Two of the first few posts I wrote when Han Meets World began was about co-working spaces and wifi cafes in London. This was allllll the way back in the summer of 2016.

Nearly three years on (gasp!) and with the increased hype around ‘digital nomadism’, a few more places have cropped up and being an actual digital nomad this time, it makes sense to update this site a little.

This time I was actually given the opportunity to test out Work Club membership*, who offer discounts in several restaurants around London to freelancers and remote workers, which will be marked with an asterix.

The Brook Green Hotel (Hammersmith)*

Initially I discovered this place from a wander, but it is also one of the locations on the Work Club dashboard. A quiet spot on the edge of Brook Green, close to all of the Hammersmith hotspots including the tube and WeWork office.

I got a lot done from sitting in here for a morning, although I just stuck to my coffee refills and went back home for lunch.

Farina and More, Hammersmith

So this place can be a little hit and miss on service - ie some days you can order your coffee as soon as you walk in and get on. Other times you can be completely ignored by staff even if you’re standing right there in front of them.

However, Wifi is great and it’s a good environment to get your to do list finished. I once went in, ordered and got stuck in before realising I had been there for three hours.

If you’re in the area and don’t mind small children running around you occasionally, definitely check this place out!

VQ Aldgate, Aldgate High Street*

Another hit and miss in my very brutally honest opinion.

If you have meetings in the City or out East, then definitely check this place out. I was able to order some decent food and coffee and be left to it.

But the flies were incessant… Yes, in winter there were flies around my food and drinks so I’m not too keen to go again yet as I spent more time swatting than concentrating.

Second Home, Brick Lane

If you’ve been following from the beginning - or have been batted round the head with my recommendation for this place before - then you will know I rate this place constantly.

Yes, Second Home did feature in one of the 2016 posts when I was doing some research for a job at the time. Built around the idea of there being no straight lines, I almost felt a little old walking in this time. I think the last time I went I was a couple of years younger and was definitely in a very different mental head space.

The vibe has certainly evolved here, with clearly more start up teams filling the space as opposed to the techpreneurs who originally ran rampant there. I remember being so confused by the conversations I could overhear there and now I was thinking about how I would solve their issues - not that I paid too much attention, I swear…!

Three years later and I would still recommend giving this space a go if you are in the area - especially if you’re around for meetings in Shoreditch and Spitalfields/Liverpool Street.

So there you have it. There will most definitely be more, but these are just a handful of the places I have been haunting this last month to work.

Coming out of a property industry role, I know that there is some concern for how this type of co-working space is affecting the general office industry. However, what some experts do not realise is that, it’s not just about the four walls, but also the mental impact having a space to go with wifi has.

Sitting at home and working is all very well, however sometimes you just need to be around people or in a bustling environment and it helps to ‘get out of your head’, even with your headphones in.

Why do you head to cafes with wifi?

Han x