Where to work – and drink

Those of us who have the luxury to work from wherever we want often find ourselves holing up in coffee shops, but sometimes you just can’t stomach another cup of coffee and instead you want your table space and wi-fi served with something stronger.

I asked a few locals where they take their laptop when they want to work AND drink.

Morgan Landis, Freelance Copywriter
My favorite working bar is Caffé Apropos. While you have to get there early to get a coveted booth seat, they have plenty of coffee, food, and alcohol to make it my second home (in fact it might have better food than my fridge). If I get there early afternoon, I often start with a coffee with a shot of Kaluha because nobody will look at you weird if you have a coffee mug at 2pm. Once it’s acceptable to drink in public I choose from their great selection of beers (great happy hour prices) and wine (you can buy a WHOLE BOTTLE).

Bryant Miller – Community Manager, Yelp Columbus
I’m not a beer lover, but oddly enough, my favorite place to work and day drink is Zauber Brewing. They have big communal tables, extension cords for plugging in all your devices, and a low-key vibe that’s perfect for shootin’ the shit with your co-working buddies — or actually getting your shit done. Give me one of their lemon shakeups, a seat by the big, sunny windows, and I’m instantly transported to an Ohio summer day (or an island in the Philippines).

Rae Reed – Freelance Copywriter
I enjoy working from The Social at Whole Foods in Upper Arlington. With ample outlets and reliable Wi-fi, a warm fireplace, rotating local draft options, and a dangerously fantastic happy hour—seriously, a hefty wine pour for $3—productivity is high when I write from this space. The staff is friendly and don’t care how long I stay. Best yet, since it is located inside of a grocery store, I eat whatever suits my mood, from sweet potato fries to spinach salad to sugar cookies.

Heather Whaling – President, Geben Communication
If I need a change of scenery (and a cocktail), I like to camp out at the downtown MoJoe Lounge. It’s actually an office-wide favorite: We took over an entire corner of the restaurant once while our conference room was under construction. The staff is super-friendly (granted, I might be a little biased since they know what I like!), they always have red wine and local craft beers on tap and their fries are surprisingly good brain food.

Where are your favorite Columbus bars to work?

full disclosure: Zauber is a client