One awesome benefit of being a contract editor is that I have the freedom to work remotely a lot. What I look for in a place to work is the overall atmosphere (not too loud and comfortable furniture.), the quality/price of food & drinks, the accessibility of power plugs (always need outlets for my external hard drives), and the availability of WiFi. These are the places in (South & Central) Austin I find myself working over and over again.

I’d love to hear suggestions of other places in Austin! Or, if you don’t live in Austin, where do you like to work where you live? What do you look for when you go out to work somewhere?

1. The Hideout Coffeehouse, 617 Congress Ave (Downtown)

• Atmosphere: Dive bar, down-to-earth. Music playing, light chit-chat. Gets way louder after 5pm. Furniture is worn and pretty comfortable.
• Drinks: Delicious coffee. Try El Pachon light roast (~$1.50) or the Vanilla Lattes (~$3.50).
• Eats: Torchy’s Breakfast tacos in mornings.
• Outlets: All over, including power strips. The long orange bench requires crawling on the floor to access the outlets under it.
• WiFi: Free, spotty at times but overall good. The router is in the back next to the bookshelf, so I get the best connection when I sit closer to it.

2. Opa!, 2050 S Lamar Blvd (South Lamar & Oltorf)

• Atmosphere: Used to be coffee and wine bar, so still has that vibe despite the recent upscale to full liquor bar (still have awesome wine and lattes). Big outside area under giant tree; lots of seating inside with couches, high and low tables, plush and hard chairs. Particularly comfy chairs on your right when you walk in, along the windows. I go here so much (to work and to play) that the staff knows me; they are so awesome!!
• Drinks: Vanilla lattes are incredible. Nice selection of wine. I love Les Jamelles Pinot Noir, the Tempranillo with the orange label, and there’s a nice Chianti too. My best friend loves their sangria.
• Eats: Excellent Greek food. Try the Veggie Panini, hummus, or feta plate.
• Outlets: Haven’t found outlets outside. Lots of outlets inside, although check before you sit down; not accessible from every seat.
• WiFi: Free, strong signal.

3. Once Over Coffee

• Atmosphere: The staff is very hipster, but not pretentious. The place can get really crowded with laptop workers (“workers”?) so I usually make sure there is a table available before I order my coffee. But also means it’s pretty quiet. Regular wooden chairs; not uncomfortable. Good table. 10% off when you pay with cash!
• Drinks: They make their own vanilla, so hot and iced vanilla lattes are really good. Their house brew, also amazing (actually don’t put any milk in it sometimes!).
• Eats: El Primo trailer is outside, home of the most amazing Tortas that have ever graced your taste buds. Once Over lets you (encourages you to, in fact) bring in any food from El Primo.
• Outlets: If you can manage to snag a table, there’s an outlet nearby.
• WiFi: Free. REALLY great connection considering usually everyone there is on the internet.

4. Jo’s Coffee Shop, 242 W 2nd St (Downtown)

• Atmosphere: Very open, so makes it feel less busy than it often gets. Crowded around lunch. Sometimes gets very loud, especially on weekends; very echo-y inside. Love the bar because of plugs and I can stand sometimes, but chairs are uncomfortable for long periods.
• Drinks: Almond Latte or coffee. Have beer and wine too.
• Eats: Great for lunch, love the veggie burger. Serve breakfast until 11am, then switch to lunch.
• Outlets: Lots of outlets UNDER the bar, which is really why I love working here.
• WiFi: Free, usually great signal and speed.

Obviously, I value electrics OUTLETS, good COFFEE, and a reasonably COMFORTable seat. What do YOU look for when working remotely?