As digital nomads that travel all the time, but still have to get a decent amount of work done every week, we need good coffee and a nice spot to work with our laptops. And we found both in Oaxaca City!
Oaxaca is not quite a digital nomad hub like Bali or Playa del Carmen, but we did find enough great spots to get to work (and score some excellent coffee and lunch to get your creative and productive flow going). Here we go amigo!
(this is us, working, debating, laughing, at Selina´s cafe)
The best coffee shops and digital nomad work spots in Oaxaca
Well, to be frank, there aren´t any real good coworking spots in Oaxaca. Only Selina offers a complete package with a stay or a day pass, but it´s not cheap at all. So we focus mainly on good cafes where you can take a seat at a decent table, plug in your laptop, enjoy coffee, have a good lunch, and most importantly; get to work on your craft!
Selina Oaxaca
Selina serves the ultimate combination for us digital nomads who work and stay in places longer. They offer a package with stay, a workplace, daily yoga lessons, a cafe, and more. Stylish, cool, and pretty much complete. But definitely not cheap! And, if you don´t book that package or even stay there, you still can sit in their stylish cafe! Their menu is amazing by the way. Try the Shakshuka!
Cafe Los Quiles
This hip cafe has the most beautiful pink-colored courtyard and a great menu with plenty of healthy trendy western options. The seating arrangement is not that great, but lunch here with this decor makes up for the mediocre seats.
Oaxaca en una Taza
This hard-to-find cafe is a gem in disguise. Beyond the counter with all the delicious croissants (all of them are recommended snacks next to your thee or coffee), you will find a couple of tables where you can get some good work done. The internet is quick and their ginger tea is a must-try. So strong, so good, so healthy!
Was this little hole in the wall cafe our favorite? See text at the end of the article to see all the winners!
La Ttertulia
This teeny-tiny cafe is a delight! It´s simple, a bit darker inside and small, but you can work in silence here while enjoying a good coffee and pastry. There are not many seats in this Italian-style cafe here by the way. It was one of our favorite places to work for a solid 2-3 hours.
Muss Cafe
Whoew, this very stylish cafe is a feast for the eyes! The interior is classy and rustic at the same time. It´s hard getting a decent seat here, but you will thoroughly enjoy the coffee, lunch, and a couple of hours of ´laptoptime´.
(we loved walking towards our next caffee for coffee, lunch and work. These colorful streets are just breathtaking!)
Starbucks Reforma
You will not find any typical westerns brands in the city center, but you will find a decent Starbucks in the northern neighborhood called Reforma. This more trendy part of town has some familiar brands, like Starbucks. There are no seats to get work done inside the Starbucks, but there is a courtyard next to it where you can sit and work. It might be a bit windy at times, with not much sun, so be sure to take an extra layer of clothing with you. The Espresso America is pretty good here.
Italian Coffee Company
There are three stores of the Italian Coffee Company in Oaxaca. One in Reforma, one on the Zocalo, and one north of the Zocalo. The coffee here, especially the Italian double espresso, is a winner. But the seats, and the overall decor, was very mediocre. Would not recommend opening up the laptop in any of these places.
Cafe Bruleja
This beautiful courtyard is just… nice! The colonial aesthetic, the nice tables, and the excellent coffee make Cafe Brujela an excellent place for lunch and some good ol´ laptopwork. There are two Cafe Bruleja´s in Oaxaca, and we liked the one in the city center north of the Zocalo the most.
Boulenc
The hippest place in town with probably the hippest and coolest menu in town, but it doesn´t really look like a place to get some work done. Nobody was doing it, so you would feel kinda awkward sitting there with your headset on, bopping to the music, smashing keys for freedom.
Check our Instagram Stories from Oaxaca to see more of us working as digital nomads
Cafebré
Yesss, Cafebré was one of our favorite spots. Not because of the lunch or coffee (those were fine by the way!), but mostly because of the nice ambiance. There is this courtyard where you are seated with multiple digital nomads and ex-pats.
Casa Taviche
This is actually an excellent and very affordable restaurant for fine dining, but we´ve seen some people open up their laptops and even take on some calls. You can combine getting work done with very tasty lunches and diners. Just be sure to not be a noisance when it´s filled with people who came to wine and dine here.
Pan:AM
This hip cafe has a colorful courtyard where you can enjoy your lunch. The decor is a bit wild, the staff is a bit weird, but the lunch is excellent. The coffee is fine as well, but it wasn´t our favorite spot to work for long.
(left: Los Cuilles with its beautiful courtyard. Right: Casa Taviche)
The winners
The best coffee in Oaxaca-award goes to: The Italian Coffee Company!
The best lunch in Oaxaca-award goes to: Boulenc!
(second place goes to Casa Taviche)
The best cafe in Oaxaca to work on your laptop-award goes to: Oaxaca en una Taza
(second place goes to La Ttertulia)
The best coworkingspace in Oaxaca-award goes to: Selina Oaxaca!
(always walking walking walking in Oaxaca towards our next workspot&cafe, we loved it!)
Should you go to Oaxaca as a digital nomad?
As mentioned before, Oaxaca is not really a digital nomad hub. There aren´t really any good coworking spaces, the seats in the coffee shops are a bit hard on your buttocks, and we hardly met any fellow digital nomads in 5 weeks' time. There is enough room for improvement to make Oaxaca more attractive for the riders of the digital nomad revolution.
If we had to grade Oaxaca on a scale of 1 to 10 as a digital nomad hotspot, I would rate it a 6/10. The great weather, unbelievable food, decent internet speeds, and the very affordable living there make it a solid location to stay for about a good month.
Also interesting to check out Nomadlist for tips and know-how about Oaxaca.
Bustling Oaxaca City, and on the right side, the pink building, is Selina Oaxaca!
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► The 7 best accommodations in Oaxaca City, Mexico
► 3 things we didn´t like about Oaxaca City
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