Venice is notorious for the entrepreneur, work-from-home (aka cafe) type where you're not quite sure what everyone's working on, but it may or may not be something cool. Here's our list of where we like to work from during the day.
* all with good wifi and a good working vibe.
1. Le Zinque
600 Venice Blvd (just across the street)
Opens early (6:30am), and the coffee is great. Filled with creative lap top lingering locals, who tend to stick around for happy hour - which they do really well. Order suggestion - Le Bowl with Chicken or the Burger. Both equally delicious.
2. Shutter's Hotel Lobby
1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica
A little kitschy but perfect for when it's so hot out and you just need a little A/C, while also feeling like you're on the beach. The beach views are spectacular and the food and cocktails are relatively decent.
3. Intelligentsia Coffee
1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Get there between 6 and 9am to ensure a seat and avoid the coffee lines. After 9am it's a little noisy but great for people watching and the wifi is good.
4. Toms
1344 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Rustic, offbeat flagship store & cafe selling coffee, juice & baked goods. The coffee is surprisingly good and they have a great back courtyard, filled with other laptop workers and ample power stations.
5. Restoration Hardware
8564 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
Yep. You read that right. Not just a furniture show room. Technically not in Venice either but it's good to know, if you're on that side of town. Head over to Alfred Coffee in the Lane or Joe and the Juice (both on Melrose), grab yourself a beverage and snacks and then head over to Restoration Hardware. Up three flights of stairs and the spectacular panoramic views of LA are bestowed upon you from the 10,000sqft rooftop park complete with olive trees, shade canopies, and luxurious lounge furniture. There's even a ping pong table and a pool table, free Wi-Fi, and a great playlist. The only thing missing is a server taking your drink order.
6. Rose Cafe
220 Rose Avenue
A longtime Venice staple recently renovated to a lovely, multi-concept dining emporium. There’s a bakery, a to-go counter, a coffee bar, a full liquor bar, a studying area, and a small patio area clearly designed for you and your laptop. The whole operation feels like it was intended for the work-from-home Venice local (which is pretty much everyone).
7. Deus Ex Machina
1001 Venice Blvd
If you’re in the market to walk amongst designer motorcycles and surfboards and then plop down and get some work done, Deux Ex Machina is your holy grail. There’s no doubt this cafe/art gallery/ode to the sensitive bro in Venice is a strange spot, but when they’re serving Handsome Coffee Roasters, solid food, and have an oddly serene back patio, it all comes together.
8. Playa Provisions
119 Culver Blvd, Playa Del Rey
Right off the beach in Playa del Rey, this place has all the essentials to get some work done, even if you have to work through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Complimentary Wi-Fi, abundant seating, and even outlets hidden under the booths at Dockside (the seafood-centric dining space). Start with a smoothie at King Beach, where you can also nosh on a casual lunch on the outdoor picnic tables, and then visit Small Batch for an afternoon ice cream or a beer float (Maui Coconut Porter & Coffee Ice Cream). You can also migrate to Dockside's spacious patio from 11am-5pm as long as you buy something to eat or drink. Once you've wrapped the work day (or before), head to Grain, the adjoining whiskey bar serving delicious cocktails.