The Freelance Blueprint

  • Digital Nomad friendly Coffeeshops to work from in Osaka, Japan

    Digital Nomad friendly Coffeeshops to work from in Osaka, Japan

    Most Digital Nomads will go to Tokyo or Kyoto for coffee shops. And our plan wasn’t to spend a day in Osaka to work remotely. But we ended up on the wrong train, chatted too long and before we realised, we were half way through to Osaka instead of Kyoto.

    We had the option to spent another half hour to get back to Kyoto or just continue on the train and work from Osaka instead. We opted for the latter and were browsing for places to work from while on the train. These are the places we came across and also checked out while there:

    Seattle coffee

    This coffee shop is situated in the ground floor of a huge office building. If you go there during Sakura season, you also get a very nice view of cherry blossoms. Sorry, on this picture the zoom is on the coffee, not the blossoms, but you’ll get the idea:

    There are plugs on the larger tables and plenty of people also working on their laptop. And you don’t feel forced to keep ordering a new drink. However, the wifi logs you out after every hour. You won’t have to consume more items, but you’ll still need to log back in, which is annoying when you’re half way through a task. And you get a maximum of 4 hours per day.

    I ordered an oat cappuccino, my friend ordered the roasted tea latte (which he wasn’t a fan of) and a chicken sandwich which wasn’t impressive. But food aside, for getting stuff done, it was a nice and quiet work environment.

    Wifi Speed at Seattle Coffee in Osaka — 140 Kbps

    Once we reached the 4 hours, we grabbed some lunch and went to find the next place to work from.

    Heys cafe and CUE cafe

    After lunch, we walked to Heys/Cue cafe. There are 2 pins on google maps with different reviews, but they’re both technically the same place. One of them is an actual co-working space, the other one a coffee shop that’s part of the co-working space.

    It looked very nice and quiet, the co-working itself was nicely designed. However, there was a 1,000 Yen fee per 2 hours of work. Which wasn’t worth it for us, we would’ve rather had coffee for that price and after working from Seattle coffee, we knew that it was possible to get wifi and a decent place for less than that. Also, we’re in one of the biggest cities in Japan, we knew there were alternatives.

    But if I would’ve stayed in Osaka, it’s definitely a place I would’ve considered if they offer a weekly or monthly pass for their co-working. So if you’re in the area, go check it out.

    CUE Workspace & heys

    Side note

    If you find this article helpful, I’d really appreciate if you signed up to my newsletter where you’ll receive links to articles like this one, tips for freelancers and digital nomads. Or if you feel generous and this article saved you some time to find a good place that you enjoyed working from, you can also buy me a coffee. This will help me support my side hustle of exploring more work-friendly coffeeshops.

    Streamer Cafe

    This place showed up on google maps and it looked very promising. But when we arrived, it was extremely busy and there were no spare seats. And even if there was, I don’t think we would’ve stayed for long because of the noise.

    There were plenty of people working, the background music was mixed with the sound of people that came for a coffee chat, not just a work session.

    Personally, I prefer places where there is a higher ratio of guests with laptops than guests without laptops. I know, that’s not the purpose of coffeeshops, but I feel guilty if I stay for hours, occupying a seat, when it’s busy and people are waiting to grab a seat to chat with their friends.

    If you’re in the area, I think it’d be a great place to work from on quiet days. If you don’t mind background noise and got good noise cancelling headphones, you might like working from here. The coffee looked great and the fact that it was busy probably means the wifi is good too.

    Streamer Coffee Company Shinsaibashi

    We got there around 2pm, so maybe it was just the time of day. So if you come early (or late) you might be able to have a good work session from here.

    Rocks Cafe

    This place had a very quiet atmosphere, friendly staff and great coffee. To our surprise, it wasn’t very busy. The wifi wasn’t the fastest but fast enough for what we had to do.

    We ordered some Iced Americano which was decent but the cookie cake we ordered with it was absolutely delicious! Make sure you order that when you get there.

    This cake was much better than it looked!

    Rocks Cafe Osaka — Wifi speed 64Kbps

    Rocks cafe was quiet, both in the footfall but also in background noise. There were plug sockets too.

    It was raining heavily when we left and when asking the staff, they gave us an umbrella which we took all the way back to our accommodation in Kyoto. We felt a bit bad for not returning it but later found out supposedly it’s a thing in Japan: People are very helpful. Someone even told me that you can take any of those clear umbrellas and return them elsewhere. Not sure how common and accepted that behaviour is though.

    Only one day

    We’ve only spent a day in Osaka. There are most likely a ton of more coffeeshops to work from. But if I’d go back, I’d work again from Seattle coffeeshop and Rocks Cafe. And return the umbrella.

    If you found this blog article useful, you can sign up to my newsletter where I post more about the places I work from as a digital nomad. Or if you feel generous, you can also buy me a coffee to sponsor my caffeine addiction and help me create more blog posts like this in the future.

    If you found this useful, follow for more content on instagram @elisabethmayr.

  • Lisbon Coffee shops to work from

    Lisbon Coffee shops to work from

    Lisbon is one of the top cities for digital nomads. And I can see why. The weather is amazing, there’s tons of places you can just chill on your laptop (as much as working is considered to be ‘chill’) and you’re not far from the beach. Oh and you can surf here 🏄🏻‍♀️

    people at city
    Photo by Lisa from Pexels on Pexels.com

    Digital Nomads in Lisbon

    Be aware that the locals aren’t the biggest fans of digital nomads in Lisbon. There have been a couple of protests because of the influx of people booking up AirBnbs and longer term rentals which led to a massive increase in rent.

    One of the locals I met told me that us nomads shouldn’t feel guilty because it’s not our fault - it’s the landlords that rank up the prices and that the government doesn’t put a cap on it. But either way, just be vary of that. Overall, any locals I had a conversation about this topic felt more grateful for the increase of tourism. But maybe they were also just trying to be polite.

    Anyway, let’s get to the topic you’re here for:

    Coffeeshops in Lisbon that won’t kick you out

    Once I arrived in Lisbon and started to check out all the coffee shops that were recommended on other blog posts, I realised that most of them were no longer very work friendly. A lot of them don’t mind you to work there in the mornings or from 3pm, but they want you to avoid the lunch hours to get clients who order more than a coffee and occupy a table.

    As soon as I’d arrive at one of the coffee shops that was recommended on basically every single blog post (Hello Kristof), ready to work with my laptop in hand, there were signs on each table saying ‘No Laptop’. So I went for a stroll and here’s a few places that I worked from:

    Best place to work from if you like plants

    Flora and Fauna

    ★★★★☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: Not many

    Wifi: Great

    Noise: Music and people’s chatter

    Air condition: No

    Location: Anjos, Find on Google Maps

    I always feel very comfortable at places filled with plants, which is also why I booked a coworking desk at SecondHome at my second visit to Lisbon.

    Collage of flora & fauna in Anjos, Lisbon

    Flora & Fauna in Anjos, Lisbon

    So Flora and Fauna was one of my favourites. There were not many people on their laptop, only saw two and everyone else was there for brunch. They do allow people to stay with their laptops but not between 12–3pm, which I think is fair enough because it’s a restaurant in the first place, so just be aware of that if you come here for work. This is a chain restaurant, the one I’ve been to is linked here.

    Best place to work from if you want coworking vibes

    Moxy

    ★★★★★

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: Plenty

    Wifi: Great

    Noise: Rather quiet

    Air condition: Yes

    Location: Picoas Station, Find on Google Maps

    One thing I noticed when it comes to places to work from is that the best places are often hotel lobbies. So Moxy isn’t a coffee shop as such, but it has a ton of tables with people working, so you don’t feel unwelcomed as a digital nomad. There’s also coffee and food you can order.

    Generally, I liked the vibe there a lot, it felt like a Coworking space rather than a coffeeshop.

    Best place to work from in Lisbon if you like friendly staff

    Selina

    ★★★☆☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: Yes

    Wifi: Good

    Noise: Background music

    Air condition: Unsure

    Location: Near Bairro Alto & Time Out Market, Find on Google Maps

    If you haven’t heard of Selina: It’s a hotel/hostel chain with several locations all over the world. So if you’re looking for a place to work, it’s good to see if there’s a Selina nearby.

    Overall, the staff is super nice, there’s plenty of plugs and I’d say it’s a good place to work from if you manage to grab a comfortable seat as some of the wooden chairs aren’t ideal.

    But if you order food, order early. While I was there, we ordered the salad which took 2 hours to arrive. Then it was also the wrong order (my friend is veggie and got one with jamon on it) But the staff was quite apologetic and sorted it quickly. I assume they were understaffed that day but just go with the expectation that you might have to wait a little.

    Coffee was alright. Music got a little loud so it’s not ideal for when you have to take calls.

    Best place to work from in Lisbon if you don’t mind that it’s busy

    Comoba

    ★★★★☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: Few

    Wifi: Spotty outside

    Noise: Chatter and music

    Air condition: No

    Location: Near Time Out Market, Find on Google Maps

    Plants and veggie platter with juice at Comoba

    Plants and veggie platter with juice at Comoba

    It get’s busy, so get there early! There’s often a few people with their laptops and you can join them on the long table.

    Best place to work from Lisbon if you like food

    Nicolau

    ★★★★★

    Coffee: Great

    Sockets: Yes

    Wifi: Good

    Noise: Mainly people’s chatter

    Air condition: No

    Location: Between Cloud 9 & General Luna, Find on Google Maps

    Absolutely loved this place! There’s a bit of music, so not the best for calls, and it’s a massive queue during brunch times. But if you go in the early afternoon you might be fine to grab a table.

    Collage of the food at Nicolau

    Food at Nicolau

    If you’d rather not spent half your morning in the queue, there was a small, less fancy looking, but still pretty decent lunch place one street parallel to it called Mil Sabores which didn’t have a queue. Not sure if you can work from there but if you go to Nicolau for the food but just see a massive queue, I suggest this place as a nearby alternative. Definitely try the brownie!

    Lucky find

    Cotidiano

    ★★★★☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: No

    Wifi: Great

    Noise: Just people’s chatter

    Air condition:No

    Location: Near Praça do Comércio, Find on Google Maps

    The coffee, nice bowls, and juices at Cotidiano

    Decent coffee, nice bowls, friendly staff at Cotidiano

    This place was a lucky find. I forgot about a meeting I had as a reminder popped up while I was walking around to find a place for lunch. As I walked past Cotidiano, I didn’t see anyone on a laptop. But when I asked if I could work from there, they gave me a small round table, so no issues, even though there was a queue outside. The coffee was alright, the service was good. Taking a call from there was just fine too.

    Best place to work from if you like to sit outside

    Zambeze

    ★★★★☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: Not outside, didn’t check inside

    Wifi: Good

    Noise: Tourists noises

    Air condition: No

    Location: At the top of the Pingo Doce elevator near Rossio station, Find on Google Maps

    Views over Lisbon from Zambeze

    Views over Lisbon from Zambeze

    I came across this restaurant by accident after I had to find a new place since the wifi at Café da Garagem was bad. You get amazing views, great service and good wifi. It might be a bit tricky to find. You can get there through the elevator inside Pingo Doce. Despite it being outdoors, due to the little roof you don’t get a glare and can actually see what’s on your laptop screen.

    Great place to work from Lisbon if you like to sit outside

    Caffè di Marzano Vermuteria

    ★★★★☆

    Coffee: Good

    Sockets: No

    Wifi: Great

    Noise: Just people’s chatter

    Air condition: No

    Location: Near Praça do Comércio, Find on Google Maps

    This place isn’t far from the famous library Livraria Bertrand. I didn’t have food there but I joined some of my colleagues there another time and they loved the food! So if you don’t need to work, come here anyway. Coffee was nice and the wifi is stable.

    More coffee shops to work from

    There are a few more places that have been recommended to me by other nomads but I didn’t manage to check them out yet. I’ve added them below in case you want to look for yourself. If you do, let me know in the comments if they were good places to work from.

    • Mila

    • WISH Concept Store

    • Curva

    • Heim Cafe

    • Ler Devagar

    Conclusion

    Lisbon has a lot of coffeeshops and even restaurants you can work from. Always check with the staff if they’re okay for you to stay if you don’t see other fellow remote workers on their laptops.

    For more things about digital nomading and travelling, feel free to sign up to my newsletter.

    If you found this useful, follow for more content on instagram @elisabethmayr or buy me a coffee.

  • Best coffeeshops and restaurants to work from in Siargao, Philippines

    Best coffeeshops and restaurants to work from in Siargao, Philippines

    After having been a digital nomad for over a year, I started to pick my travel destinations based on surfing opportunities. So I asked a few people I met while surfing which places they recommend and one place got a lot of mentions: Siargao.After having been a digital nomad for over a year, I started to pick my travel destinations based on surfing opportunities. So I asked a few people I met while surfing which places they recommend and one place got a lot of mentions: Siargao.

    Siargao is one of the 7100+ islands in the Philippines with great surfing spots, but unfortunately, since it’s a bit of a remote island, the wifi isn’t as great.

    Wifi issues

    One of my worries before going there was about how good the wifi will be in Siargao. It’s quite touristy but at the same time, it’s a remote island. So I only booked for 3 weeks, just in case the wifi quality was bad. And to no surprise, it was.

    Thanks to regular blackouts — and there were a lot, especially during holy week while many people travelled to the island and increased demand in electricity — it was quite tricky to find stable wifi.

    But here’s a list of places to work from in Siargao where the Wifi was (somewhat) stable.

    Coffee Stroll

    This place was recommended to me first by a Japanese barista and competitive surfer who stayed in the same accommodation as me. Since he’s a barista, I trusted his recommendation. I initially went there for the coffee but saw a few people working on their laptops.

    So I went there again the next day to try it out and it was a good place to work from. Even though there is no air condition, the temperature is bearable because of the open space design.

    Their banana bread is decent and the coffee is great! It might take some time for your order to arrive as they put a lot of effort into every single cup they serve.

    Lamari

    I loved working from Lamari. Going through the entrance, past the tropical plants and past the little gold fish puts you in a good mood before you even arrive on your “desk”. The design of the building is very pleasing to the eye and because of the space and how things are set up, there is always a gentle and welcomed breeze. And no, it’s not like a draft, it’s actually pleasant in this heat.

    Unlike many other places in Siargao, you can pay by card without the 3% extra charge. The only other place where that was possible was Las Palmas (see below).

    This was one of the first places I worked from and the staff is very friendly. On my second visit I was already greeted by name and felt like a VIP, which was a bit uncomfortable but nice at the same time.

    There’s also a small pool if you want to cool down. Depending on the time of day it can get busy sometimes, but so far, we’ve always gotten a spot when we visited.

    There are a few plugs but only at the bar. So if you run out of juice quickly, make sure to grab a spot there.

    If you’re ending up grabbing your lunch there as well, I highly recommend ordering the burger.

    Las Palmas

    This was one of the main places I worked from, mainly because the food is so amazing here! They also serve items from the Spotted Pig (see below) so you can get Spotted Pig coffee but I recommend ordering food from the Las Palmas kitchen, it won’t disappoint!

    Their breakfast, lunch and dinner menus vary and there’s a lot of great options. My favourite were the rice bowls for lunch. The pumpkin soup was incredible. Their desserts aren’t that amazing though.

    When working from there, you have to ask for a voucher code. That one lasts for 2 hours and 2 people can use the same code at the same time (or you use the same code for 2 devices, either way).

    This get s a little annoying though if you don’t keep track of the 2 hours and the wifi ends abprubtly during a call.

    There’s only one socket, which is located at the first long table on the right. So if you’re running out of battery quickly, make sure to grab that table.

    Tatea cafe

    I came across this one by accident as I was on my way to Cantangnan Bridge for sunset. They have coffees, teas and a few sandwiches, nothing crazy.

    The quality of the Wifi surprised me because it’s a place a bit away from General Luna and Cloud 9 but maybe that’s why the wifi was good. The music was quite loud though, so I don’t recommend this place if you’re having meetings.

    There was a plug at the corner where I sat. You can only pay with cash or Gcash.

    The Spotted Pig

    When I did my research on places to work from in Siargao, this place was mentioned in every single blog, so I gave it a visit.

    Procrastinating…
    Success! You're on the list.

    It was very busy when I arrived around 11am, and I was told by the staff that I can work from Las Palmas instead, they serve the same menu.The next day, I still wanted to check out the Spotted Pig, so I arrived early, got a table and started work. It almost has a library feel because 90% of the people there are working. Just as in Las Palmas, you get a voucher code to access the wifi for a limited time.

    The place is air conditioned, so it’s comfortable to work from. Their coffee choices are decent and people are very much in the work zone.

    Greenhouse Cafe

    Greenhouse became one of our go to spots. Unlike the Spotted Pig or Las Palmas, the wifi doesn’t have a time-cap, so you can surf online as long as you like — or until the next power cut.

    I don’t usually like working right next to the beach. The sun just gets too strong and the glare is too much and I realise I frown the whole time trying to figure out what’s on my screen. But here, the garden is quite a big size, so the sun doesn’t reflect on you too much.

    It can get quite hot during the day, as there’s no air condition and even though it’s an outside space, it’s not as airy, so you’re eager for a breeze.

    If, like me, you have many calls around 5pm Filipino time but you want to see the sunset (even though you won’t be able to see the sun itself, as it’s going down on the other end of the island) this is the spot to be.

    Definitely try the Calamansi juice, it’s very refreshing. And the food options are good too, especially the banana fritters.

    There are 2 Green House restaurants right next to one another. So if you’re looking for the ocean, you’re at the wrong one.

    Shaka Cafe

    This place was only a 2 minute walk from where I stayed, so I found it by accident. I went there for the smoothie bowls and stayed for the view. You can see the famous Cloud 9 walkway from here and can observe the surfers 😍

    They also had wifi, and even though I don’t usually like working from the beach directly (as I mentioned before) I quite enjoyed working from here.

    It can get quite busy in the morning when people come for breakfast, so if you’re like me and get a bit conscious when you feel like you’re occupying a table with just your laptop while people are waiting, there’s one “lonely” high table in the corner facing the ocean where you cannot really place more than 1 person. So I didn’t feel too guilty occupying that spot.

    Their coffee was alright but their smoothie bowls are better. I didn’t work there for long as it got quite hot but definitely worth to check out for brunch too.

    Other mentions

    Here’s a few places that I’ve not managed to check out in my time in Siargao but are on my list to visit.

    Goodies

    This one is next to Green house. I saw it on Google maps while browsing for places and it had great reviews. Definitely want to try it next time I’m in Siargao. If you’ve been there or happen to go, let me know if it’s worth a visit.

    Bake

    This one wasn’t actually recommended to me in person but popped up in every single blog post I found about places to work from in Siargao. Unfortunately, it was closed every time I drove past.

    White beard

    This one was recommended to me by several people but it was quite far away from where I stayed. My accommodation was around Cloud 9 and this place is quite in the center of General Luna. I heard it gets very busy for brunch time because the food is amazing. Not sure if you can work from there as well.

    Ocean 101

    I’ve only been here briefly and didn’t end up using my laptop because I got caught up in a conversation with a friend. But supposedly the wifi here is good. It’s actually a resort. I met a guy who stayed there who said the wifi from the rooms is great too.

    Is it worth visiting Siargao as a Digital Nomad?

    Personally, I think it definitely is. But set your expectations about the wifi: If you have any important meetings, then maybe this is not the place for you. If you can work a lot in your own time, it’s definitely manageble.

    But also, I heard that Starlink just started providing internet when I was leaving. So there’s hope for more stable wifi in the future.

    If you found this article useful, please give it a clap so I know what to write more about. For more things about digital nomading and travelling, feel free to sign up to my newsletter or follow me on my instagram.

  • Digital Nomad friendly Coffeeshops to work from in Osaka, Japan

    Digital Nomad friendly Coffeeshops to work from in Osaka, Japan

    Working remotely in Osaka wasn’t on our to do list. But when visiting Japan, you’ll soon realise how amazing their rail network is. You’ll quickly happen to go from one city to another. You can even travel from Kyoto to Osaka for only 390 Yen (This was the ticket price for Spring 2024) which is around £2.

    But be careful when you get comfortable in the train, because my friend and I planned a work day from our favourite coffeeshop in Kyoto (link) and while chatting on the train, we realised we hopped on the wrong one and were on our way to Osaka.

    We had the option to spent another half hour to get back to Kyoto or just continue on the train and work from Osaka instead. We opted for the latter and were browsing for places to work from while on the train. These are the places we came across and also checked out while there:

    Seattle coffee

    This coffee shop is situated in the ground floor of a huge office building. If you go there during Sakura season, you also get a very nice view of cherry blossoms.

    There are plugs on the larger tables and plenty of people also working on their laptop. And you don’t feel forced to keep ordering a new drink. However, the wifi logs you out after every hour. You won’t have to consume more items, but you’ll still need to log back in, which is annoying when you’re half way through a task. And you get a maximum of 4 hours per day.

    I ordered an oat cappuccino, my friend ordered the roasted tea latte (which he wasn’t a fan of) and a chicken sandwich which wasn’t impressive. But food aside, for getting stuff done, it was a nice and quiet work environment.

    Wifi Speed at Seattle Coffee in Osaka — 140 Kbps

    Once we reached the 4 hours, we grabbed some lunch (link) and went to find the next place to work from.

    Heys cafe and CUE cafe

    After lunch, we walked to this place. There are 2 pins on google maps with different reviews, but they’re both technically the same place. One of them is an actual co-working space, the other one a coffee shop that’s part of the co-working space.

    It looked very nice and quiet, the co-working itself was nicely designed. However, there was a 1,000 Yen fee per 2 hours of work. Which wasn’t worth it for us, we would’ve rather had coffee for that price and after working from Seattle coffee, we knew that it was possible to get wifi and a decent place for less than that. Also, we’re in one of the biggest cities in Japan, we knew there were alternatives.

    But if I would’ve stayed in Osaka, it’s definitely a place I would’ve considered if they offer a weekly or monthly pass for their co-working. So if you’re in the area, go check it out.

    CUE Workspace · 4.3★(21) · Coworking space

    heys · 4.6★(66) · Coffee shop

    Side note

    If you find this article helpful, I’d really appreciate if you signed up to my newsletter where you’ll receive links to articles like this one: info on places to work from, tips for freelancers and digital nomads. Or if you feel generous and this article saved you some time to find a good place that you enjoyed working from, you can also buy me a coffee {link}. This will help me support my side hustle of exploring more work-friendly coffeeshops.

    Streamer Cafe

    This place showed up on google maps and it looked very promising. But when we arrived, it was extremely busy and there were no spare seats. And even if there was, I don’t think we would’ve stayed for long because of the noise.

    There were plenty of people working, the background music was mixed with the sound of people that came for a coffee chat, not just a work session.

    Personally, I prefer places where there is a higher ratio of guests with laptops than guests without laptops. I know, that’s not the purpose of coffeeshops, but I feel guilty if I stay for hours, occupying a seat, when it’s busy and people would benefit from having a seat, chatting with their friends.

    If you’re in the area, I think it’d be a great place to work from on quiet days. If you don’t mind background noise and got good noise cancelling headphones, you might like working from here. The coffee looked great and the fact that it was busy probably means the wifi is good too.

    Streamer Coffee Company Shinsaibashi · 4.3★(658) · Cafe

    We got there around 2pm, so maybe it was just the time of day. So if you come early (or late) you might be able to have a good work session from here.

    Rocks Cafe

    This place had a very quiet atmosphere, friendly staff and great coffee. To our surprise, it wasn’t very busy. The wifi wasn’t the fastest but fast enough for what we had to do.

    We ordered some Iced Americano which was decent but the cookie cake we ordered with it was absolutely delicious! Make sure you order that when you get there.

    Rocks Cafe Osaka — Wifi speed 64Kbps

    Rocks cafe was quiet, both in the footfall but also in background noise. There were plug sockets too.

    It was raining heavily when we left and when asking the staff, they gave us an umbrella which we took all the way back to our accommodation in Kyoto. We felt a bit bad for not returning it but later found out that it’s a thing in Japan: People are very helpful. Someone even told me that you can take any of those black umbrellas and return them elsewhere. Not sure how common and accepted that behaviour is, but there were occassional places where we saw notes for people to help themselves to umbrellas if needed.

    Only one day

    We’ve only spent a day in Osaka. There are most likely a ton of more coffeeshops to work from. But if I’d go back, I’d work again from Seattle coffeeshop and Rocks Cafe. And return the umbrella.

    If you found this blog article useful, you can sign up to my newsletter where I post more about the places I work from as a digital nomad. Or if you feel generous, you can also buy me a coffee to sponsor my caffeine addiction and help me create more blog posts like this in the future.