5 St. Louis coffee shops perfect for working or studying

Coffee shops offer more than beverages: They’re a place to study for that crucial final, meet friends or work on your novel. Or you might just want a really great cup of coffee or a superlative snack. Whatever you need, St. Louis has a coffee shop for that.

HARTFORD COFFEE CO.
This Tower Grove South mainstay is a case study in the coffee shop-as-community hub. It’s a welcoming gathering place for a diverse clientele, and you won’t be the only one bringing your laptop or textbooks. The “quiet room” at the back end of the patio is perfect for those who have come to work, but if you prefer ambient noise there’s nothing stopping you from camping out in the main cafe or on either of the two patios.
3974 Hartford St., St. Louis, 314.771.5282, hartfordcoffee.com

MOKABE’S COFFEEHOUSE
The booths on the second floor of this Tower Grove South stalwart are prime spots for studying solo or in a group. It also offers one of the city’s most inventive coffee lineups with an entire chalkboard dedicated to latte specials like Mo’s Monkey (a chocolate and banana latte), and drinks to shake you into life like the Mudslide (double strength coffee with sweetened condensed milk, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg).
3606 Arsenal St., St. Louis, 314.865.2009, mokabescoffeehouse.com

GOSHEN COFFEE ROASTERS
Most trips to Soulard don’t result in productive work or study, but Edwardsville-based coffee purveyor Goshen Coffee bucks that trend with its new-ish outpost in the former Soulard Coffee Garden. The second floor is particularly serene, but you might also set up on the balcony or out on the patio downstairs.
910 Geyer Ave., St. Louis, 314.260.9100, goshencoffee.com

FIDDLEHEAD FERN CAFE
If the hum of conversation aids your ability to focus, this cute, bustling neighborhood cafe is the place for you. Think seasonal lattes with floral and herbal notes, pour-over coffees and tea lattes colored by ingredients like turmeric, ube and matcha. Their toasts are some of the best around, loaded with avocados or fruits, spreads, seeds, fresh greens and chopped nuts. Fiddlehead does have a time limit on tables, however, and does not provide outlets to customers needing to plug in, so you'll want to go here if you only have a quick bit of work to get done.
4066 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.300.8111, fiddleheadferncafe.com

THE MUD HOUSE
One of the most attractive cafes in the city, this Cherokee Street mainstay provides a great meeting spot or a place to whip out your laptop and get some work done. If you’re looking for work-life balance, you can find it here: On weekdays, work with a maple spice latte and a bacon and cheddar scone or a grilled cheese; come back on Saturday or Sunday for waffles or French toast with mascarpone and housemade syrup – accompanied by a mimosa, of course.
2101 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.776.6599, themudhousestl.com

Editor's note: This article was updated to mention that Fiddlehead Fern has a time limit on tables and does not provide outlets for customers.