Settlers of Cafes

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.

Check out the map of all coffee shops that I've been to in SF since I started this blog (around 20 at the moment). You can filter them by score and read the blog entry for them. It is the fastest way to find a suitable coffee shop to work f ro m! Open map of San Francisco's coffee shops.

Initially looked like a fairly small coffee shop. Then I followed the corridor at the back of the front room and found a really nice and cozy room with cushions and also an outdoor seating area. Front Section: Back Section: 1) wifi 10 / 10 It works. 2) seating 10 / 10 You can choose the bench and chairs in either room or even sit outdoors if you don't care about power outlets. The front section is more busy and noisy where as the back section is more cozy and quiet. Cushions were the cherry on the top. 3) power outlets 10 / 10 There are plenty of power outlets in the coffee shop. Unlike many other cafes that only decide between blocking or not blocking the available outlets, they have run power strips around the cafe just in case. 4) vibe: 10 / 10 Its a nice coffee shop with plenty of seating. You can choose the noisier front section or the quieter back section to work. Overall: 10 / 10 Everything at this cafe was perfect. Will definitely go back! They...

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.

Another Starbucks review. It is kind of hard to avoid them! They are everywhere. Being on Pier 1 makes this a good spot for working. You can take short walks on the sea front. 1) wifi 8 / 10 It works. Sometimes laggy for streaming. 2) seating 8 / 10 There are enough seats for around 20 people inside and given the busy area, they are taken in the peak hours (evenings and mornings). However you will find a spot to sit after a few minutes. There is a lot of outdoor seating too which I tend to avoid as sun light doesn't work well with a monitor and there are no power outlets outside. 3) power outlets 7 / 10 There are power outlets on the large bench and some on the other corner. 4) vibe: 8 / 10 Its your typical Starbucks vibe. Perfectly fine to work here. Overall: 8 / 10 There is not much to say about a Starbucks. The picture says it all. If you are a Starbucks fan, this location is perfect as it is close to the water.

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 ...