Best Places to Work Remotely in Jesmond

The kitchen table is fine for a morning, but by Wednesday most home workers are craving a change of scene, a decent coffee and the low hum of other people getting on with things. Jesmond is well set up for it. Between St George's Terrace, Acorn Road and the streets behind Osborne Road there is a cluster of cafes where an open laptop won't raise an eyebrow, plus a community library with desks and computers. Here is where to set up for a few hours.

Harvest

Harvest on St George's Terrace is the cafe arm of Newcastle roaster Ouseburn Coffee Company, and it is the most obvious first stop for a working morning in West Jesmond. Independent cafe guide Caffè Atlas lists it with free WiFi and as laptop-friendly, and its listed hours of 8am to 5pm every day cover a full working day, weekends included.

The space is bright and simple, with wooden furniture and communal tables that suit a solo laptop session. The coffee is roasted by OCC, and the all-day menu (eggs on sourdough, pancakes, granola, then salads, soup and wraps at lunch) means you can stay put from first coffee to late lunch. Outdoor seating comes into its own on sunny mornings, and West Jesmond Metro is a short walk away.

Best for: A full working day seven days a week, with excellent coffee and brunch to hand.

Olive Coffee Co

Tucked away at 16 Mistletoe Road, just off Acorn Road, Olive Coffee Co is a small independent specialty coffee spot that Caffè Atlas singles out as a good place for remote work. It is listed with free WiFi and as laptop-friendly, and it opens early: 7am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, closing at 4pm.

That early start makes it the pick if you like to get the hard thinking done before the inbox wakes up. There is outdoor seating for warmer days, and it is a handy alternative when the bigger cafes on the main roads are busy.

Best for: Early starts (7am on weekdays) in a quiet side street.

Burds

Burds is easy to miss: it sits in the Gatehouse building at the entrance to the Fleming Business Centre on Burdon Terrace, behind Osborne Road. That hidden location is exactly why it works for a working session. It is noticeably calmer than the cafes on the main road, and the large, light, plant-filled room with comfy sofas gives you space to spread out.

The kitchen serves an all-day brunch menu with Pink Lane coffee, and there is a patio terrace for warmer months. It is also dog-friendly, if your co-worker has four legs.

Best for: A roomy, relaxed space away from the Osborne Road bustle.

Arlo

Arlo on Brentwood Avenue has been a West Jesmond favourite for well over a decade and describes itself as the perfect place to while away the hours. It opens at 9am every day, closing at 4pm from Sunday to Wednesday and staying open late from Thursday to Saturday, when it turns into an evening bistro bar.

For remote workers, the appeal is the in-house bakery and an all-day menu that turns a coffee stop into lunch without moving tables. It is a better bet for a relaxed morning than a long day of video calls, and on Thursdays and Fridays you can segue neatly from the last email into an evening drink.

Best for: A relaxed morning with proper baking, and a drink to finish later in the week.

Jesmond Library

If you want somewhere free and quiet, Jesmond Library on St George's Terrace is the answer, with one caveat: check the day before you go. Run entirely by volunteers since the council closed the branch in 2013, it opens on Tuesday and Thursday (9.30am to 5.30pm), Friday morning (9.30am to 12.30pm) and Saturday (9.30am to 4.30pm), and is closed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays.

When it is open, the library offers workstations and desks with access to computers, printing and photocopying, which is handy if you need to print a contract or boarding pass. There is no pressure to buy anything, though the Friends of Jesmond Library need to raise around £30,000 a year to stay open, so a donation or a library membership is a nice way to say thank you.

Best for: Free desks, computers and printing on the days it is open.

The chains

For a familiar fallback, Caffè Nero at 35 Acorn Road and Starbucks on St George's Terrace, by West Jesmond Metro, both have seating for a sit-down coffee, and are useful when the independents are full. Check in store for WiFi and the best tables for plugging in.

Best for: A reliable plan B on Acorn Road or St George's Terrace.

Coworking and getting around

Jesmond doesn't have a dedicated coworking space or hot-desking hub of its own that we could confirm. If you need a bookable desk or meeting room, the city centre is a few minutes away on the Metro, from Jesmond, West Jesmond or Ilford Road stations. Commuters will also be glad to hear that free Wi-Fi is coming to Jesmond Metro station.

A remote worker's day: start at Olive Coffee Co at 7am for an early, focused session, walk over to Harvest for brunch and a long midday stint, then decamp to Jesmond Library on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon if you need to print something. For more on the area's cafes, see our guide to the best coffee shops in Jesmond.

Know another laptop-friendly spot in Jesmond? Let us know via our contact page.