Where to work remotely in London, from co-working spaces to cafes

It’s no surprise London is packed with great places to work remotely. Creatives of all calibres are well catered for here, with an increasingly diverse offering of places to co-work that range from coffee-forward cafes to designated workspaces and members’ clubs decked out with high-tech facilities. Specially chosen for their locations in the capital’s creative hubs – with excellent proximity to London’s best restaurants and best bars – these co-working spaces are not only for getting some work done, but also to facilitate creativity and collaboration – and who knows, you might make some new friends or colleagues while you’re there.

Prufrock Coffee

Cafe in Holborn

Best for: coffee connoisseurs and street food fans
Location: 23-25 Leather Lane, Holborn, EC1N 7TE
Price: Coffee and juices from 2.60 GBP; brunch plates from 5.30 GBP

Prufrock is not just one of London’s best coffee shops, it is an ideal cafe for working: there’s plenty of small tables, heaps of natural light, and great coffee to keep you pushing through. It’s located on Leather Lane, which is home to probably the best street food market in London, held every weekday, and made up of dozens of food stalls specialising in cuisines from all over the world, from Brazilian bbq to Korean bibimbap and Ethiopian stews. You could head over to Prufrock each day, fuel up with your favourite coffees, and try a different stall outside each lunch. But why leave your seat? Prufrock’s brunch menu and selection of cakes are just as deserving of your attention. Beyond the food, Prufrock is perfectly perched for access to both East London and Central London – and, if you happen to like your history, it’s convenient for the British Museum and other London museums and galleries, too.

Söderberg

Cafe in Soho

Best for: cardamon buns and central location
Location: 36 Berwick Street, London, W1F 8RR
Price: Coffee around 3 GBP, pastries 3.90 GBP

Swedish specialty coffee shop and bakery Söderberg has a small location on Berwick Street in Soho with sofa space and bar seating for getting on with some work, however there is no Wifi provided, so you will need to tether to your phone’s internet connection. The coffee and pastries (especially the kardemummabulle) make it well worth stopping here for a few hours, especially if you’re on the move around Soho and Central London. Downstairs in the basement are cosy booths tucked under two low vaults. There’s also a selection of sourdough pizzas and open sandwiches on their lunch menu. When you’re finished with work, you can check out the shops, pubs and restaurants of Soho.

The Barbican

Public space in the City of London

Best for: Modernist surroundings
Location: Silk St, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS
Price: Free

The Barbican Centre has a range of public spaces for working in throughout the day: the auditorium, where comfy seats, sofas and tables are scattered across two floors, and the Barbican Library on level 2, where desk spaces are interspersed among the bookshelves. For breaks, head out for walks around the estate’s courtyards or the verdant Barbican Conservatory, and after work, see a show, or check out what’s on at the gallery space.

Huckletree

Co-working spaces across London

Best for: creatives looking to mingle
Location: Alphabeta Building, 18 Finsbury Square, Shoreditch, EC2A 1AH
Price: Day pass 35 GBP + VAT

Huckletree’s co-working spaces in London, Manchester and Dublin are themed around specific sectors, and its Shoreditch outpost has the theme of disruptive tech. This isn’t an exclusionary policy, but more of a guide to encourage creatives from similar industries to turn up and meet one another. The benefit of these designated co-working spaces is you have excellent facilities at your disposal, from hireable meeting rooms to phone booths and even an auditorium for talks and other events. There are additional Huckletree locations in Kensington, Soho, Westminster, White City and Liverpool Street.

FWD:Coffee

Cafes in Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, and Barbican 

Best for: work-friendly corners and high grade coffee 
Location: 54 Farringdon Road, Clerkenwell, EC1R 3BL
Price: Coffee from 2 GBP, lunch dishes from 3.50 GBP

Specialty coffee, good tunes, and a welcoming team – FWD:Coffee (formerly Powerhouse Coffee) has got it all. It describes itself as a ‘work-friendly cafe’, with plenty of room for meetings at each location. The company’s third space on Farringdon Road has small tables and a bar along the window, perfect for those that like working with a dose of people watching, and a larger space in the basement. All Powerhouse’s coffee is roasted and blended especially for them by Climpson & Sons, and strictly scores above 80 out of 100 by the Specialty Coffee Association in recognition of its quality.

Soho Works

Communal workspaces across London

Best for: dedicated deskspace for creatives
Location: across London
Price: from 300 GBP per month

Soho House was quick to recognise the hybrid working model and rolled out Soho Works locations across the globe. There are four sites in London: White City, Shoreditch, 180 Strand and Dean Street in Central London, all of which offer ample desk space, meeting rooms and slick Soho House-style interiors. Members can mingle with likeminded professionals and enjoy an eclectic programme of weekly socials and events. There are different tiers of membership available: hot-desking in the Lounge starts at 300 GBP per month when you have a Soho Friends membership (100 GBP per year), or 200 GBP if you are an existing Soho House member; dedicated desk space starts from 600 GBP per month, and any level of membership allows access to all UK and North America Soho Works sites.

British Library

Public library in St Pancras

Best for: researching, a pre-Eurostar pitstop
Location: 96 Euston Road, St Pancras, NW1 2DB
Price: Free entry

The British Library is right next to St Pancras International Station. If you’re leaving the country by Eurostar, this could be a convenient place to get some last-minute work done before you zoom off to Paris, just saying. There are 11 reading rooms inside, where you can work from comfy chairs and desks, and view books and documents from the impressive archives. You have to apply for a free reader pass first, but if you’re only popping by, you can work upstairs without a pass in the main entrance hall which, for all its enormous size, is surprisingly quiet. As for the reading rooms, the two humanities rooms get rather busy, but the maps room is less subscribed, and has massive desks perfect for spreading your notes, books and laptop over.

Jolene Hornsey Road (aka Big Jo)

Restaurant in Finsbury Park

Best for: focaccia sandwiches, pastries and pizza
Location: 324 Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park, London, N7 7HE
Price: Pastries around 4 GBP, sandwiches from 6 GBP

Big Jo is Newington Green restaurant and wine bar Jolene’s big sister on Hornsey Road. The atmosphere is a bit more casual, serving pizzas, pastries and sandwiches in place of modern European small plates during the day. There’s free Wifi, ample space for getting some work done, and plenty of natural light. On sunny days, you can sit outside on the tables out front. The focaccia sandwiches are particularly good, as is the coffee. If you live in North London, consider spending a day working from here, and even if you don’t, it’s worth the trip for a change of scene. Once you’re finished working, you could stay for dinner, served from 6pm.

Uncommon

Co-working spaces in Highbury, Liverpool Street, Fulham and Borough 

Best for: working with a healthy dollop of self-care
Location: 25 Horsell Road, Highbury, N5 1XL
Price: 40 GBP + VAT for day pass

Uncommon boasts workspaces across London, but Highbury has the edge. There are two key draws at Uncommon in Highbury: comfy sofas, and a host of house plants. There are of course all the other features you can expect from a good co-working space too: a serious internet connection, phone booths, good tea and coffee in the kitchens, bike lock ups and showers, but the point of difference here is Uncommon’s emphasis on self care. There are healthy snacks in the kitchens and cafe, an in-house nutritionist to advise you on your diet, staff to help nurture a good posture while you work, and yoga classes, HIIT workouts, and a running club to get involved in. Its within walking distance of Highbury Fields and its surrounding cafes, as well as the perfect plates of pasta at Trullo.

Mare Street Market

Restaurant in London Fields

Best for: working in a lively setting
Location: 117 Mare Street, London E8 4RU
Price: Coffee from 2.50 GBP, breakfast from 4.50 GBP, pizzas at around 10 GBP

If being left alone in silence fills you with dread and you need a bit of hubbub to concentrate, then Mare Street Market might be for you. Its open-plan restaurant area is a good place to work from in the morning, with heaps of natural light, and good brews served by Flying Horse Coffee, who roast their own beans there. When you’re in need of a break, there’s plenty to divert your attention, with a record shop, florists, barbers, and antiques shop all encompassed in the market. When the working day is done, stay for an aperitivo in the beer garden, and continue at London live music venue Moth just around the corner.

Working From_ at The Hoxton Southwark

Co-working space in Southwark

Best for: Discerning interiors, various membership options
Location: 32 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8PB
Price: Membership options from 80 to 4980 GBP per month

If you need a regular hot-desking commitment that’s less rammed than Soho Works but with no compromise on the interior and the facilities, consider The Hoxton’s co-working space in its Southwark location. The attention to detail in the design is as discerning as their hotel rooms and restaurants, with comfy armchairs, sofas, desks and barista coffees, plus a winter garden filled with plants and an open terrace for the summer months. There’s a range of different membership options available, from a completely private office to an after-hours-only ‘side hustle’ membership. All memberships grant you access to discounts at the hotel, including special late night rates for staying over, and duvet days if you need a midday nap.

Canova Hall

Restaurant in Brixton

Best for: restaurant hot desking with wood-fired pizzas
Location: 250 Ferndale Road, Brixton, SW9 8BQ
Price: Pizza from 11 GBP, Hot desking day pass 10 GBP

Canova Hall is a great half-way house between a restaurant and a hot desking space. Pizzas are served all day from their wood-fired oven, and there’s plenty of tables in the big open-plan space. You’re welcome to work from here for free, but you can also opt for a hot desking day pass for 10 GBP, which gets you bottomless hot drinks. You can also get a week or month membership, which gets you free coffee at the Hackney and Old Street outposts too, as well as half-price pizzas for you and your friends on a Monday.

Hej

Cafe in Bermondsey

Best for: coffee and beer fans
Location: 1 Bermondsey Square, Bermondsey, SE1 3UN
Price: Coffee around 2.50 GBP, sandwiches and bagels around 6 GBP

If you’re based in South London and love your coffee, then Swedish artisanal coffee shop Hej is the place to work from. They roast their own beans and deliver them wholesale across London, and train baristas at their barista school onsite, so you can expect pretty darn perfect coffee. They also serve excellent sandwiches, bagels and cinnamon buns. The cafe is fairly small so arrive early to ensure a table. Perhaps the best time to work from here is on a Friday; when you’re done, you can walk over to the Bermondsey Beer Mile – a stretch of craft beer breweries and taprooms that occupy a string of railway arches. It’s a London must.