This is a sponsored post.
After working from home for the last 12+ months or so, I’m loving being able to work from my favourite local coffee shops again now that restrictions have eased. While I often work from home if I fancy a sunny day in the garden or if I have a recipe to develop, I’m way more productive when I leave the house to work and it’s good to be able to interact with others throughout the day too.
Cardiff is a great base for anyone who works remotely, with countless coffee shops and co-working spaces providing ample opportunities to escape the four walls of your house and get some work done, both for professionals with jobs in Cardiff and further afield, and for the city’s thriving student community.
With so many coffee shops in Cardiff city centre, however, it can be a challenge deciding on which one to work from. It can be a difficult to find a spare table in some of the more popular coffee shops, while others lack power points and/or WiFi, for example.
Thankfully, Westgate IT’s Cardiff team has created a round-up of the best remote working spots in Cardiff, based on customer reviews, pricing, opening hours and food, so we’ll never be stuck on where to go to get a few hours’ work done.
Here’s the rundown. Please note, some of the venues listed below may have changed their opening times or services in response to the pandemic. Always check with each venue in advance to be sure of current opening hours and other essential information.
Contents
Uncommon Ground
10-12 Royal Arcade, St Mary St, Cardiff CF10 1AB
Google Review score: 4.5/5
Based in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade, Uncommon Ground is a favourite amongst coffee connoisseurs. Not only is the coffee of an excellent quality, but the prices are fairly reasonable and the atmosphere is usually relatively calm and pleasant too (although it does get a little busy at times, especially during half-term, like many other city centre coffee shops).
There is plenty of seating here, although it’s worth noting that Uncommon Ground has introduced a policy that those working from their laptops are only welcome to stay for an hour, with a side note explaining that, if you’re willing to keep purchasing additional coffees, you’d be welcome to stay for longer. This is only fair if you ask me – after all, Uncommon Ground is a pretty small business and the team need to ensure they’re generating a profit. However, I’d love to see them introduce a fixed daily rate to enable remote workers to use their space all day and order a set number of hot drinks, for a fixed fee.
While the public WiFi does have a tendency to be a bit slow, if you have your own data connection or personal hotspot to rely upon, this may not present so much of an issue for you.
If you get peckish, Uncommon Ground serve a varied food menu throughout the day for you to take your pick from, so there’s no need to pop out to grab lunch unless you fancy taking a break.
Park House Restaurant & Wine Bar
20 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3DQ
Google Review score: 4.2
If you’ve heard of Park House, you’ll probably know it as one of Cardiff’s best fine dining restaurants. By night, you would be quite right.
During the day, however, Park House also makes for a peaceful and well-maintained environment to work from. The WiFi is very steady, the staff are friendly and the food is delicious, helping to make Park House one of the best client meeting spots in Cardiff.
I mean, what better place to wow a new client than in an oak-panelled 19th Century mansion?
Waterloo Tea
5 Waterloo Gardens, Penylan, Cardiff, CF23 5AA
Google Review score: 4.4
After being recognised as Best Cafe in the UK back in 2009, Waterloo Tea has gone from strength-to-strength and now has three locations in Cardiff in Penylan, the city centre and Roath.
Besides boasting a seriously impressive range of teas, Waterloo Tea Room boats an excellent range of teas, alongside super-speedy WIFI and attentive staff. Although it can get a little busy during peak times, generally, this is a good working environment and the perfect place from which to focus on your to-do list.
Little Man Coffee
Ivor House, Bridge St, Cardiff CF10 2EE
Google Review score: 4.5
Whether you’re craving a hot cup of tea or coffee, a cooling smoothie or a light bite to eat, Little Man Coffee is the ideal spot to park up at and crack on with your day.
The WiFi is usually pretty decent here, while the pastries are outstanding and the staff truly welcome remote workers; sometimes, they even offer a fixed rate to work from here for the day, with inclusive tea and coffee available.
Another perk of Little Man Coffee is that, if you arrive before 10am, you can also claim a free cup of coffee!
Milk&Sugar – One Central Square
One Central Square – Ground Floor, Wood St, Cardiff CF10 1FS
Google Review score: 4.5
Popular for their hearty brunches and breakfasts, Milk&Sugar is a wonderful place to visit for a working lunch, although as the space can get fairly busy at times, it’s more suited to short remote working periods and you might want to give it a miss during lunchtimes, when you may need to wait for a table to become free.
Besides its One Central Square branch, Milk&Sugar also has sites in Capital Tower, Eastern Business Park and Pontcanna which are well worth a visit too.
Coffee #1
22 Merthyr Road Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DH
Google Review Score: 4.3
A buzzing little coffee shop with great food and coffee, Coffee #1 is often said to serve the best coffee in Whitchurch.
Arrive early to grab yourself a spot and enjoy an hour or two of leisurely working with trusty WiFi. Be warned though, this is a popular place among the locals so if you’re looking for total peace and quiet, you might wish to go elsewhere.
Jaspers Tea Rooms
6-8 High Street Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2DZ Wales
Google Review Score: 4.5
Much-loved Jaspers makes for a lovely place to set up camp and work for the day, with a wide selection of teas, coffees, savoury snacks and sweet treats to choose from.
With reliable WiFi accessible with a purchase, this is somewhere you can expect to meet like-minded remote workers, broaden your professional network and get stuck into those tasks you’ve been putting off for weeks.
Cafe Fresco
228 Cowbridge Rd East, Cardiff CF5 1GY
Google review score: 4.6
Whether you’re out for a cuppa with your grandmother or a productive morning meeting with the team or solo working session, this lovely Canton cafe has got you covered.
Staff here are incredibly friendly and will go out of their way to ensure your visit is an enjoyable one. Meanwhile, you’re bound to spot something that takes your fancy on the extensive menu, so go hungry and treat yourself to breakfast or brunch.
The WiFi is mostly reliable and the atmosphere is pleasantly calm, assuming you’re not visiting during weekend peak times.
Metchy’s Cafe & Bar
1 Cathays Terrace, Cardiff CF24 4HS
Google Review Score: 4.8
Serving an array of homemade dishes spanning different cuisines, Metchy’s is a popular option for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Open seven days a week and offering fast WiFi speeds and quality coffee, Metchy’s is a popular option among Cardiff’s remote workers and student community.
Selah Cafe & Tea Rooms
38 Station Road, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5LT
Google Review Score: 4.6
A quirky family-run cafe and tea room with a vintage feel, Selah Cafe is nestled in the leafy village of Llanishen, just outside Cardiff.
Serving freshly brewed teas, coffees and tasty dishes sourced from local independent suppliers and producers, the cafe is small but snug, with polite, friendly staff. The WiFi is good, but you’ll need to go early to secure your seat and as this is an independent cafe, you might wish to limit your stay to just a couple of hours so you don’t take up space that other paying customers could be using.
This is a sponsored post.
Hey, I went to uncommon ground on recommendation and just thought you should probably update the info or remove it from the list as it’s a bit outdated as of now.
As of writing (June 2022) these are the conditions of uncommon ground.
Pros: great coffee (like unbelievably good cappuccino) and good atmosphere. There are quite a few kids so it’s a bit loud but the acoustics make it so it’s not too bothersome. I’m finding it hard to focus at times nonetheless but overall it’s better than most coffee shops and Noone can control their customer base. If this is the environment on a bad day then this place is well constructed.
Cons: The WiFi is public and slow and currently there is a one hour limit for people working here. Uncommon ground does not have a dedicated wifi network and is reliant on the public network in the area for royal arcade. I have been trying (and failing) to keep a stable connection on my phone which is a new model Samsung and I am unable to locate the network at all on an up to date work laptop. Secondly, there is a one hour limit for anyone working from a laptop here. While this is a business and I cannot judge anyone for deciding to implement a policy like that to maintain profitability, it was not mentioned in the initial review of this space and I believe that it is an important consideration when figuring out where to work for the day. The coffee is relatively cheap and very good so I am not too disappointed with this but nonetheless I think it should be mentioned in the review so people may plan out their workday accordingly.
Overall it is a very good coffee shop that I would love to drop by in the mornings again for a brew and a breather but as a remote worker this place is impossible to recommend to anyone else in the field for the simple lack of convenient faculties required for us to keep up our work.
Hope this clarified my thoughts
Hello Noah,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment – it’s much appreciated! 🙂
I’ve taken your points on-board and updated the section on Uncommon Ground; I’m not sure if the one-hour rule was in place when I last went here, as I don’t recall being asked to leave before. However, having passed the other day, I did note the sign on the door about the one-hour policy, which I will admit is off-putting for me as a remote worker (although it also said that, if you are happy to keep your coffee topped up, you’d be welcome to stay for longer).
I will try to pop back here myself sometime and see if I am able to update my review some more.
Thanks again,
Kacie