Traditionally, cafes, coffee shops, and other eateries have served as hotspots for social interactions and good food and drinks. However, in the post-pandemic age, these venues are becoming the go-to place for students and remote workers in Singapore to study and/or work.
Due to the rapid rise of these trends, many cafes in Singapore have transformed their venues into study-and-work-friendly havens to improve profitability and specify their target audiences. Many cafes have been opened to specifically cater to academics and the remote workforce.
So, whether you’re having trouble concentrating at home while preparing for an exam or are tired of isolation caused by sitting in your pajamas, tapping away at a laptop with zero social interaction, keep reading to learn about the best quiet cafes in Singapore to study or work at.
In case you’re unsure about mixing business with pleasure at a café, we’ll also share the top benefits of studying or working.
Benefits of Studying At a Café
1. Accessibility
Cafes are some of the most popular eateries and social hotspots worldwide, located in almost neighborhood, town, or city. They’re among the first businesses to open and the last ones to close.
As a result, they’re the most accessible places where you can study for as long as you want and blow off some steam when you’re done with your favorite beverages, food, and company.
Cafes in Singapore are often within walking distance or close driving range. Hence, they provide an excellent alternative to studying in a packed library, crammed dorm room, or loud home.
2. Relaxing
Cafes provide a warm and cozy environment with ambient lighting, a friendly atmosphere, and on-demand snacks and drinks.
Since they’re essentially a social hotspot, they enable students to mix their academic activities and recreate within the same timeframe. Hence, they can dedicate more time to rest and play to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
3. Amenities
Most modern cafes offer a wide range of amenities that make them excellent places for studying. For instance, they provide free WiFi, electrical outlets for charging smartphones and laptops, individual booths and tables to facilitate privacy, and more lighting.
4. Peace
Traditional studying environments have been proven to be full of distractions. For instance, libraries are often packed with students which can make it hard to focus.
Similarly, homes and apartments have their fair share of noise, annoying errands, and untimely company – all factors that can lead to poor performance.
5. Caffeine
Most people might think that too much caffeine is a bad thing, especially for students. However, cafes may offer free WiFi but that’s as far as most are willing to go when it comes to freebies.
As a result, students can continue to energize their brains and improve concentration with their favorite coffee beverages without going overboard and staying within budget.
Benefits of Working Remotely in a Café
1. No Distractions or Boredom
Undoubtedly, working from your couch, bed, dining table, or garage offers a wide range of benefits, such as flexibility, no commute, and better work-life balance. However, studies claim that remote work can get boring over time due to isolation.
Moreover, working from home is full of freedom-induced domestic distractions, such as television, social visits from family and friends, and a wide variety of chores and errands.
Even students working part-time from their homes, shared apartments, or dorm rooms can find staring at the same walls and people all the time boring and depressing.
Hence, working from a café now and then provides them with a new environment.
2. Structure
Most employees struggle to be productive simply because the flexibility remote work provides often prompts them not to adhere to a schedule or timeline. As a result, they don’t have a fixed routine for work and play, which can lead to a poor work-life balance.
By going to a café, you can mimic the feeling of going to your office while still enjoying all the benefits of remote work. You can separate your professional life from work life and not have to bring your work home, even though you can.
Thus, you can create a proper routine and structure for yourself and other aspects of your life.
3. Varying Environment
One of the most important reasons traditional workers hated the traditional 9-5 lifestyle is that they were confined to working in the same environment all week.
However, when remote work became a common practice, many employees turned it into a metaphorical prison for themselves since they were now stuck in their homes all day and night.
Therefore, working from a café allows you to move around and add variety to your working hours. You can opt for different venues and change your scenery.
Moreover, you can also invite your favorite work buddies to join you for better collaboration on different tasks or projects.
4. Social Interaction
One of the biggest issues with remote work, as mentioned earlier, is isolation. By working from a café, especially one where other employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs work, you can build your social network and interact with other professionals in the community.
Singapore’s suburban culture makes cafes an excellent hotspot for workers from every industry to meet new people and build solid connections.
Top 10 Singapore Cafes for Students and Remote Workers
If you’re intrigued by the prospect of studying or working at a café, here are our top picks of the best quiet cafes in Singapore to study or work at:
1. For the People
For the People is one of the most popular cafes for students and remote employees alike.
Located on Hamilton Road, Singapore, this café offers the best of both worlds for people looking for a quiet place to study or work combined with an excellent social hotspot packed with a wide menu featuring delicious snacks and drinks.
It’s open all week from 9:30 am to 10 pm.
Moreover, the café can easily fit up to 60 people and still have decent space and privacy between tables. Plus, each table offers power plugs so you can easily charge your phone or laptop.
2. Kith Café
Kith Café is one of the most popular and highly recommend cafes in Singapore for remote working and studying.
It’s one of the few eateries designed specifically for students and professionals as it offers meeting rooms for group studying sessions and business events. Amenities include multiple charging points, free WiFi, and dedicated Audio-Video systems in meeting rooms.
The café is busiest during brunch hours as it features an amazing western menu comprising poached eggs, brioche buns, pancakes with a variety of sauces, and proteins of your choice. However, if you’re looking for more peace and quiet, we recommend visiting during the evening hours after university or work.
3. So France Duo Galleria
If you like to start your day early to have more free time during the evening, there’s no better café to be than So France Duo Galleria, especially if you’re looking to study or work peacefully.
This gourmet-style bistro offers an extensive menu packed with freshly-baked pastries, sandwiches, and mains from French cuisines, such as steak and garlic butter snails.
As far as the amenities go, it offers free WiFi and power plugs, especially in corner tables. Moreover, you can sit for as long as you want until lunch or dinner hours, the busiest periods for the eatery.
4. The Book Café
As the name suggests, the Book Café is one of the most popular cafes in Singapore designed specifically for students. Hence, you can expect to find plenty of power sockets, free WiFi, friendly staff, and plenty of affordable snacks and beverages.
The Book Café is also an excellent spot for remote workers seeking more privacy while benefiting from a vibrant environment. Workers can easily grab a high-backed chair and sink into their diner-style tables filled with reading materials.
Moreover, if the place runs out of space, you can simply grab a chair and sit in the well-ventilated corridor while waiting for one or start working from there.
As far as the menu is concerned, you can find several homemade pastries, including Apple Pie.
Moreover, many customers claim the café has one of the best egg dishes in Singapore, making it an excellent spot for early birds looking to catch breakfast as well. You can also find excellent coffee with latte art to keep you focused and entertained at the same time.
5. The Coffee Academics at Scotts Square
With the majority of Singaporean universities located in the city’s central areas, many students are likely to opt for cafes nearby and avoid long commutes, especially mid-week. The Coffee Academics is located in Scotts Square, Raffles City, and is close to popular institutions, such as Raffles University.
However, it’s strategically located in a hidden corner so most of the traffic it brings in is students and professionals.
The café features a modern and contemporary décor with raw brick walls, dim lighting, and leather chairs. It also includes plenty of paintings, neon signages, and inspirational quotes dedicated to students and workers.
Moreover, Coffee Academics is one of the largest cafes in the city with two floors offering a wide range of amenities, such as power sources, free WiFi, noise-absorbing walls, and multiple restrooms.
As the name suggests, you can find several coffee beverages, including the TikTok-trending Bulletproof coffee featuring coconut oil and butter designed to keep students wide awake. Moreover, it offers different comfort foods at all three serving times, including pancakes, Miso pasta, and spaghetti with grilled salmon.
6. 6 Letter Coffee
If you live or study near Tanjong Katong Rd, Singapore, we highly recommend checking out the SixLetter Coffee café.
In this café, you would find all the essential amenities needed to foster a good working or studying environment, including free WiFi, power outlets for smartphones and laptops, and proper lighting.
The café also adds different indoor plants to add more color and keep the air clean. It also maintains a traditional décor with wooden chairs and tables. As far as the menu goes, you can find a wide range of local and western snacks, including pasta, burgers, rosti, mashed avocado, and more.
However, we highly recommend trying out their friends egg pancake sandwich with a beef patty.
The only con is that this café isn’t for night owls or those looking to study or work on a Sunday. Between Monday to Thursday it operates from 8 am to 7 pm. Similarly, on Friday and Saturday, it’s open from 8 am to 8 pm.
7. Genius Central
Genius Central is one of the most popular co-working spaces with a built-in café where you can find several long tables with chairs and power outlets for individual remote workers.
You can also find tables for groups looking to collaborate. One of the best features of this café is high-speed internet. Hence, it’s one of the go-to places for remote workers who rely heavily on downloading or Zoom calls.
Genius Central also offers meeting rooms with dedicated AV systems that you can book for meetings, conferences, or social events (for up to eight people). As far as the menu goes, the café is proud to include an all-inclusive menu featuring items for vegans and vegetarians as well.
From pizzas to hummus, baba ganoush, and different types of proteins and bread, you can find items from many popular cuisines. As for the timings, the café opens seven days a week at 8 am. However, it closes at 8:30 pm from Monday to Thursday, 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 4 pm on Sunday.
8. Strangers’ Reunion
If you’re looking for a quiet and cozy spot for studying or working while enjoying mouthwatering desserts, look no further than Stangers’ Reunion. Located on Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore, this popular gem of a café is an excellent spot to hide from the noisy outside world and focus on your tasks for the day.
You’ll find plenty of power outlets to plug in your devices and excellent WiFi signals no matter where you sit. The menu mainly contains waffles with a wide variety of toppings, from Greek yogurt to vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge, marshmallows, and more.
Moreover, the coffee is amazing and will keep you wide awake and focused on your to-do list.
9. Twenty Eight Café
If you’re looking for a café that looks and feels like you walked into a factory, the Twenty Eight Café is where you need to be. Featuring high ceilings, hanging lights, and plenty of power plugs, seats, and communal tables, this place is excellent for a group working or study session.
On the food front, Twenty Eight Café offers a decent menu comprising a wide range of brunch classics and breakfast items, from eggs to rice bowls, rolls, kimchi beef, and more.
So, if you’re looking to collaborate with your classmates or coworkers, you can head to Twenty Eight Café any day of the week. However, you should note that it closes at 5 pm so make sure you plan accordingly.
10. Lunar Coffee Brewers at Downtown Gallery
Finally, the last quiet Singaporean café for students or remote workers on our list is Lunar Coffee Brewers at the end of QUE Downton Gallery.
This beautiful, picturesque moon-themed café features glassy marble tables with soft lighting and indoor plants to offer a soothing, natural environment where you can relax while remaining focused on your to-do list.
The café allows offers plenty of sunlight for those who sit on the window tables. Plus, you can also find plenty of power sources to plug into your laptop or smartphone.
On the food front, the café is popular for its fluffy chocolate cheesecake and caramel pancakes. Moreover, if you’re a fan of Arabian coffee, you’ll fall in love with its wide selection.
Conclusion
Although tradition mandates that offices and educational institutes are the best places to work and study, the pandemic has transformed every aspect of “business as usual.” Cafes provide a comfortable, enjoyable environment for students and professionals to improve their productivity and overall performance.
Of course, many cafes can be noisy, especially those with traditional models that cater to audiences looking for social experiences.
Thus, our list of the best quiet cafes in Singapore to study or work at could come in handy and save you time, energy, or any productivity losses associated with testing out different venues in your local vicinity.
Feel free to check them out and recommend them to your colleagues and fellow students!
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