Co-Working Spaces-Quezon City

Best Co-Working Spaces and Coffee Shops in Quezon City

Working from home is great. Imagine working on your PJs, eating samgyupsal while doing your task, or even munching on your favorite chips with no care in the world. However, there are times when you need to plug in to a co-working space like:

• The ever present brownout.
• Your dog chewed on your net cable (true story, saw it in a Facebook group).
• The internet died on you.
• You’re undergoing repairs in your house.
• Your mom is driving you crazy.
• Your dog is making you nuts.
• The neighborhood rooster is crowing out to all hens up to Apari.  
• You’re feeling low and down in the dumps
• There’s the need for a change of environment

I live in Quezon City, so I asked in a group what are the best coffee shops or co-working spaces you can go to. Mich Esculta, a freelance writer, was kind enough to give us her list as well as give permission to share her gem of compilation with you. The following information came from her Facebook Group Post.

High Grounds Café

Address: 67 Scout Rallos St, Diliman, Quezon City

This is by far my favorite place to work. I discovered this place through recommendations for a good computer shop. I had to work in a computer shop for some time because my laptop broke and I had to save up money to buy a new one.

Prices:

It’s Php 60/hour to rent their PCs. But if you top up with Php 1,000, it goes down to roughly Php 50 an hour.

If you have your own laptop, you have to buy Php 150 worth of food or drinks to get two hours of internet time. Every Php 150 you spend is equal to another two hours of internet time. And the internet is FAAAST.

Pros:

• Open 24 hours, but they don’t serve food from midnight to 6 a.m.
•  High-speed internet with reliable gaming PCs you can rent
• The place is quite chill with decent food. They serve liquor, so you can drink while working.
• It’s a huge restaurant/computer shop. The gaming area is separated from the dining area.
• If you’re going to take a call, you can ask the staff if you can move to the quiet side of the dining area. They’re nice, so usually pumapayag naman sila.
• Lots of sockets!
• Free parking with valet service.
• Very friendly staff
• Outdoor smoking area

Cons

• I’m not a huge fan of their coffee. I mean, it’s okay coffee, pero maarte lang yata ako sa lasa ng kape.
• It can get loud sometimes when there are big groups, but they’re easy to avoid because the place is huge.
• The place gets full on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Minsan may event, minsan marami lang talagang tao.

Caerus Specialty Coffee and Bistro

Address: 26A Sct. Torillo St, Diliman, Quezon City

I’ve only been here once, and I already know I’ll come back. It’s a spacious restaurant with lots of bright lights. On days when High Grounds is full, this is where I’ll go.

Prices

Light meals are around Php 200-250 while bigger dishes are around Php 300-450. Drinks are around Php 120-200. May 10% service charge.

Pros:

• Internet is fast. Haven’t done a speed test yet. But I downloaded a 10MB file in like 2 seconds, so I guess it’s pretty good.
• On my last visit (Saturday, 10:45 p.m.), halos walang tao. Maybe just 5 people on their phones and laptops plus two guys drinking beers outside.
• Great food with huge servings. They make their own ice cream, but we didn’t get to try it because it was unavailable at the time huhu.
• May corner spot where you can take calls if you need to.
• There’s a long table with about 8 sockets. Extra sockets are along the bar near the counter.
• They have a conference room that can seat 16 people. Good for big meetings.
• Malamig. Bring a jacket. Pwede mag winter OOTD.
• For the early birds: open from 7 a.m. to midnight on weekdays. Open until 2 a.m. on weekends.
• Smoking area is right outside.
• May bidet! Hahaha.

Cons

• They close relatively early for night owls like me.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Address: Ground Level, Bellagio Square, 243 Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Not all Coffee Beans are created equal. It’s always a 50/50 chance with them when it comes to internet. But I’ve found that this branch has always had decent internet as long as the place isn’t packed. Oh, and you need a Swirl Card to use their internet. NBD because I’ve had tons of free meals and drinks thanks to my Swirl Card!

Note: The Trinoma branch beside Abe is also quite reliable. The one near the cinemas has no internet YET. But DO NOT attempt to work at the branch in front of Promod. Iinit lang ulo mo. But then again, aminado ang staff na mabagal talaga yung net sa kanila.

Prices

Spend about Php 350 and you already have some coffee and a snack. And their coffee is perfection.

Pros:

• Did I mention that their coffee is perfection? Food is okay, pero bawing bawi sa kape haha.
• Their internet is stable. It’s not fast, but it’s stable.
• This branch is open 24 hours. They serve food the whole time.
• Smoking area is on the second floor.
• Easy to find parking spots if you drop by at odd hours.
• Relatively quiet. They’re always playing Phoenix for some reason, but it’s not distracting.

Cons

• Nako, patayan ang parking pag peak hours or gimik hours sa Morato.
• On some nights there are tons of people. They’re all quiet, so ok lang. But you might need to settle for the smaller tables until other seats free up.
• No sockets! This discourages people from staying for way too long, I guess. So if you want to drop by, make sure your laptop is charged.
• You need a Swirl Card to use their internet.

Dark Specialty Coffee

Address: 2nd Floor, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City

Minsan masarap lang talaga mag-malling e no? Kaso kailangan magwork, so why not squeeze in a couple of hours of work while you’re at the mall? This is where Dark Specialty Coffee steps in. It’s like a pleasant oasis amid all these retail stores.

Prices:

Same price as most major coffee shops – Php 120-180 for coffee, less than Php 100 for a light snack, and Php 200+ for a heavier meal.

Pros:

• Internet is reliable and fast. Worked here for about 2 hours, never had issues. Though FYI, Chrome and UpWork Time Tracker lang ang gamit ko.
• May sockets! Most of the seats close to the wall have sockets.
• Their coffee is goooood. May local beans sila!
• Pang-selfie yung lighting. Yes, go. Take a selfie while waiting for your client to reply.
• Nakakatuwa yung music when I went there. Soundtrack ng Kimi no Na Wa.

Cons:

• It’s not enclosed by glass or walls, and it’s near the footbridge to the carpark. Minsan may maririnig kang bata na umiiyak kasi ayaw pa umuwi.
• Only open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Malayo ang yosihan!

J.Co Donuts

All over the Metro

Okay, so the thing I love about J.Co is their consistency. Internet quality, food quality, and ambiance are all consistent. I guess that’s usually how it is for café chains.

Prices:

A donut is Php 42, pero masarap naman. Drinks are Php 110+. No big meals, but they do have little sandwiches if you prefer something salty.

Pros:

• J.Co is everywhere!
• No need for a membership card to use their internet.
• Internet is okay. It’s not fast, but it’s fine for some quick work that doesn’t require a fast connection.
• Some branches have a lot of sockets, pero paunahan sa pwesto.
• The smell of donuts is so relaxing.

Cons:

• The internet isn’t THAT fast, but it gets you by.
• It can get loud sometimes, especially in the smaller branches.
• Nako, good luck sa mga may balak mag-calls. Tunog lata.

Quad Co-Working Space

O, ang layo diba? From Morato to almost-Fairview! Quad Co-Working Space is one of my favorite co-working spaces in Quezon City. But then again, I don’t frequent a lot of co-working spaces. It’s a little out of the way for most, but it’s probably the best co-working space in the Fairview-Don Antonio-Commonwealth area.

Prices:

Php 60 per hour, Php 400 for the whole day, and Php 6,000 for a whole month.

Pros:

• Peace and quiet. The place is far away from major highways (unless you consider Don Antonio to be a major highway haha).
• Sockets everywhere!
• Different types of seats: some are soft benches, others are wooden chairs, and others are padded chairs. It’s perfect for people who have different seating preferences.
• Internet is reliable and fast, as expected from a co-working space.
• May parking and smoking area!
• Open from 12 noon to 6 a.m. the next day.
• You can bring your own food. Water is free, and you can make some coffee. Self-service. Mugs provided but you can bring your own.

Cons:

• It’s a little out of the way for most people. But if you’re from the Don Antonio area, lucky you!
• Parking is a bitch during dinnertime!

Diligence Café

Elizabeth Hall, Katipunan Ave, Quezon City

This is the first co-working space I’ve been to, and I keep coming back to it. It’s a little more student-oriented, but freelancers are more than welcome. They have a few extra perks that other co-working spaces don’t have.

Prices:

Php 70/hour. Sounds expensive? Check out the pros below.

Pros:

• High-speed internet.
• Every table has a plug.
• You can take a nap in their napping area.
• You can take a shower. Yes, a shower. May extra fee, though.
• Unlimited drinks – coffee, tea, juice, you name it!
• All their branches have that relaxed vibe that’s perfect for working and studying.
• It’s always so quiet. Everyone whispers when they talk or they wear earphones when playing music.
• Their branches are very commuter-friendly
• Open from noon to 7 a.m.

Cons:

• Parking is pretty tough.
• Smoking areas are hard to come by.

Those are all the coffee shops, cafes, and co-working spaces I’ve tried. I’ve tried a few others, pero di sila memorable kaya di ko naisama ditto haha. All the notes above are based on my experience. So if you loved the place and I didn’t, hey, you do you!

Post credit: Mich Escultura

These are the co-working spaces you can go to in Quezon City. They are great places to go to that will help you have that human connection that we, unfortunately, lack in the virtual industry. If you’re feeling down, unmotivated, or wish to have that spark of inspiration, go out and get yourself hooked in these places.

Do you have a go-to coffee shop or co-working space in Quezon City, or anywhere else? Please feel free to share it in the comment section! Stay tuned and we’ll soon give you a list of other co-working spaces in Manila, Baguio, Laguna, Cebu, and anywhere else around the Philippines! Btw, we are building a list of co-working space in the Philippines here. Comment if you want to add any.