Working from a Nashville coffee shop requires making a decision about what you actually need. Outlets and fast wifi are the baseline. Beyond that, the real variables are noise tolerance, seat quality, hours, and whether the shop will give you hard looks after two hours on one drink. Nashville’s best shops for working cover different use cases, and picking the wrong one wastes half your morning.
Frothy Monkey: Best All-Day Option
Frothy Monkey is the answer for most remote workers most of the time. The Nations location at 1400 51st Ave N is the best of its four Nashville locations for working: a converted former hosiery mill with high ceilings, exposed brick, large communal tables, and multiple outlet strips along the walls. It opens daily at 7 a.m. and stays open until 8 p.m. The all-day food menu means you can be there for six hours, eat a real lunch, and never feel like you’re overstaying your welcome. The wifi is reliable. The noise level is conversation-level, not library-quiet, but manageable. The Downtown location at 235 Rep John Lewis Way closes at 4 p.m., which limits it for afternoon work.
Crema: Best for Focus Work
Crema at 15 Hermitage Ave in SoBro is the shop most consistently cited by people who need actual concentration. The large wooden loft patio facing Hermitage Avenue provides natural light. The seating is generous. The coffee is excellent. The crowd skews toward people who came to drink coffee and do something, not to be seen doing something. Crema has a commitment to zero-waste operations that includes an honest indifference to table turnover. They offer 90 minutes of free parking in the attached metered lot, which eliminates one of downtown’s persistent headaches. They do not have power outlets scattered around, which is the main knock against it. Bring a full battery.
Barista Parlor: Best for a Meeting
If you need to meet a client or a collaborator somewhere that makes a good impression, Barista Parlor’s Germantown location at 1230 4th Ave N is the right call. The industrial design reads as intentional and distinctive without being precious. The seating has good separation between tables. The coffee will impress anyone who pays attention to coffee. The Germantown and East Nashville locations both have enough ambient noise to make conversation comfortable without broadcasting everything you say to the table beside you.
The Horn: Best for Long Hauls
The Horn is a Somali-owned cafe with outlets at every single table, a full food menu of sambusas, pastries, and savory items, and hours that extend meaningfully into the evening. It has a Midtown location (with more limited hours) and a second East Nashville location. The dirty chai is widely considered the best in Nashville. For marathon work sessions, the combination of available power, solid food, generous hours, and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere makes The Horn a serious choice that many people outside East Nashville overlook.
What to Avoid
A few caveats about popular spots that get oversold for working: Steadfast Coffee in Germantown is excellent coffee and excellent food, but the seating is tight and the communal bar setup makes extended laptop sessions awkward. Ugly Mugs in East Nashville is beloved but runs out of seats fast, particularly on weekday mornings when the neighborhood’s significant remote-worker population stakes their claims. Dose on the West Side and in East Nashville is a serious coffee shop with limited hours and limited seating that functions better as a quick stop than a base.
The Practical Checklist
Before committing to any Nashville coffee shop as a work spot, confirm: hours (many close by 4 or 5 p.m.), parking (free 90 minutes at Crema, street parking at Frothy Monkey The Nations, difficult downtown), and whether outlets exist where you need them. Nashville’s coffee culture leans toward the morning crowd, and the city has not fully adjusted to the reality that a large portion of its population now works on laptops in cafes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The best shops for working are the ones that figured this out and built for it.
Sources
- Frothy Monkey locations and about page: https://frothymonkey.com/about/
- Frothy Monkey Nations location: https://frothymonkey.com/locations/
- Crema parking and workspace info: https://mindtrip.ai/restaurant/nashville-tennessee/crema-coffee-roasters/
- The Tip Jar on best Nashville coffee shops for remote work: https://www.thetipjarnash.com/coffee-shops-for-remote-work/
- Barista Parlor description for work, Anderson Group Real Estate: https://www.joshandersonrealestate.com/blog/top-work-friendly-cafes-in-nashville
- NASHtoday guide to Nashville coffee shops: https://nashtoday.6amcity.com/city-guide/live/your-guide-to-nashvilles-coffee-shops
- Julian West on remote work cafes in Nashville: https://julianwest.co/blog/remote-work-cafes-nashville