What a difference a few years makes. In 2019, according to Gallup, just 8% of people worked exclusively remotely. Fast forward four years, and the number rockets to 29%. Add in hybrid workers, and that grew to 8 in 10 people in 2023. That’s transformed cafés and coffeehouses everywhere into quasi co-working spaces, where the tap of keys is more prominent than the titter of conversations. That’s particularly pronounced in Asheville, North Carolina, which ranked second in a 2023 report by Linkedin of top metro areas for remote work by applications.
For remote workers making use of them — including this writer — the right combination of elements goes a long way to fostering inspiration, concentration and productivity. Yes, wifi and outlets count among them, but as they’ve gotten more ubiquitous, I tend to look for a number of other crucial components that make or break a work café. Here, too, Asheville shines, with dozens of cafés that offer these.
Here are the aspects that make up the perfect remote work environment and 10 Asheville cafés that include them.
What makes the perfect work café?
Different strokes for different folks, of course, but when it comes to work cafes, I look for these seven elements. No single café anywhere ever ticks them all — Asheville included — but any that claim at least four get my personal seal of approval.
- Nookiness — Traffic is the enemy of productivity, especially if it’s constantly squeezing by my table in high numbers and bumping my elbows. Give me a cozy nook out of the way — be it the location of the café off well-beaten paths, physical nooks inside or even just smart positioning of tables.
- Nibbles and bits — The hunger pangs for remote workers tend to target lunchtime. So, the more midday-friendly food — sandwiches, soups, salads and pastries — on the menu, the better, so long as it doesn’t shift the café more toward a restaurant, with table service.
- Leaf and bean — Food a remote worker can do without, but not caffeine, be it leaf or bean. For tea fanatics like myself, the gold standard is loose leaf that comes in pots. Mugs are acceptable, so long as refills of hot water are given without an upturned nose or furrowed brow.
- Onesies — The caffeine fueling your fingertips generally heads for the bladder the next, making bathrooms a key consideration. Onesies always beat group restrooms, so long as there’s more than one. A strict customer-only policy keeps them cleaner and more available, too.
- Squares — For hours of work, square tables support the inevitable spread of computer, cables, chargers, teapots and other detritus better than round ones. Same goes for the seats around them, with square-backed chairs far kinder to the lower back than round stools.
- Tunes — Most cafes play music, and a steady mellow groove tends to put the work flow on similar footing. Nostalgia helps, too, as the “old” songs cushion the comfort and lift the spirit. Volume should be loud enough to hear but quiet enough for chat — and entirely free of autotune.
- Toddlerscape — Family-friendly is great for pleasure but hell on business. Nothing pierces the work bubble more than the screaming and scrambling of toddlers. When it comes to remote work, children should be seen, not heard— and ideally, not even seen.
The Cream of Asheville Cafes
This café sits inside a record pressing plant and recording studio downtown called Citizen Vinyl. This ensures a steady stream of classic albums spun on the house turntable — and available for purchase in the on-site shop — and an ever-present, analog vibe of creativity. Those put off by the traffic on the ground floor can easily pop upstairs to a lofty seating area that both overlooks the fun below but maintains the right distance for work. The all-day menu covers breakfast and lunch territory solidly, with tuned-up versions of waffles, sandwiches, melts and bowls, putting your classic egg sammie on toasted sourdough with blistered tomatoes, sautéed Italian sausage and aged white cheddar cheese.
This tea house, with roots in the Velvet Revolution, counts three branches in Asheville. Any are a pleasure to visit, but West Asheville ranks at the top for work. The main space has just the right number of tables and space between them, as well as a long counter along the front window. Oriental rugs, raffia grass trim, tea-farm mural and cushioned banquets endow the space with a quiet, contemplative spirit ideal for getting work done. But it’s the tea selection that reigns, available by the pot in endless varieties and the highest quality. The food follows closely behind, with Asian-inspired salads, soups and sandwiches, including a downright delicious Ayurvedic Kitchari.
Craft Beer, Wine and Fine Dining All Live in Harmony at Asheville’s Wicked Weed
All things fermented are fair game at the beloved breweryThis downtown café comes with plenty of bistro-style class, be it in the white — and square — marble tables, dark wood paneling, exposed brick or Dutchess pendant lights. Past the counter up front, the space opens up in cascade fashion with seating along one side and two onesie bathrooms on the other. Keep going to find a partitioned section in the rear that provides additional privacy and separation for work if needed. The leaf and bean will make both tea and coffee camps happy, as Rowen is one of the few places in town to stock the excellent Hugo brand tea and serve it in fancy glassware. It also roasts its own beans for coffee and remains one of few places in town to get pour-overs. Nibbles are limited to a small glass case of pastries, but they come fresh nearly every day from local bakeries like West End Bakery and Back Porch Baking and taste accordingly.
The name suits this café’s West Asheville neighborhood, known for its edgy, quirky denizens. Indeed, it celebrates it, declaring “We’re all a little different, just like you” on the website. That’s reflected both in those working behind the counter and sitting in the long leather banquette that runs almost the entire length of the shotgun-style space, bestowing a more local feel than most other places in Asheville. Tea comes loose leaf and by the pot, with timers to ensure the best brew. Smoothies, baked goods and quiche complement. Should you need a quick break, the other side of the wall hosts an old-timey arcade.
Sitting near the French Broad River in Asheville’s ultra-up-and-coming River Arts District, this café seems to absorb the creative juices surrounding, including the actual artists themselves working in the converted warehouses next door. Itself a converted warehouse, the space comes with the charm of exposed brick, distressed wood and industrial piping, and a second-floor loft adds an excellent nook for work. The New Wave and post-punk soundtrack keeps feet and fingers tapping. Food and caffeine options are limited, but the brewery and hot dog truck next door can supplement the former, at least. Perhaps the best perk of an afternoon’s work here is that it’s mere steps from paved walking and biking paths alongside the French Broad River, ideal for taking a break and breath of inspiration.
Adjacent the Asheville Museum of Art, this baby blue lounge fills with natural light, thanks to large windows along the front and back. The nookish seating area behind the front counter is surprisingly large compared to other downtown cafes, and the white marble tables class it up further. But the top attraction remains the chocolate on tap in just about every imaginable form, including several kinds of hot and cold chocolate drinks. If you still prefer coffee or tea — loose leaf and by the pot — they’ve got that covered too. Edibles aim for full sugary decadence in cake, tart, torte, brownie, mousse and brûlée formats, a perfect reward to yourself for wrapping up a piece of work.
What better way to begin a work session than bowing to Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of mercy, who guards the entrance of the main seating area of this Chinese tea lounge. On the other side is a gorgeous seating area replete with rattan light fixtures, dangling pothos plants, wood lattice, botanical prints and even a trickling fountain. The extensive menu of white, green, oolong, black, red, puerh and tisane tea are selected in China by the owner, who travels there personally to seek out the impressive teas from each harvest. Nibbles embrace the Chinese spirit, too, and often infuse tea. For example, the matcha jasmine teamisu — a Chinese take on the classic tiramisu.
Those seeking to harness flower power should swing by this combination café and florist on the outskirts of downtown. The bouquets bunched along the counter pop nicely against a primarily heavy cream-white colorscape — in the walls, windows, lights, chairs and counter — and feed off the sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping the street-side frontage. They also constantly remind you that sometimes you need to stop work and literally smell the flowers. In the meantime, you can inhale the pleasant aroma of the Hugo Brand tea or espresso, drip and pour-over coffees by local roasters like Rowen and Cooperative. Local pastries fill the glass case by the counter.
Sitting atop the Asheville Museum of Art, this café provides both physical perspective, with its views of the South Slope and Blue Ridge Mountains beyond, and creative perspective in the sculpture terrace outside the window and three floors of artwork below. In warmer weather, this extends to the adjacent open-air terrace stocked with a dozen or so café-style tables. A counter provides a small assortment of sandwiches, soups, cakes, coffee, tea and even cocktails if the mood takes you. Bathrooms are museum-quality and — like the café itself — open only to those with a museum pass or membership.
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