Sometimes as a creative, I find myself looking for a cool place to work from. A place where I can write in peace, get access to good enough internet to send a couple of emails and to publish posts, take a break and eat something delicious, meet-up with some clients or just do a crossword puzzle after some mind-breaking activities.
This wasn’t easy to do initially. There just weren’t enough options aside NourishLab Smoothy’s in Osu. But over the past year this has slowly become easier.
Accra is slowly (but surely) churning out café hangouts for creatives, startup entrepreneurs and other socialites in the city. Also very much suitable for other meetings and groupings, these are however becoming the location of choice amongst the creative & startup circles for hangouts and quick workspaces.
If you are a blogger, freelancer, a yet-to-own-your-own-space startup founder and you are looking for great café’s to work out of or meet some new clients for a couple of quick hours then these three cafés comes highly recommended. I have worked, breakfasted & lunched in all three of them. Sometimes doing all three activities at once. They are each peculiar in their own service offerings and might appeal to your senses differently.
In no particular order..
Café Kwae
I ‘run’ into this café online on Foursquare and thought ‘ what an odd name’. This I later found out meant ‘abundance’ or ‘ forest’ in Akan. And it also happened to be the middle name of the owner Yvette Nana Ama Kwae Ansah .
A simple but chic décor with shadowy accents of modern eccentricism greets you as you swing in the glass door. Tasteful, relaxed with no sense of complications. Actually simpler than Starbucks but with more pleasant laid-back taste.
Window tables areas with single chairs gives you the option to workon your laptop whilst staring out at open spaces for inspiration on your next blogpost.
Chalkboard menus graze the wall above the coffee bar area with various coffee drinks scrawled out in chalk.
The ambiance is quiet & thoughtful and groups of people who drop in for lunches aren’t the noisy type either. Well I am yet to meet one.
The food is simple & fresh with a memorable taste. The menu is a simple one-pager with the day’s offering. Nothing more annoying than going into a café which has a ten-pager menu with only 10% of the menu being available. Keeping it simple is the way to go.
The service is good. I haven’t been shown that typical Ghanaian customer service as yet. Hopefully it stays as sweet & friendly as it currently is.
Is there Internet? Of course there is! But their service provider (MTN) is giving them some issues apparently.
If you are a coffee lover, then definitely this will be your to-go café for freshly brewed cappuccinos, mocha’s and espressos. Being more of a juice drinker, I love their drinks which comes in mason jars. Trendy.
Simple & eclectic furniture can keep you working for some time without discomfort unless you choose to sit at the communal table area. Its definitely not an area for slouching.
Price-wise its ₵₵ just at the market rate for most cafes. Not too pricey and not too cheap too. Just borderline prices.
Get over to Café Kwae located at the Octagon building opposite the Holiday Inn. If you are looking for a serene place to work for an hour or two which offers quick & fresh coffee & meals then consider your search over.
Vida e Café
The trending & fastest growing café in Accra at the moment is Vida e café a Portuguese coffee shop currently found in Labone, Accra Financial Center (near British Council), Airport Shell Station & Stanbic Heights. I am positive there will be a few in Tema and surrounding areas. Its almost like a takeover. A franchise? Maybe.
‘Life and Coffee’ is basically what Vida e Café means in Portuguese. It has quickly become the favorite of many creatives, business people, socialites and small family groups. Even the solo freelancer can be occasionally seen on one of the eclectic metal red chairs looking focused on their laptop screens.
Have you been greeted yet? Walk into the café and you get greeted in Portuguese. This is done to almost everyone who walks in. Walk out too and you get same. I am yet to find out what they are really saying. Insult or greeting? Ahhh who knows? Lol! It can get a bit irritating when trying to work in quiet. I sometimes feel like shutting them up sometimes. I might get thrown out who knows. You can opt for the rooftop if you ever find yourself at the Labone branch. Less noise upstairs but warmer.
Internet is available at this café for an hour so ask nicely whenever you are there. This can be renewed for you for free. A good strategy I should say. Thanks to the horrifying attitude of freeloaders who can download torrents upon torrents such strategies help the café owners to save on Internet cost. I would say Vida is more affordable than other cafe's. Their magnificent orange juice which is GHC7.0 is much cheaper than other places i have been to.
work and chai.
The simple menu at the Labone branch has transformed paying customers into loyal fans. I know a few friends who have to have coffee from Vida every morning or the day just wont start right. I praise Vida for having the freshest orange juice in the city! My first experience saw me ordering for a second glass. Muffins, sandwiches and croissant are their flagship meals. Their espresso-based beverages are a hit amongst many of their clientele who stop by. Are we gradually becoming coffee drinkers in Ghana? Perhaps.
However the menu is pretty much in Portuguese. Although cute it can get annoying with no descriptive text of what it is one is ordering. And to make it worse some of the waiters aren’t much help in describing it either. Even Chinese menus have English translations oh!
It’s a great place to work and chill or just grab coffee on the go which comes in attractive well branded cups for the busy creative. The cups are great for Instagram photos aren’t they?
Cupcake Boutique
Although not really a café, the Cupcake Boutique gives beautiful outdoor seating, memorable sandwiches and of course cupcakes with really chill-your-heart kind of iced teas and coffees.
I often work outside or inside depending on outdoor temperatures. Although the inside seating area is tiny (literally close to the bar) it still provides some kind of solace to work in privacy. Giant umbrellas shade you from the blistering sun whilst outside. The wooden crate type of seats which are outside are not meant for long periods of sitting but definitely suitable for possibly an hour’s work after which your back starts complaining of your unfair position.
Internet is great here too. You just have to be nice and ask for the password. Be nice and not torrent. Yes you. Although situated by the busy Labone road, it’s nevertheless quiet during the mornings and early evenings. Perfect ambiance for getting ideas to write a new post or get new photography ideas.
The passion fruit iced tea is a personal favorite as well as the Strawberry bomb. Bombs awayyy!!! The cupcakes are great but too heavy and sweet for my palate. But take my word on the meat-pies and the salmon sandwich. Fresh & Instagram worthy! Slightly more expensive coffee and drinks i should say.
These 3 cafes are worth spending time for some work moments or quick meetings. Great ambiance always helps to give you new ideas for whatever you are working on and of course simple beautiful tasting foods are an additional plus to keep you coming back for more.
Which cafes in Accra do you love working from as a creative or freelancer or even just visiting once in a while? Share the love in the comments below.
P.S – This is not a sponsored post. Its just my love of going to great places to review & share the love which I cant keep to myself. I love to share after all. Teehehehe…
