I spent about two months earlier this year in the city of Bogor. This city is about 60 kilometer away from Jakarta, and is located in the west of Java island. It´s also called the ´city of rain´, because well.. there are about 300 rainstorms a year. Yes, that does indeed mean about every day.
So a nice place to be inside, get a coffee and do some work is very much needed. And even though I knew that Java Island is famous for it´s coffee, in quite conservative Bogor I was definitely not expecting so many cute, popular and delicious coffee places. Since Bogor has very few foreigners visiting or living in the city, all of them are catered towards locals, local freelancers and selfie-taking hipsters. They might not speak as great English everywhere, but pointing at the card will do the trick. And if all else fails ´kopi´, means ´coffee´, not that difficult, right?
I made it my job to explore most of them after my work, or to continue working there in the evening and weekend hours. Here is my top 9, with a link to their Facebook pages, in social media minded Indonesia that is the best way to get the latest information, and I will tell you exactly why I liked those.
This was my absolute favourite. It has the perfect combination of feeling like you are working in a jungle, with a good roof to protect you from the rain. The seats are nice, the environment is good. It´s just the perfect level of noisy, there is some other people and some background noise, otherwise I might just as well have stayed at home. But it´s not too noisy to be constantly disturbed. There are quite some
youngsters, and it is frequented by the ´hipsters´of Bogor and their love for selfies. The coffees are great, as are the pastries, and you can ask for almond or soy milk in case you want. However, this is not a great place if you are thinking to get some lunch. They hardly have any, and not really catered towards vegetarians. They also have a branch in the nearby city of Sentul.
Definitely a shared first place and around the corner from Popolo Coffee. Owned by a young Indonesian couple that used to live in Melbourne, they definitely have brought the Australian vibe to this coffee place. With lots of natural light and big tables, books and magazines to read and comfortable chairs and good wifi, this is a great place to work. Their kale smoothies are delicious, as are their vegetarian salads. Definitely a great place to spend the whole day working, and move from a coffee to a smoothie, to a salad, to a desert 😉
When there are bikes hanging on the wall, I am sold 😉 It´s a good place with good coffee and good vibes. A good mix of selfie taking hipsters and workers. There are chairs as well as tables, and there is an indoor and a covered outdoor part. There is also a little praying room, as in most public places in Java. They sell some food here, though the only vegetarian option is toast with eggs and veggies. Very good priced though. It also has the same good level of business here. Their website is in Indonesian, but gives some good impressions nevertheless.
I mean, a place that has the word ´books and coffee´ in it just hás to be good right? There is an indoor seating, and a couple of tables outside under a roof for the smokers, or those like me who just prefer to be outside. I like the vibe with the books, that you are allowed to borrow and read as you wish. Of course, most books are in Bahasa Indonesia, but there might be some in English if you search well. This is the only place in the whole of Indonesia where they did not accept my Dutch Mastercard though, so make sure you have some cash on you. Also here, not great for lunch, but lovely coffee and pastries. There is definitely more people working here, so you won´t be the only one.
5. Dailydose Coffee and Eatery
The most well-known option in Bogor and definitely the busiest one, this is also where the chance of finding other foreigners is highest, for it´s close to the expat area. It can get a little noisy here, depending on the time and day you go. The coffees are delicious and there is a nice area where you can sit outside. This is a good place to get some healthier food as well.
Around the corner from Popolo and Cohere, the interior of this coffee shop is really cool. The half exposed bricks, the pallets, the grungy style makes you feel like you just stepped into another world. The coffee and the food is good, and it has some nice vegetarian options. However, it would be great to have some actual tables there to work on, instead of sitting with my laptop in my, well.., lap.
With a local feel this is a good place to get a coffee when you are in the neighbourhood. However, I somehow did not feel very inspired to sit down and work here. The coffees are good though, and the owner has tried to make the place look hipster. Try the avocado coffee. Upstairs there should be tables to do some remote working.
9. Kemenady Coffee and Coworking
With big tables upstairs, this is a good place to do some working. It never seems very busy though, which is great if you are afraid you´ll get distracted, but I like it if there are at least some other people. The drinks are good and fair priced. As far as I know there is nothing to eat here.
