I live at cafes. In fact, I consider my expenses in this category an extension of my monthly rent. Whereas many nomads enjoy working at a co-working space, I’ve never seen the point in that. It strikes me as an unnecessary expense when I can have the same benefits at a cafe, where I can have coffee and a meal or two over the course of 4-5 hours. Plus, I think the benefits of co-working spaces are overstated. Perhaps I’m too introverted, but I’ve already done the co-working thing in a past job, and I never talked to anyone who wasn’t a direct colleague of mine. I don’t believe there’s much networking happening in these places.
In light of this, one of my priorities when I arrive in a new city is to scope out a handful of cafes that I can rotate through day-to-day. Before I frequent any given cafe, however, I test it against some pretty specific criteria. Here are my requirements in no particular order:
- Indoor & air conditioned. I only live in hot weather environments, and I can’t work when I’m hot and sweaty.
- Quiet. If there’s music, it needs to be soft and mostly wordless.
- Clean bathrooms
- Cheap and tasty food and coffee.
- Fast, stable wifi
- 5-10 minutes walk from my apartment/hotel
- Early and late hours. Sometimes I like to work early in the morning, and sometimes I like to work into the night. I’ve been known to arrive for breakfast and coffee at 6:00 AM and on other days work until 2:00 AM.
- Outlets. Because I need to charge my stuff!
The following cafes meet all the criteria, except where specified. And each heading links to a Google Maps business listing.
Chocolaterie Artisan & Specialty
Chocolaterie initially struck me as a mere confectionary and therefore unlikely to match my criteria. In fact, during my first few visits, I only ordered a coffee and some sweets from the display case. But eventually, their staff asked if I’d like a menu, and I realized they had an entire selection of different European-style entrees. So, this place earned a spot in my cafe rotation.
The downside is that it’s located in the Vake neighborhood, which is not central within Tbilisi. But you should just live in Vake.
I’m convinced that Hurma was designed specifically for laptop loiterers like myself. There are about 10 tables each with a dedicated outlet. The menu has a wide range of options, and they offer breakfast and lunch specials. The service is better than average Tbilisi cafes. And it’s cheap.
Unfortunately, sometimes they keep the front door open, and the street traffic from Rustaveli Avenue is loud.
Althaus has the best atmosphere of any cafe in Tbilisi. It’s quirky and artistic. The music is soft and comforting. The tea and coffee options are extensive, and their food menu is also great. Because I’m cheap, I usually get a Turkish coffee and a dish that is essentially a bean pie for 4 lari ($1.36). But I’ve also had their fettuccini alfredo, which was fine. But take my recommendations on food with a grain of salt; I’m notorious for my unrefined palette.
Spar is one of the local grocery chains in Georgia. In some locations, they also serve fresh coffee and have an area to sit down. The coffee is probably the cheapest in the city, and the cafe area is isolated and quiet. The major benefit to Spar is that it’s open 24/7. Nowhere else opens until at least 9:00 AM.
The downside: there are no outlets.
P.S. You’ll want to go to the location across the street from Hurma.
Respublika is more of a restaurant than a cafe, and therefore it’s a little more expensive than my other recommendations. They serve typically western dishes. Steak, chicken, pasta, burgers, etc. And they have some solid lunch and brunch specials.
Their wifi is fast, and they’re never particularly busy, so I don ‘t feel guilty staying for several hours—and they don’t close until 2:00AM! It’s also quiet, and the service is great. I point out good service, because for some reason it’s not always a given in Georgia. There’s a good deal of outwardly apparent apathy from many service workers here.
Drawbacks: other than price (which isn’t really that expensive), they have limited outlets.
Comments
I generally like to scope out public libraries but depending on the country that can be difficult