It's almost that time of year again, when the campus library starts feeling more like home than your actual house. I've personally found that when the silence of the quiet study floor starts making me go insane it's time to escape the library. Below, I've compiled a list of my 5 favourite coffee shops for studying in the Victoria area.
The 5 Best Coffee Shops for Studying in Victoria, BC:
1) Habit Coffee (Pandora Ave. location):
Habit Coffee gets the honour of being my first choice coffee shop for any occasion making it no surprise how it made it to the top of this list. The open layout and the wide variety of drink choices –coffee and otherwise– make it a great spot for catching up on some readings. Beware of the weekend brunch crowd though, with Molë restaurant right beside often the hoards of people waiting for a table come to the coffee shop. Unfortunately they don't have customer wifi, but if you don't have Shaw Open try begging your friend who does to put you on theirs, if they have a heart they will.
2) Union Pacific Coffee Co.:
Union Pacific is close, but just not close enough to be first. The large pew tables at the front are perfect for spreading out and getting down to business, and it definitely helps that they serve breakfast and lunch choices no need to rely on a muffin to get you through your study grind. They even have customer wifi, not entirely reliable, but it works like 75% of the time if you're into living life on the edge.
3) Hillside Coffee and Tea:
Hillside Coffee and Tea is a lot closer to the UVic campus so there's no need to trek all the way downtown for a quick study sesh. There's loads of tables to choose from all with enough room to spread out comfortably. Their menu includes not just cookies, squares and muffins, but also sandwiches and other food options for your enjoyment. They even serve a small variety of local beers on tap if coffee just isn't cutting it anymore.
4) Hide + Seek Coffee
Tucked away in the community of Oak Bay you can find Hide + Seek coffee. The small shop is cozy and the level of noise is never an issue. The baristas play their choice of records throughout the shop and the bar at the back is perfect for spreading out –separated enough to not get too distracted. They don't have customer wifi, but they make up for that with their life changing London fogs.
5) Hey Happy
The small coffee shop down Johnson makes a mean honey latte and the general laid back environment makes this an excellent escape from the library. The small size makes it a quiet location and most of their tables have an outlet just underneath for those of us who constantly forget to charge our laptops.
And the list goes on, and on, and on...
Next time you're looking to escape the library just think of the countless other coffee shops that litter the Victoria area. Even if you don't agree with this list the possibility of finding your favourite coffee shop for studying could be just around the corner from one of these locations.