Wi-Fi With a Side of Coffee at These Austin Study Spots

Dear new kid in town,

While it’s already great that you’re here to begin your journey at one of our local universities, one of the best ways to get yourself acquainted with the city is finding your go-to coffee spot. Getting away from campus might even inspire you more, soothe cabin fever-esque feelings, and help you build a citywide community.

In Austin, it can seem a bit overwhelming once you see just how many options you’ve got. Here are a few places you should check out that are close enough to the University of Texas campus and offer free Wi-Fi. You can hop on a bus or a scooter, if that’s your fancy.

PACHA Organic Cafe, located at 2915 Guadalupe Ste. A, is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 3pm. An Austin staple, PACHA used to be located off of Burnet and has since moved significantly closer to campus. It now resides on the edge of West Campus. You should try their chai.

Monkey Nest Coffee, located at 5353 Burnet Rd., is open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 9pm and on Sundays 8am to 9pm. Monkey Nest offers an array of syrups that can satiate a wide variety of cravings. A crowd favorite in the campus scene because they’ve traditionally been a 24-hour coffee shop, these days they’re still staying open late – just not as late.

Civil Goat, located at 3423 Guadalupe, is open Sunday through Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Sitting beside some great spots to get Thai food and thrift shop, Civil Goat offers specialty coffee. Check out their on-site pet goat!

Epoch Coffee North Loop, located at 221 W. North Loop Blvd., is open 24/7. A part of what locals call “old Austin,” among its third-wave menu Epoch still serves a much older ATX staple, the “mojo.” The mojo, a sweet praline cold brew, was brought on after campus fave Mojo’s Daily Grind closed down years ago, which inspired a crew of baristas to open Epoch. (Full disclosure: I’m a barista there now!) Give it a try if you’ve got a sweet tooth.

Flightpath Coffeehouse, located at 5011 Duval St., is open Sunday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm. Flightpath’s lively but tranquil vibes make it a great place to study or plan a group meetup. They offer an assortment of Italian syrups to sweeten your coffee with and an eclectic food menu.

Austin Central Library, located at 710 W. Cesar Chavez, is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm and on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The Downtown branch of Austin Public Library opened in 2017 and has earned international accolades for its stunning design. Take a break from your research to enjoy the on-site, culinary-themed Cookbook Bar & Café – home to the Virginia B. Wood Memorial Cookbook Collection, the 500-book archive of the pioneering Austin Chronicle food editor.

Sa-Tén, located at 4917 Airport Blvd., is open Sunday through Saturday from 8am to 5pm. Sa-Tén offers specialty coffee like nitro cold brew or Saifa, their Vietnamese-inspired coffee, as well as Japanese-inspired cuisine. A cool place to nest throughout the day and get some work done with quality food options like their sriracha smoked salmon toast, available for breakfast, or chicken katsu for lunch.

CoffeePeople, located at 603 N. Lamar within the sprawling indie bookstore BookPeople, is open Sunday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm. Regularly voted Best Bookstore in Austin by Austin Chronicle readers, BookPeople is a great location to find a good chunk of your semester’s reading list, attend an author reading, or just grab a latte and get your read on.

Cherrywood Coffeehouse, located at 1400 E. 38th½, is open Sunday through Saturday from 7am to 11pm. Another student favorite to hang out or get some work done, Cherrywood is a charming neighborhood coffeehouse with an expansive coffee, beer, and food menu (think: tacos, burgers, po'boys, and more) plus plentiful spaces to sit inside and out.

Medici Roasting, located at 2222 Guadalupe, is open Sunday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm. The family-owned local roaster, with this sizable location sitting at two stories, was the owners’ former coffee shop hangout, later turned into Medici. The youthful spirit of its predecessor was kept but Medici has made the space their own. Better than that, this location is perfectly placed right on Guadalupe, so you can stop by on your way to class to get some last-minute studying in, or even before getting a bite on Guad.

Merit Coffee Co. at the Triangle, located at 4615 N. Lamar Ste. 303-A, is open Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 7pm, Saturdays from 7am to 7pm, and Sundays from 7am to 6pm. Nestled in a mixed-use development boasting everything from a pottery studio and sauna to a Turkish kitchen and arguably Austin’s best burger, Merit is a chic place to get a coffee and scope out a cute plaza to bring your family to when they come visit.

Bennu Coffee, located at 2001 E. MLK, is open Sunday through Saturday from 6am to midnight. Just up the road from the UT campus, Bennu is a sweet shop to find literary-inspired drinks and ample cozy seating to nest at.

Thunderbird Coffee, located at 2200 Manor Rd., is open Saturday through Sunday from 7am to 6pm. Not too far from campus, Thunderbird has perched in East Austin since 2006. Go give a locally loved venue a visit on your way to check out all things Eastside!

Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery, located at 411 E. 43rd, is open Sunday through Saturday from 7am to 8pm. Quack’s is a picturesque spot with ridiculously delicious baked goods that pair well with your coffee in the walkable neighborhood of Hyde Park.

Lucky Lab Coffee Co., located at 2421 San Antonio, is open Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 7am to 5pm. Tasty creative lattes with rollout seasonal menus and a pet-friendly patio.

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