Every year we like to spend as much time as is humanly possible drinking all the caffeine in a given city. The city of choice is chosen largely based on us setting up shop there, so it’s as much a celebration of our own modest expansion as it is the coffee itself. However, we’ve been told on repeated occasions that these articles have been of use to the local freelance community – so here we go again!
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Dublin is a wonderful city for the freelance life, buoyed along on a kind of artistic, can-do drive. That said, the temptation to relocate your laptop office to the nearest pub is strong, so willpower is essential here. Without further ado, then, here are 10 Dublin coffee shops that are freelancer-friendly and waiting for your custom with open arms (and doors).
3fe
So good, and so synonymous with Dublin cafe culture is 3fe that you could say they wrote the book on it. And that, in fact, is exactly what they did. Managing Director, Colin Harmon, has just published What I Know About Running Coffee Shops – a tome of great potential significance to anyone planning to launch their own caffeine-based enterprise.
But back to the shop itself. With its industrial design, award-winning coffee and free-flowing wifi, it’s almost as if it was designed with the modern freelancer in mind. You’ll just have to read the book to find out if that was actually the case.
Address: 32 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2
Website: www.3fe.com
Bang Bang
If you’re ever in need of a recommendation for somewhere to while away long hours (even if you’re supposed to be working), then ask a musician. After all, most of their professional life is spent waiting for something to happen. Chatting with Dublin-based band, Lankum, we discovered Bang Bang, an outfit just off the Phobsboro Road, that is known as much for its community spirit as it is for its coffee.
Also a deli specialising in local produce, you’re guaranteed a very warm welcome here with nobody chasing you away to get more bums on seats. Put simply, it’s a special little place (and the weekend burgers are worth returning for again and again).
Address: 59A Leinster St N, Phibsborough, Dublin 7
Website: www.bangbang.ie
Accents Coffee & Tea Lounge
Ask any freelancer in the city and they’ll tell you that at some point or another they’ve spent an afternoon at Accents. The coffee is to die for (is that a chocolatey hint we’re detecting? Yum!) and use of the free wifi is positively encouraged. It’s also pretty darn central, making it a great place to flop if you’ve been plodding the streets trying to sell your wares.
Be warned, however – the deep leather chairs are hard to escape from once you’ve allowed yourself to sink into them. You may have to forgo your work for a cosy sleep.
Address: 23 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2
Website: accentslounge.wordpress.com
37 Dawson Street
There’s something wonderfully schizophrenic about 37 Dawson Street – a sense that, amidst all the Ming vases, moose heads and drapes hung at half-mast, they can’t decide if they’re a fine dining spot or the back end of a pirate ship.
All of which is what makes it special, and certainly what keeps the atmosphere interesting. But is it good for a decent coffee and a bit of free wifi? Yep, and yep. Our advice is to find a seat over by the windows; there’s nothing like a bit of people watching to get the creative juices flowing, and from this position you can watch the whole of Dublin float by.
Address: Dawson St, Dublin 2
Website: 37dawsonstreet.ie
Brother Hubbard North
Note: there’s a Brother Hubbard South, too, but this is the one we prefer. Note also: you’re not going to come to Brother Hubbard and leave empty – the amazing food is a big part of the attraction.
That said, it’s in a great location, the staff are super friendly, and there are enough beards about to make you the more hipsterish amongst us feel right at home. It’s also well known for its juices, so there’s plenty of choice if (like us) you tend to get caffeine-wired a little too early in the day.
Address: 153 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Website: brotherhubbard.ie/locations/north
Beanhive Coffee
In terms of web-based reviews, Beehive Coffee is one of the most acclaimed coffee shops in Dublin, and for this reason alone we have one piece of important advice for you: get there early. People like to come in for the amazing breakfasts and then linger (it’s a lingering kind of a place).
The wifi is good, the coffee is best described as an art form, it’s reasonably priced and the staff are delighted to be of service. We’re not sure what more you could ask of a coffee shop, but we’re willing to keep pushing the question for as long as places like the Beanhive are willing to let us pull up a pew.
Address: 26 Dawson St, Dublin 2
Website: www.beanhive.ie
Third Space
It’s tempting to call Third Space a newcomer to Dublin’s freelance scene, but they’ve actually been on the go for the best part of five years now, so we’ll call them semi-veterans.
They have two locations – one in Smithfield and one on Aungier Street – and their name is simply a reminder that life doesn’t need to be so black and white: you can have home, work, and something else. Serving quality coffee and food, the shops are set up under the tagline “Your Place to Meet and Eat”, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about their relationship with the freelance community. Come on in!
Address: 14, Block C, Smithfield Market, Arran Quay, Dublin 7
Other address: 53 Aungier St, Dublin 2
Website: www.thirdspace.ie
Urbanity
We have a theory that you can use maths to work out how welcome freelancers are likely to be at any given coffee shop: there’s a direct correlation between welcomeness and the visibility of the wifi password. If that’s the case, then Urbanity is the very essence of hospitality – their wifi password is always scrawled on the wall.
Other than that, it’s a nice little Smithfield location, just a stone’s throw from the Liffey. They roast their coffee on site, and they endeavour to make all of the food they serve there, too. It’s a lovely place to be getting some work done.
Address: The Glass House, 11 Coke Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7
Website: www.urbanitycoffee.ie
Clement & Pekoe
So well known among Dublin’s freelancers is Clement & Pekoe that you could almost call it a permanent meetup. Laptops are a common sight when you walk by the windows on South William Street, so you know the wifi has to be pretty reliable.
It’s also as popular for its tea as it is for its coffee, which makes a bit of a change, and the variety of loose tea leaves on offer keep the hardcore tea drinkers coming back again and again.
Address: 50 South William St, Dublin
Website: www.clementandpekoe.com
Westbury Hotel
There are a number of plush hotels that welcome freelancers into their coffee spots these days, but we particularly like this wonderfully opulent five-star just off Grafton Street. While we’re big fans of the hipster vibe at the other establishments on this list, we’re fully aware of the fact that sometimes – particularly when there are clients to impress – pitching up as an itinerant freelancer needs to look less like camping and more like glamping. For those moments, hit up the Westbury.
Address: The Westbury, 2 Balfe Street, Dublin 2
Website: Westbury Hotel, Dublin
Dakota
Well known as a popular night spot, the Dakota during the daytime is increasingly becoming a must-visit place for the city’s freelance community. Aside from the decent coffee and wifi, the attractions include a friendly but discreet staff and an abundance of tables with that oh-so-rare extra: empty plug sockets.
Obviously, this place couldn’t be more central, so it’s ideal for getting things done between meetings, and once you’re done with the day you can simply slip away your laptop and cut loose. It’ll be as though they’re bringing the party to you!
Address: 8-9 William St S, Dublin 2
Website: www.dakotabar.ie
Do you think we’ve missed one of Dublin’s best coffee shops for freelancers? Drop us a line via Facebook or Twitter and we’ll try to add it in.
