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George Lindley
best cafe in Riyadh for remote working - Mysa cafe
Remote Working

Best Cafes in Riyadh for Remote Working

UPDATED: 01 September 2022

Are you one of the blessed ones to have the option of remote working? Or is it that you’re studying at the moment? In any case, chances are you like to get away from the house/office to work in a cafe. A change up of atmosphere can do wonders for creativity and focus – trust me I’m doing both at the moment. The best cafe for remote working is subjective, sure, but the following list should get your productivity juices flowing!

Skip to:

  1. Cacti
  2. Coffeeholics
  3. Mysa
  4. Ashjar
  5. Moonshell
  6. Sociale

1) Cacti

Cacti is great because it has a professional clientele; everyone is clearly being productive, which puts you also in a productive mood.

It’s spacious – there are two (and a half!) floors, with lots of desks in different arrangements; meaning you can work individually, or work collaboratively around the round table. Also, they have unique drinks, try the ‘signature latte’ which has cardamon.

There are now two branches in Riyadh, the one in the link is the newest one in Qurtubah and is gorgeous due to the extremely luminous floor to ceiling windows on every side.

https://goo.gl/maps/pS8icp3SsfvLwqZv9

Noise rating: ★★★★☆

Food/drinks: ★★★★☆

Ergonomics: ★★★★★

People vibe: ★★★★★

2) Coffeeholics

There’s a lot to like about coffeeholics, an all-rounder. Great coffee, soft lighting, centrally located, choice of desks/sofas, interesting interior design, charging points everywhere and service with a smile. Well done guys.

The one thing I’d say about a place that does everything well is that it lacks identity to a degree – it’s another coffee shop. All other recommendations on this list have a unique identity that makes me crave going there. If you want to just get down to some hard work/studying though forget the gimmicks, this could well be the place for you.

https://goo.gl/maps/pS8icp3SsfvLwqZv9

Noise rating: ★★★★☆

Food/drinks: ★★★★☆

Ergonomics: ★★★★☆

People vibe: ★★★★☆

3) Mysa

Extremely quiet, so much so that one day when I got a little excited someone asked me politely to keep the noise down – which I highly appreciate! Mysa achieves a library-like atmosphere which can lead to highly productive work.

Unfortunately not a lot of food is available beyond basic cakes, but the coffee is good. A review of Mysa isn’t complete without mentioning the fountain. Yes a fountain, in the middle of the small-ish cafe. Great for pictures, and soothing to the ear.

https://goo.gl/maps/pS8icp3SsfvLwqZv9

Noise rating: ★★★★★

Food/drinks: ★★☆☆☆

Ergonomics: ★★★★★

People/vibe: ★★★★☆

4) Moonshell

Moonshell has a feng-shui like no other. Extremely calming atmosphere, which is highly appreciated when spending long hours in one place. Imagine entering a yoga studio, complete with hammocks! There are now two Moonshells, with the recent opening in Diplomatic Quarter. The original is still the best in my opinion (link in the map below), as it is more spatious.

The food also is wonderful and unique, in fact best on this list. I highly recommend the açai bowls with granola and fruit. My one complaint is the seating is very comfortable – too comfortable. Think low to the ground recliners, making it very difficult to type on a laptop. However, if you need to watch a lecture/course video then sit back and enter your focusing zone.

https://goo.gl/maps/pS8icp3SsfvLwqZv9

Noise rating: ★★★★★

Food/drinks: ★★★★★

Ergonomics: ★☆☆☆☆

People vibe: ★★★★★

5) Ashjar

Beautiful and relaxing Ashjar cafe. Ashjar has just reopened after a fresh remodelling. Known for it’s calm vibes, and also doubling up as a plant store, there is a wonderful zen to this cafe. The table for working and studying is adequate, as long as there’s not too many people in the cafe. If you fancy more privacy there’s a dedicated rental office behind, rather like a library.

Bonus, if it’s winter time, there’s a second Ashjar cafe outside of Riyadh, set in Wadi Hanifa. Seating is outdoors so it’s only worth going October till March time.

https://g.page/ashjar?share

Noise rating: ★★★★☆

Food/drinks: ★★★★☆

Ergonomics: ★★★☆☆

People/vibe: ★★★★★

6) Sociale

Sociale is a Lebanese hostel-like cafe with a student-vibe. Although centrally located, it’s large enough to accommodate a good 50-ish people. If you’re early you can get one of the more comfortable couch-like seats around the edge of the cafe, otherwise you’ll be on a hard chair, but at least in an upright position to work.

This is currently my cafe of choice for remote work, you’ll find me in there two days a week. Sociale achieves a 5 for food, drinks, snacks because of the range, and the emphasis on healthy. There’s all sorts on the menu, including brunch, smoothies, coffee and salad bowls, so whatever time you go to work or study, you’ll be able to grab a bit that suits you.

https://goo.gl/maps/nmG4oFPFyC3dd6tb6

Noise rating: ★★☆☆☆

Food/drinks: ★★★★★

Ergonomics: ★★★★★

People vibe: ★★★★★

sales advice
Sales tips

Best Sales Advice I Ever Received

The following sales advice has helped me achieve the outstanding revenue growth that I’ve achieved at Pearson. But don’t think you have to work in sales for sales advice to be useful. Think about this if you ever have to ask for something, pitch something, request a raise/help/a date.

Back in 2017 I was new to sales and my boss-to-be kept scratching at the fact that I didn’t have sales experience. So I asked my sales director friend for some sales advice. By repeating the advice like a mantra, I was able to reposition myself in a sales light and land the job of my dreams. And my friend said…

To do well in sales, you need to be liked, trusted and respected.

Frederic Michaelson

Simple sales advice right? Let’s look into each of those three key areas in more detail to unlock its power:

✅ We buy from people we like

If you’re going to enter into a business relationship with a company, it means you’re going to spend quite a bit of time with their key representatives. Now, would you buy the excellent product, which comes with a pushy representative with whom you dread your next meeting? Or do you buy a similar, perhaps slightly inferior product, but you actually quite like receiving support from them. Hey, maybe you will even add their star salesman on LinkedIn and send them a few photos from your holiday over Whatsapp. Sales is a very human pursuit.

✅ We buy from people we trust

Repeated, complex solutions with a partner are more desirable than one-time transactional relationship You as the customer may depend on the solution/service for many of your own deliverables. Simply put, if you go with the incorrect service provider, you may struggle to do your own job well. We purchase from people we trust, because we need to believe the benefits of the solution will transfer to workplace results. In turn this helps you the customer look good in front of your line manager! With the services of company X and sales star Y just one phone call away, you will shine in your position.

✅ We buy from people we respect

Finally we have ‘respect’, which differs from trust in as far as respect is considering someone in high-esteem. Whereas trust is having confidence in someone to deliver on promises. We buy from people we respect because we inadvertently hope their success, intelligence, or prowess will permeate through to you. And it’s not a bad reason to select a solution/service from that provider because with b2b sales you’ll be spending a lot of time with the key representatives. A well organised, punctual, knowledgeable sales star encourages similar professionalism in others.