6 Best Cafes to “Work From Home” in Charlotte
There is a certain level of productivity achieved when channeling the energy of a group of people in work mode. In efforts to get out of the house, channel this energy, and limit the amount of lingering intensity in my home, I went on a hunt for remote work friendly cafes around Charlotte. Whether you are visiting or new to the area, here are some of the best cafes to “work from home”:
1. Community Matters Cafe
Community Matter Cafe was the first cafe I visited when I moved to Charlotte last year and is probably one of my top three favorite places to set up shop for work. This place is so much more than just a cafe. There is a separate space for dining in with a full menu choice of breakfast or lunch, and not to mention their amazing mission. Community Matters Cafe serves as a stepping stone for graduates of Charlotte Rescue Mission, a 120-day addiction recovery program.
There’s an endless amount of outdoor and indoor seating for both individual and collaborative work. Between the high tables, comfy chairs, wooden panel along the large windows, or the couch in front of the fireplace, you are sure to find a vibe that suits your work mood for the day. Community Matters also has its own parking lot and is located just outside of City Center, with a stunning view of the Bank of America Stadium. It gives the perfect in the city but not quite IN the city feel.
If you live alone and are looking for calm human interaction, Community Matters is the place to go. The beautiful brick exposure, fireplace, and large screen TV adds a homey feel that is very unique in comparison to other nearby cafes. Although, probably not the best place to take meetings and you may want to bring headphones if you get distracted easily as it can get pretty loud with the dine-in aspect.
Community Matters Cafe is open Monday to Friday and close at 3pm so be sure to get there early! Don’t forget to try the Spicy White Ginger Chai herbal tea if you are able to make it there during the Fall season.
CONS: Could get a bit noisy. No visible places to charge your devices.
2. Not Just Coffee
Spread just about all over the city, there are a ton of Not Just Coffee locations in the Charlotte Area. (Yes, I have gone to all of them). There are two located in Uptown Charlotte - one inside of the 7th Street Market (right off the 7th Street stop on the Lynx Blue Line) and another on Church Street. A smaller grab and go location inside Atherton Mill at South End, and the largest shop is on Jay Street.
In my opinion, the Church and Jay Street locations are the most remote worker friendly as they cater to the coworking aspect. Both locations are connected to Entrepreneur/Coworking Communities - Packard Place (Church Street) and Hygge (Jay Street).
If you are looking for quiet and quaint, take a trip over to the Church Street location where you would also have access to Packard Place as a customer of Not Just Coffee. On the other hand, if you are craving more of a progressive tech company vibe, Jay Street is the place for you. You can feel the sense of community amongst the Hygge Members as well as regular patrons who have made this space their go to work from home location. Between the “Garden Corner” and the garage doors that not only let in plenty of sunlight but open up to the large patio seating with a city view, there is so much life added to the environment.
CONS: Limited seating and space for social distancing. (Church Street) Limited outlets available only near certain work spaces. Very noisy! (Jay Street)
3. Coco and the Director
Right in the heart of Uptown, on the corner of Trade and South Tryon Street lies this farm styled chic cafe. Whoever designed Coco and the Director did what they had to do! It gives off a very Manhattan cafe vibe from the aesthetics to the music. My absolute favorite part of Coco and the Director is that they are one of the only cafes with outlets at nearly every working space! I generally love the accessibility of having a plethora of outlets but this is especially important for remote workers.
There is a variety of food choices as well as an assortment of beverages from teas, smoothies, and even beer/hard seltzer. Whether you are coming in to meet up with friends or strap in to get work done, Coco and the Director caters to a highly collaborative environment. You can grab a board game and head over to the stadium seating - which very much so gives the Met Steps/ Gossip Girl in my opinion - or reserve one of the large tables tucked away in the back to work quietly. The bathroom is located in the lobby of the attached upscale Marriott Hotel - The M - which has a nice full body mirror for those work selfies we all loved taking.
You can show your appreciation and participation in the Coco community by purchasing some of their available merchandise!
CONS: Can get very cold with the air conditioning constantly running. The Internet doesn’t seem to be super secure - either uses the marriott bonvoy public or coco internet which isn’t password protected.
4. Waterbean Coffee
Waterbean Coffee has definitely made themselves known with multiple locations across Charlotte and outer city areas. I have only visited the South Tryon and Midtown locations however they are certainly remote worker friendly all over. I personally prefer the Midtown location over South Tryon solely because the lighting is extremely dim over at S Tryon. It sets a nice, relaxing vibe but gives more so kickback and unwind rather than crank out work.
Alternatively, the midtown location is flooded with natural sunlight and plenty of plants to give quite the boho chic vibe. Which makes so much sense as Waterbean Coffee prides themselves in being a “USDA certified organic coffee shop and roastery”. There is a water dispenser with cups to help yourself and plush pillows on the benches that creates a “stay as long as you need” atmosphere. The plush pillows are a plus for me because good back support is a must!
I have also had probably the best cafe sandwiches ever here at Waterbean. The only thing I would warn is that parking at the Metropolitan shopping center is a nightmare due to the heavy traffic Trader Joe’s pulls in!
If you ever happen to wander off to Vietnam, be sure to check out their international location!
CONS: Dim lighting in South Tryon location. No available outlets.
5. Undercurrent coffee
Located in Plaza Midwood, Undercurrent gives off the most traditional cafe vibe of all of the options listed. Escape the city feel and enjoy the breathtaking street view from the outdoor seating, no matter the season. Although there is limited seating available, I love that each section is somewhat separate from the next to minimize distractions from other customers.
They do stop serving food at the end of breakfast time but are conveniently located right across from a Common Market. You can get hot or cold sandwiches, beverages, or whatever snacks you are craving and bring it right back to the cafe.
Undercurrent seems to be a Plaza Midwood favorite and can fill up pretty quick, so be sure to get there early!
CONS: Crowded, limited seating. Stops serving food early.
6. Optimist Hall
I wanted to add Optimist Hall to the list even though it is not a cafe, but certainly a great remote work friendly location. Optimist Hall is a food hall and a great for a nice summer day, or any given day really, when you want to hang out for drinks after work. Maybe even grab a drink from Spindel Bar during work if you are super stressed.
There is picnic style seating throughout the hall and outdoors with a few traditional style tables in between. Even though Optimist Hall welcomes remote workers, think college dining hall, you do not want to take a meeting here with all of the foot traffic in and out. In order to make sure that tables are not being “hogged”, there is no laptop policy in force between the hours of 11:30am and 1:00pm. With food, desert, and alcohol on the premises it is very easy to get stuck and never feel the need to leave.
CONS: It could be hard to find seating indoors and can get noisy being that it is a food hall. The internet can be a bit spotty with the amount of people and devices.
