Since Indonesia lifted lockdown regulations and moved toward a “new normal,” I’ve been on the hunt for peaceful cafes with good free wifi. Shelling out as little as possible, where can I comfortably spend a whole day in a cafe with a laptop in Yogyakarta?
There are plenty of these coworking spaces in northern Jogja, but where I live in the south, there are a lot less options. Plus, the problem with Google these days is that most venues have adopted new hours and this info isn’t updated. Pro Tip: If you’ve found a cafe or business you want to visit, message them on Instagram first to make sure they’re open.
Well, freelancers/digital nomads/Jogja expats, if you want to spend a day in a cafe with a laptop in southern Yogyakarta, here’s an ongoing list of co-working spaces/cafes I’ve compiled. I’ve personally visited these cafes with laptop in tow. I hope to be adding more as I discover them. Feel free to send me a note with any of your favorite places!
Kedai Kebun Forum
| Hours | 11am – 7pm Daily. Closed Tuesdays. |
| Setting | Mostly outdoor, semi-indoor. I admired the two-story container style design which incorporated an entire tree. It feels like a large garden escape with the sound of flowing water. ++Instagrammable artsy heads painted on the walls. Super comfortable “living room” a bit hidden inside the restaurant. It’s the most western style living room I’ve ever seen in Jogja with a centrally placed couch facing a flat screen TV. If I wanted to watch a movie or lounge around with a friend, this would be the perfect place. |
| Music | None |
| Table Comfort | Semi-indoor area downstairs: not many tables with outlets. Space more suited for actual diners. Two small tables outside the gallery are perfect for working on your laptop, especially the corner table next to the outlet. Upstairs: plenty of two-toppers, most of which are close enough to the outlets located on metal pillars. Gets super hot in the afternoon though. There’s a table located on the wooden terrace that felt quite special, but unfortunately, no outlet there. |
| Food | Grilled tempe with fries, 28k > Not a bad vegetarian option if you like garlic and onions. Decent portion. Opor ayam, 25K + 5K for white rice > Small portion considering I could get opor tahu (tofu) at Beringharjo market for 5k. Not enough coconut flavor in the opor. |
| Beverage | Iced tea, 5k Iced kopi susu / milk coffee, 15k With just one coffee purchase, I sat in the cafe for at least 3 hours before I ordered a late lunch. |
| Bathroom | Instagrammable! Kedai Kebun wins for cleanest and nicest western bathroom. Tegel tiles, powerful bum gun aka jetspray, toilet paper that’s just the right amount of firmness. |
| Thoughts | Even if you just order a coffee, they serve it with a delicious bowl of complimentary crispy cassava kripic (Indonesian chips). I must mention here that there is a 10% tax in the final bill. They offer coils to help ward off pesky mosquitoes. There’s an awesome gallery adjacent to the restaurant. There was a showcase of upcycled products when I visited. I especially loved the sunglasses by Kalaniwood made from upcycled skateboards. Accepts credit card with 2% fee |
Melting Pot
***Update: they’ve moved location and are no longer in southern Jogja
| Hours | 12pm – 10pm Daily |
| Setting | Cute outdoor tables under shaded awning with plant-lined ledge along the wall. A wall of plants strategically placed in front of the tables creates a sense of serenity and hides the location from the main street. Best for groups of 2 (they have a table for 4 in the front and two larger tables in the hidden garden. (-) Prone to mosquitoes and traffic can be a bit noisy. |
| Music | Chill Hop on rotation |
| Table Comfort | Every table is conveniently equipped with multiple outlets. I liked the sturdiness of the wooden tables and chairs. But for extended use, they’re not too ergonomic. The tables are a bit short and they all have this ledge preventing you to cross your legs. |
| Food | Beef Nasi Goreng, 28k (30k as a set with iced tea) > Large portion. Came with a few pieces of emping (cassava chips) and a fried egg. Beef Burger, 28k > I had an American craving when I saw “beef burger” on the menu but what came was a thin piece of pepperoni (?) sandwiched between lettuce and tomato. It was drenched in mayo and a bit of fake sambal sauce. After I became friends with the owner, she confessed that they had ran out of beef patties 🤷♀️ |
| Beverage | Iced coconut coffee, 20k > Very tasty. A tad sweet, but you can request less sugar. |
| Bathroom | 😞 Although clean, the western toilet is a bit old and needs to be flushed manually. No jet spray, BYOTP 🧻. |
| Thoughts | If you time it right, you can buy freshly baked chocolate chip cookies or muffins from Greg, the pastry chef who comes to the cafe a few days a week to bake 😋. There’s an adjoining fashion shop. Looks like they make everything in-house in the workshop right behind the cafe. How cool is it to drink coffee and watch a dress get made? If you want to order custom couture from Jogja, this is the place. Cash only |
Jog.Ya! by Kepomo
| Hours | 1pm – 9/10pm Daily (sometimes they close early) |
| Setting | Plenty of cute comfortable couches, tegel tiles, wall quotes and instagrammable nooks and crannies. There’s an outdoor garden area. But what I loved the most was the fully enclosed indoor area with AC. No mosquito issues at sunset, yay! The interior feels like a cozy furniture store with segmented living rooms. Option A: living room for 4 friends / Option B: living room for the lovebirds / Option C: living room for the family (-) It can get a little loud if more than one table is occupied inside. |
| Music | Mellow singer-songwriter, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes + other R&B on rotation |
| Table Comfort | Outdoor: Many tables that are perfect height for laptop usage with strategically located outlets. Indoor: The interior designer clearly designated an area for working – a long counter along a windowed wall with high chairs and extension cord. I’m not a fan of high chairs though, so I highjacked the extension cord and opted for the table in front of the couch. (I miss the cushiony couches found in practically every household in America but is mostly absent in Indonesian households.) As much as I loved how soft and fluffy the couch was, I needed some lumbar support. The waiter helped me lug a chair in from the garden. |
| Food | Grilled Dori Rice, 30k > Piece of fish with nice garlic flavor. It was a tad salty but that’s probably normal in Indonesia. The rice was flavorful. But toward the end of the meal, I noticed a layer of glossy oil coating the bottom of the bowl. |
| Beverage | Iced cafe latte, 27k > Surprisingly good. It was not watered down and had a good amount of coffee taste. Included a side of syrup. |
| Bathroom | Clean western toilet with jetspray and TP. |
| Thoughts | The staff is quite attentive and gave me multiple glasses of iced water. They had what felt like the most sanitary DIY outdoor sink area to wash your hands (press an automated button to dispense water from a gallon). Great wifi. If you can afford it, the owners of the cafe have a beautiful hidden homestay available for rent right next door. Accepts credit card, no fee. |
Gandhok Coffee
| Hours | 8am – 11pm daily |
| Setting | Indoor: 7 wooden tables in an AC room. I loved the airy, tall ceiling. The space exudes a warm, rustic cottage feel aided by the long wooden bar and filament lighting. The sliding glass doors let in plenty of daylight. Outdoor: Spacious garden area with many tables under a terra-cotta roofed pavilion. Probably a great space to hang out in the late afternoon or evening, but way too hot during midday. |
| Music | Mellow indie. Superb sound system. |
| Table Comfort | Wooden tables with cushioned chairs, all thoughtfully equipped with outlets including the two tables in the center. If you’re feeling lazy, there’s a table in the corner with a beanbag loveseat that looks particularly comfy. |
| Food | Menu with a good variety of both western and Indonesian options. Mac n Cheese, 25k > very cheesy and flavorful with small pieces of smoked meat (can almost pass for bacon, but it’s beef) Gyudon Mushroom, 32k Bakmi, 22k > They have a joint restaurant that makes bakmi jawa using fresh noodles available after 5pm. |
| Beverage | Iced cafe latte, 25k > you can request different flavored syrups including tiramisu |
| Bathroom | Clean western toilet with jetspray located in the garden area. TP provided. |
| Thoughts | Gandhok wins for having the longest opening hours post-Covid19. It’s one of the few open in the morning. About half the indoor tables were occupied on a weekday afternoon but everyone was peacefully working on their laptops. 😔 (-) Wifi was extremely spotty. Credit card accepted with minimum 30K purchase |
Ruang Tengah Cafe
| Hours | 12pm – 10pm Daily |
| Setting | The cafe is set up almost entirely with shared workspace in mind. There are 6 indoor tables for various group sizes. If you want to work in an AC room without mosquitoes, this is the place! There are also a couple tables outside in front of the restaurant and a backyard area for smokers. |
| Music | Current pop / top of the charts |
| Table Comfort | Sturdy work friendly tables with cushiony chairs. Readily available plugs. Aside from the occasional bathroom visit, my bum never left the chair after I sat down. |
| Food | Beef Bulgogi with rice, 30k > Not bad. Decent portion. Nasi Goreng, 30k Ayam Geprek Sambal Bawang, 25k They offer economical meal sets with iced tea for 25k. |
| Beverage | Iced kopi kocok susu / coffee with milk, 23k Iced tea, 13k Served with metal straw. I sat for four hours with one coffee purchase before I ordered food. |
| Bathroom | Western toilet with medium pressure jetspray. TP provided. (-) The floor was always wet. |
| Thoughts | Cafe is quite popular within the community. In times of Corona, I arrived just before 2pm on a weekday and the cafe was initially empty. By 5pm, there were five other occupied tables. Enough to socially distance, but the sound insulation was a bit lacking so I found it loud at times. Credit card accepted with minimum 50K purchase |
Ketemu
| Hours | 3pm – 9:30pm Daily |
| Setting | Very spacious. The main indoor area looks like a banquet dining hall, with large paintings of sultans and marble dining tables. Not a fan of the white fluorescent lighting. The large outdoor area is decorated with typical backyard/picnic style tables, tall green plants lining the walls, potted plants dotting the corners, and strings of ambient yellow lighting at night. I visited around 7:30pm and it was very quiet with only one table occupying each section of the cafe. |
| Music | Javanese-Indonesian Bossa Nova/Jazz |
| Table Comfort | Four two-toppers inside the small room with AC. Outlets strategically located all around indoor section. They can also provide extension cords. The marble dining tables were surprisingly comfortable for laptop usage. Outdoor area only has two picnic tables next to outlets. Round glass tables looked more appropriate for smokers or friends having a chat than for working. |
| Food | Limited food options. They offer a mixed snack platter (french fries, fried cassava and fried banana) for 30k. The only substantive meal options are spaghetti bolognese (30k) and chicken katsu (40k). |
| Beverage | Cafe Latte, 23k (25k with ice) > 😔 Disappointing. First cup was served at room temperature, barely even warm. They gave me a new cup of latte after I told the barista. |
| Bathroom | Western toilet with low pressure jetspray. TP provided. |
| Thoughts | Ketemu cafe has a nice variety of table sizes good for large and small parties. I appreciate the spacious setup. Something about the lighting bothered me though and due to the lack of food options, I don’t think I can spend a full day in this cafe. Internet connection on the night I visited was a bit spotty. Cash only |
Hope you’ve found this post helpful. If you visit any of the cafes, I’d love to hear about your experience!