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15 Best Cafes To Work in Soho London (Laptop Friendly)

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It really just made sense that I would write about the best cafes to work in Soho in London, as I’m quite addicted to working in coffee shops whenever I step out of my home.

If you’re looking for the best coworking spaces in Soho, I’ve already written a guide to those a while back, so you might want to check that out if you’re looking for a regular desk to rent in London, or just a hot desk for a few days during the month.

But today, we’re going to be talking about the best cafes to work in Soho.

When I used to live in North Finchley, I often took a bus to Central London that terminates at Warren Street, not too far from Tottenham Court Road.

I seemed to find myself around Soho (and the amazing TK Maxx on Charing Cross Road!) a lot – but I promise I actually went to work.

I often need some good studying motivation, especially when I’m taking on new courses to improve my skills – and what’s more perfect than working in coffee shops? Nothing, that’s what.

Although this area is more famous for its really cute cafes and instagrammable drinks, there are a few cafes to work in Soho that are really worth the stay for a few hours.

Whenever you’re looking for a good study cafe in London, check back to this guide, as it’s really going to come in handy. Especially when you want to switch up your workspace!

15 Best Cafes To Work in Soho London (Laptop Friendly)

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Photo: Lusted Green

Soho is the area that’s filled with amazing cafes to have a drink with your friends after work during the week, that’s for sure. It’s less of an area where I would go day in, and day out when I’m looking for the best study cafes for work in London.

Because of how Soho is set up, the coffee shops there are much smaller, and most don’t have either free WiFi or power outlets.

So, really cool cafes, really pretty and often instagrammable (like the amazing Bar Italia, one of my favorite Italian cafes in London), but really not that amazing when it comes to making your projects happen if you’re looking for laptop-friendly cafes in London.

I love finding new free libraries to study in London, but there’s something about those coffee shops in the UK that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.

Study cafes in Soho that get you motivated to work

I have gathered the cafes to work in Soho that I personally visit and/or that I think would be amazing if you’re looking for cool cafes to study for a few hours during the day.

Unlike some of the bigger chain cafes to work in London, and aside from Desk Dog, I wouldn’t recommend staying there all day, every day.

Anyway, I don’t need to warn you – once you’re in front of the coffee shop, you’ll see how the atmosphere is, and you’ll understand whether the vibe will allow you to study or work as much as you need to!

If you’d like to find other amazing study spaces to work in London, these are other guides on The Working Line I can recommend you to read:

Now, let’s get on to the best cafes to work in Soho before you can go have fun and/or dinner in nearby Chinatown or go shopping in Oxford Street!

If you would like to see a bit better where all the best cafes to work in Soho are located, take a look at the map below:

Best Cafes To Work in Soho: Caffè Nero Charing Cross Road

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Photo: RouteBus537

I’ve written about the best Caffè Nero cafes in London where you can get some proper work done, and I was not about to write about the best cafes to work in Soho without mentioning the Caffè Nero shop on Charing Cross Road.

This is not one of the biggest coffee shops in London, but Caffè Nero has something super interesting to them that I really appreciate.

There’s a mix of Italian attitude, delicious cafe, and super cute interiors that really make me love Caffè Nero.

In this one, you have a lower floor that is among the ones you could find in the most instagrammable cafes in London.

I’m talking about armchairs, cute wooden decorations, and really an all-around cool atmosphere for whoever is looking for the best cafes to work in Soho while having a delicious hot drink.

Caffè Nero is, and will always remain among my favorite coffee shops to work in Soho, Shoreditch, Mayfair, or wherever it is I am in London. 

Great drinks, great staff, and more often than not, you also have power outlets scattered all around their cafes in London. Also, if you’re looking for cafes to work in Soho with free WiFi, this one is it.

Plus, once you’ve connected to WiFi in a Caffè Nero, you’re automatically connected to The Cloud, their WiFi service, whenever you visit one of their coffee shops to study in London.

That’s just a little something more that makes Caffè Nero one of the best chains of cafes to work whenever, wherever.

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Manhattan NYC

Best Cafes To Work in London: Foyles Café Charing Cross Road

Foyles Cafe on Charing Cross Road is located not too far from Caffè Nero as I’ve mentioned above, and it’s definitely one of the most famous cafes to work in Soho – and one of the best bookshop cafes in London.

Whichever guide to the best cafes to work in London you read, you’re most likely to find Foyles Cafe.

Foyles Cafe is always filled with people working there, and that’s a fact. It’s certainly not among the prettiest cafes in London, as there’s quite nothing instagrammable about it.

However, it’s located on the top floor of one of the biggest bookshops in London, and also my favorite. Nearby, you have some of the best bargain bookshops in London, so you might want to check those out too.

There are a few power outlets everywhere, and the atmosphere built up from thousands of books and people working with their laptops all around you will definitely inspire you.

That’s also one of the biggest cafes to work in Soho, but be aware that it fills up pretty fast from the morning till the evening, so you’re going to have to go early if you’d like to secure a spot!

Read: The Best Tips For Safety Working From Home

Best Cafes To Work in London: Starbucks Charing Cross Road

Update: Starbucks on Charing Cross Road is now permanently closed.

Starbucks on Charing Cross Road will forever remain one of my favorite cafes to work in Soho.

Although it’s not clearly located in the Wardour/Frith Street area, I do consider that as soon as you start going down from Tottenham Court Road to Shaftesbury Avenue, you’re well into the heart of Soho.

That’s where you’ve got some of the most instagrammable pink cafes in London, and although most are not likely to be the perfect background for an afternoon of studying or typing away on your keyboard, you do have some gems like that Starbucks.

The Charing Cross Road Starbucks is one of the cafes to work in Soho that I used to visit very much before I started visiting Pret and Caffè Nero coffee shops to work more frequently as I dived deeper into my blogging and freelance writing career.

Back when I chose to lead a very short personal training career, I would go all the way from Mile End and then Bethnal Green to this Starbucks to work.

That might not be the biggest cafe in Soho to do work, but there are quite a few seats with power outlets and free WiFi.

As I always say, free WiFi, power outlets, and good coffee – or tea – at an affordable price are the three things I look for when I’m on the quest for new cafes to work in Soho, Notting Hill, cafes to work in North London around North Finchley, or anywhere else in London.

No one has ever said anything to me as I was studying in this Central London cafe, so I know for a fact that they’re quite laptop friendly.

If you’d like to read about more amazing Starbucks cafes to work in London, I’ve written a full guide to the best coffee shops in the chain and you should definitely take a look at it!

Best Cafes To Work in Soho: Desk Dog

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Photo: BrewDog

I’ve mentioned Desk Dog quite a few times on The Working Line already.

Although it’s not a proper option if you’re looking for the best cafes to work in London, the Desk Dog initiative established by the BrewDog chain of pubs is one of the most efficient and coolest initiatives for freelancers and digital nomads I’ve ever come across in London.

We’re very far from pretty, instagrammable cafes in Soho like Cafe de Nata, Criss Cross, or Bar Italia. 

Actually, we’re well into the vibe of study cafes in London. For £7 a day, you can either book a spot or walk in with your laptop, beautiful and inspiring notebooks, books, and whatnot.

And all you have to do during the day is cram, cram, cram, and cram some more on your exams. Or type away as inspiration hits while you’re drinking free cups of tea and coffee throughout the day. Easy enough, right?

Desk Dog is even better than some of the best cafes to work in Soho in that they also provide access to paper, pens, and printers. So you’re really well catered to, and it’s like the chain really just holds your hand on your way to success.

I don’t really visit pubs on a day-to-day basis at all, if not to eat some delicious fish and chips at a local Wetherspoons.

And yet, that’s one of the best non-cafes cafes to work in Soho, especially given that the Desk Dog initiative is available in all the Brew Dog in London (and almost in all of the UK).

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in NYC Midtown

Best Cafes to Work in Soho: Caffè Nero Frith Street

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Photo: Caffè Nero

I wanted to include the Caffè Nero on Frith Street as one of the best cafes to work in Soho as it holds some really good memories of me writing and working on ideas and projects there.

To be fair, it’s absolutely not the biggest cafe in London.

Still, if you’re looking for the best Caffè Nero cafes to work in London, then the atmosphere is tainted with Soho quaintness, trendiness, and joy and will definitely get your creative juices flowing.

I’d recommend going early in the morning if that’s the study cafe in London you choose for the day.

Again, this Caffè Nero, which faces almost exactly one of my favorite Italian cafes in London, Bar Italia, is not the biggest.

However, I’ve seen many people there working day in, day out, and the staff is super friendly.

If you’re looking for a spot to plug in your laptop for one or two hours while you’re waiting for your friends to get out of work and have a drink, that’s also one of the perfect cafes in Soho to do that. 

As I always say, check out your surroundings, feel the vibe, and you’ll see whether the cafes to work in Soho that you choose are the ones made for the type of work you’re setting out on that day.

Don’t force yourself to work in places where it doesn’t feel good, as you’ll most likely not do happy work – and happy work is not very efficient work (philosophical thought of the day!)!

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Brooklyn NYC

Best Cafes To Work in London: Söderberg Soho

I don’t know how familiar you are with Swedish coffee shops and bakeries in London, but they’re a vibe.

The first Swedish bakery I ever got pastries from was Bageriet on Rose Street, in Covent Garden, but it’s unfortunately way too tiny if you’re looking for coffee shops to get some productive work done.

However, if you like Swedish pastries and traditional food, then Söderberg is definitely one of the best cafes to work in Soho.

Not the biggest cafe in London, however, there are some really big tables and an atmosphere that will make you want to get creative there.

Unlike some other cool cafes to work in London that I mentioned in previous guides like the best Caffè Nero and Pret coffee shops, I wouldn’t recommend staying there for hours on end.

Still, if you’re looking for good cafes to study, that’s a place where the staff is friendly and you will be more than welcome to scribble and cram.

It’s also one of the newest coffee shops in London since Söderberg has been open since 2019 only – the rest of the cafes and bakeries are still exclusive to Edinburgh.

All in all, if you’re looking for some soft, instagrammable cafes in London where the vibe is likely to help you get all of your work done for the day, do check out Söderberg.

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Chelsea London

Study Cafes in Soho: Costa Coffee

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Photo: Zomato

I honestly don’t really visit Costa Coffee when I’m looking for amazing cafes to work in London – why?

Because most of the time, I have a hard time finding Costa Coffee cafes in London where there are power outlets. In the Great Marlborough Street coffee shop, there are some plugs.

That means you can definitely bring your PC and your phone, and get some really good work done without any problem.

There is also free WiFi there, and although chain coffee shops are far from being the most instagrammable cafes in London, this Costa Coffee is really comfortable to work from.

I’ve always really liked their hot drinks, and my issue has always only been the power outlet, so that would be one of the best places to write in London if you’re only planning on using a notebook.

If I find a cool cafe, even if it’s the most colorful of all the coffee shops in the world, and it doesn’t have either WiFi or power outlets, I’m not going to stay. Or stay too long.

It’s the same whether I visit study cafes in London Bridge or North Finchley – the length of my stay in the cafe depends on it, innit.

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Kensington

Best Cafes To Work in London: Triple Two Coffee

I feel like Triple Two Coffee is one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to study cafes in London – especially since the coffee there is so good!

I’m a big fan of coffee, as we all know (otherwise, why would I have started a blog about the best cafes to work around the world?), and the one at Triple Two Coffee really deserves a highlight.

Located on Wardour Street, it’s one of the best cafes in Soho if you’re onto a chill, friendly place to work and study.

Namely, it is one of the biggest coffee shops in London, so that’s something to note.

If you’re vegan, there are some really good food options on the menu there. Triple Two Coffee also has some bites for lunch like pizza and sandwiches that are always fresh and delicious.

Whenever you feel tired of working in chain coffee shops, and you decide to try Triple Two Coffee, you’ll just wonder why you’ve never been here before.

Read: The Best Study Cafes near King’s Cross

Study Cafes in Soho: Pret Frith Street

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If you’ve been on The Working Line before, you know it’s no secret that I love working in Pret cafes in London.

They’re huge, there’s good WiFi in most of them, and there are power outlets disseminated all around the ones I’ve deemed my favorite cafes to work in London.

Pret on Frith Street makes no exception to this little rule I’ve created for myself to visit only cafes where I know I’ll be more productive with work. It’s big, there are toilets, fast WiFi and power outlets here and there.

Really the perfect study cafe at all times of the day, just a stone’s throw away from Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Chinatown.

If you’re looking for a good cafe to study in Soho, then that’s one of the best options you’ll find on this list today. I personally visit Pret on Frith Street quite often.

Whether you’re on a roll, doing some super cool non touristy things in London alone, or really just looking for the best cafes to work in Soho, it’s always a good spot to stop by to charge your phone, work on your laptop with the free WiFi and just chill.

Read: The Best Cafes to Work near Tottenham Court Road

Cafes To Work in Soho: Flocafe Shaftesbury Avenue

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Photo: Greeklist

The first Flocafe I ever visited was the one in Mayfair, just off Oxford Street.

Although the staff is amazing and the coffee is always delicious, if you’re looking for the perfect cafe to study in Soho, I’d definitely recommend Flocafe on Shaftesbury Avenue.

There are lots of good WiFi cafes between Soho and Chinatown (and you’ve got some really cheap cakes at Chinatown Bakery too!), and it’s safe to say that I love the entire Shaftesbury Avenue.

Might date back to the time I watched Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione appear at the corner of Tottenham Court Road – who knows? Still, for those after a spacious cafe to work from in Soho, Flocafe is it.

The coffee shop is huge, and there are lots of tables where you can work on your own.

At weekends, I’d advocate against going to this cafe to study and rather leave your visit for weekdays.

It can get quite packed, especially since the food is delicious, but it’s still an amazing place to write in London, read, and find that study motivation you can’t get at home.

Study Cafes in Soho: Farm Girl Cafe

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Photo: EchoChamber

Ever heard of Farm Girl Cafe? Most likely, especially if you’ve been looking into pretty, instagrammable cafes in London.

The Soho branch isn’t that famous, but their picture-worthy Farm Girl in Notting Hill is one of the most-visited pretty cafes in London, and it probably offers the best breakfast in London as well.

On the menu, amazingly colorful lattes, edible rose petals, deliciously instagrammable desserts, and avocado toasts.

If you’re looking for the perfect study cafe in Soho, then Farm Girl on Carnaby Street will get you plenty motivated as soon as you pass the threshold.

The Australian coffee shop is perfect to work, with free WiFi all day and lots of power outlets to charge your PC.

Of course, Farm Girl Cafe, with its offering of specialty coffee and amazingly tasty Australian dishes, can get quite busy around lunchtime and after work.

So what I’d suggest, if you’re looking for quiet places to work in Soho, would be to come as early as possible.

If you don’t see it from the street, worry not – this work cafe is located on the first floor of the Sweaty Betty flagship. Probably one of the most secret cafes to work in Soho.

Read: The Best Places to Study in Southbank

Places To Work in Soho: The Hoxton, Holborn

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Photo: TimeOut

The Hoxton in Holborn is my little addition to this list that shouldn’t technically be part of the best study cafes to work in Soho, but I thought it would be a great place for you to know.

The Hoxton is actually a hotel, and like many places to stay in London, its lobby is perfect for freelancers, students, and digital nomads to work from.

It’s spacious, quiet yet lively at just the right times, for breakfast and lunch, and you’ll find lots of people working on their laptops at The Hoxton.

It’s located just a few minutes’ walk away from Tottenham Court Road station, which means in reality, it’s quite close to Soho.

There, you can just get some great coffee and a bite, or even have a cheap lunch at Oodles Chinese, and work with their free WiFi as much as you want.

It’s really quite silent, so if you’re looking for quiet cafes to work in London around Soho, The Hoxton is definitely a study spot to consider.

Also, just a few minutes away, you have one of the best Chinese food places in London, Oodles Chinese – an affordable restaurant you should look at if you’re studying abroad in London and are on a budget.

Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Dallas TX

Best Cafes To Work in London: Department of Coffee and Social Affairs

Whether you’re looking for places to write in London or just read a few chapters while typing away on your PC, the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs near Carnaby Street is the perfect study spot.

An ultra-stylish coffee shop that offers fresh cakes and strong coffee all day long, the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs is one of the best cafes to work in London if you’re looking for spots in Central London.

Tucked away in the heart of Soho, the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs might seem small at first sight, with just a few seats on the terrace. Yet, it has an upper floor where you can spend hours working and studying without anyone bothering you.

Simply one of the best cafes to work in Soho, near Chinatown, and my favorite TK Maxx to get cheap scented candles in London.

Read: The Best Cat Cafes in London & Pet Friendly Cafes

Best Study Cafes in Soho London: Joe and The Juice

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Photo: Zomato

I don’t often go work in Joe and The Juice coffee shops, but even I have to admit that one of the best cafes to work in Soho is Joe and the Juice on Dean Street.

A super comfortable coffee shop with free WiFi, where you’ll find plenty of seating space downstairs, and of course, lots of freshly-squeezed juices and milkshakes.

That’s probably one of the most central study cafes if you’re looking to work right in the heart of Soho.

Joe and the Juice has everything nearby, from one of the spots to bao buns in London, Chinese Tapas House, to Chinatown Bakery just a few minutes away, where you’ll get the fluffiest cakes you’ve ever seen in town.

Spacious and lively, you’ll need to pay a visit to Joe and The Juice if you’re looking for cafes to work in London for hours on end and study with your laptop and notebooks.

Read: The Best Vegan Bakeries in London for Vegan Cakes

Best Cafes To Study in London: The Colombian Coffee Company

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Photo: TripAdvisor

Located on Greek Street, one of the most famous streets in Soho, The Colombian Coffee Company offers some of the most delicious coffee you’ll ever have in London.

Colombian coffee needs no introduction; along with Italian coffee and other Latin-American coffee, it is some of the strongest and most flavorful coffees in the whole world.

And you’ve got in the Colombian Coffee Company one of the best cafes to work in London, quiet, and a true hidden gem in the heart of Soho.

The atmosphere is laidback, with traditional music playing on the speakers and a really quiet background perfect for whoever is looking for cafes to work in Soho.

The upside is that the Colombian Coffee Company is a social company that strives to help smaller communities in Colombia by supporting their coffee production.

One of these coffee shops that still seems pretty underrated among students and freelancers in London.

Read: The Best Non Touristy Things To Do in London

15 Best Cafes To Work in Soho London (Laptop Friendly)

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Photo: TripAdvisor

So there you have them, the best cafes to work in Soho – all those study cafe options are perfect for a few hours of studying and working on your laptop, up to a full day of work.

It really depends, and you’ll see what the atmosphere is like as soon as you arrive. 

If you’d like to be sure that you’re going to find a good study spot for a full day of laptop-friendly work, then I can recommend three spots that you can’t miss out on. Foyles Cafe on Charing Cross Road.

You should definitely arrive as early as you can as it’s always packed with people trying to make their projects come to fruition. 

Desk Dog at BrewDog is that cheap coworking space in Soho that, at £7 a day, you cannot beat. You’re sure to find like-minded people, and you’re sure that no one will bother you as you’re working hard and smart on your projects.

And Caffè Nero on Charing Cross Road, with its basement, is another one of the best cafes to work in Soho if you’re ever in Central London and in need of the best study cafe in the city – with quite affordable, large drinks.

Until next time!

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Sam is a certified fashion makeup artist, a freelance writer, a blogger and a digital nomad. Since 2019, she roams around the world, from London to Rome and shares her knowledge about makeup, scented candles, travel, blogging and the digital nomad lifestyle.