the loud crowd. Overall: 8 / 10 It's one of the better Starbucks in my opinion.

Klatch coffee on Franklin street is a modern coffee shop. Nicely decorated with large windows that capture as much sun light as possible in SF. The coffeeshop is quite and many people were working in their corner. The coffee and pastry were good. 1) wifi: 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating: 8 / 10 The chairs are sparsely spread in this coffee shop which is a good contrast to the crowded coffee shops of SF. Maybe it is because they are a bit from the nearby crowded neighborhoods. In any case the coffee shop wasn't too crowded and there were a good number of chairs available at any time. 3) power outlets: 4 / 10 There are power outlets only under the tables that look outside the coffee shop. That is only 4 seating spots out of the total 35 ish. 4) vibe: 9 / 10 Its a quiet modern coffee shop with a lot of sun light. Working on your laptop for extended hours? You will blend right in! Overall: 8 / 10 Minus the power outlets, everything is perfect for working extended ...

Today I tried another Peet's Coffee. There were no surprises there. Reliable wifi, adequate seating, some power outlets. The vibe was neutral as is typical with Peet's and Starbucks. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 7 / 10 There are some chairs and a bench to the right of the entrance. The tables are round which makes it a little harder to work on your laptop specially if you have a mouse. 3) power outlets 5 / 10 I saw them only near the bench. 4) vibe: 7 / 10 A neutral vibe. Subtle background music. A few people talking loudly here and there. Most people stay half an hour or so to drink a coffee or have a light snack. Overall: 7 / 10 Another Peet's. Has adequate seating. Not too many but this neighborhood doesn't get too crowded or crazy. A few power outlets. Overall could work, but not a top choice.

I've been to Martha & Brothers coffee shop in Noe Valley before and it was a decent cafe. So I decided to try out their branch in Inner Sunset. The coffeeshop was nice, had wifi, power outlets, good sandwiches. But it had a sign that said 2 hour seating max. So it is not somewhere you want to spend all day. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 7 / 10 There are some seats  but they are crammed together a bit. If you have extra stuff, you will have to organize them well on the small table you get. 3) power outlets 9 / 10 There are power outlets in the coffeeshop. 4) vibe: 5 / 10 Most people came there for coffee and lunch. I spent two hours there (as the sign had that time limit for sitting there). Overall an ok place. Overall: 7 / 10 It is not the best cafe to work from. But it has everything you need to spend 2 hours on your laptop.

Trying to cover all of SF, today I rode down to Bernal Heights and tried two cafes. First, cafe 78 which is a typical local cafe. Nothing really stands out and nothing really disappoints. Reasonably priced quick bites and coffee drinks are available. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 9 / 10 I have been here a lot and most of the time you can find a seat. 3) power outlets 7 / 10 There are power outlets in the coffee shop. The middle section of the large wooden bench doesn't have outlets though. 4) vibe: 6 / 10 Its a quiet local coffee shop. Overall: 7 / 10 It's a good coffee shop overall. You wouldn't regret working there, though you may not remember it either.

This Starbucks is in heart of the action, FiDi. So I was skeptical about its seating area and space. It is very common for coffee shops in this area to be packed and not have power outlets. Contrary to my expectations, this Starbucks had relatively more benches and chairs and had power outlets. So I ended up having a great workday! 1) wifi 10 / 10 It is a Starbucks. 2) seating 6 / 10 There is enough seating for around 16 people. The coffee shop was pretty much full during the day. Given the location, I can see it get full. Checkout the pictures. 3) power outlets 9 / 10 There are power outlets in the coffee shop where ever you sit. The real question is whether you can find a seat. 4) vibe: 6 / 10 It is a typical Starbucks with a mix of people working on their laptops and people taking a coffee break. I sat there for around 4 hours during which multiple groups were looking for chairs to sit but couldn't find any. So that made me feel a bit bad about myself ...

This starbucks has a good seating area. There are smaller tables as you walk in and a large 10 person table for work. I have been able to find a seat here on most days. And it is a Starbucks, so no more needs to be said. 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 8 / 10 The large table is perfect for working if you don't mind other people sharing it with you. There are power outlets underneath the table. Most of the time there are empty seats at the large table. It gets crowded in the evening. 3) power outlets 9 / 10 There are power outlets around the coffeeshop. The large table has a large power bar below it. 4) vibe: 8 / 10 You will see the typical balanced crowd in this Starbucks. Some people drop by for a quick bite and some coffee. Some for a short chat and others are lost in their laptops / homework. Overall: 9 / 10 Its a good spot to work from!