This part of London has no shortage of good cafés, but very few of them are good to work from. These three are: proper tables, sockets, and room to sit for a few hours, all within a fifteen minute walk of Old Street. Here's what each one is good for.
Opening hours, wifi, sockets and toilets are based on my own visits or the best information I could find at the time. Details can change, so please verify anything important before you go. And as with anywhere in London, arrive early to maximise your chances of finding a seat. Between 9am and 10am is my sweet spot. If you are staying long hours, please be respectful of the venue and order accordingly.
For getting things done
Bloomyard
Bloomyard is inside an office building, so you would walk straight past it without knowing. Female-owned, with one big open room, plenty of seating and large windows. It feels corporate rather than cosy, which is why it works well for getting things done.
I turned up at 4pm on a Wednesday, which is the worst possible time to arrive anywhere, and still found a table. Go in the morning and you'll have plenty of choice.
Sockets are mostly under the long restaurant-style tables, the wifi is good, and enough people are working that you can take a call without feeling watched.
Wifi: yes
Sockets: yes
Toilets: yes
Opening times:
Monday: 7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday to Thursday: 7:30am - 8pm
Friday: 7:30am - 4pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed
📍 Level 2, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT
For a long, calm session
Noxy Brothers, Old Street
Also inside an office building, this time The Bower. Understated, which I mean as a compliment: lots of space, good wifi, and enough room that taking a call is not awkward. The team are lovely, so just ask if you need the wifi password. They also serve a delicious banana bread.
Go for one of the high tables in front of the windows. They open them in summer and it’s the best seat in the room. I found it genuinely comfortable for a long session, and calmer than anywhere else around Old Street.
Wifi: yes (it works better on the tables close to the windows)
Sockets: yes
Toilets: yes
Opening times:
Monday: 8am - 3.30pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 8am - 4pm
Friday: 8am - 12pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed
📍 The Bower, 207 Old St, London EC1V 9NR
For a client meeting
The Hoxton, Shoreditch
The obvious one, and popular for good reason. I wouldn’t pick it for a full day of head-down work, but it’s very good for a couple of hours, and better still for a client meeting you want to hold somewhere that looks the part. It’s a hotel lobby, so you can walk in at any hour, which helps if you’re working early or late. It does get busy.
Wifi: yes
Sockets: yes (sparse, mostly along the walls or on the restaurant tables right in front of you as you come in)
Toilets: yes
Opening times:
The lobby is open 24 hours. The bar usually runs 7am to midnight.
📍 81 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HU
I used to go to Google campus, but I'm not sure if it's still open