5 Anti-Cafés in Europe Where Everything is Free, Except Time

The anti-café is an ingenious concept: you pay for the time you spend, and everything else is complimentary. Designed for today’s creative types, this type of hybrid establishment, also known as “pay-per-minute sitting room”, combines the inviting ambience of a coffee shop with the functionality of a coworking space and the comfort of home.

Next time you’re visiting Europe, mingle with the locals in these 5 ingenious anti-cafés, where they sell ambience by the minute, but everything else is on the house.

Ziferblat Edge Street, Manchester

Anti-cafe in Manchester

Ziferblat Edge Street

Located in Manchester’s hipster Northern Quarter, Ziferblat Edge Street welcomes customers to work, play, and socialize in a cozy, homelike environment reminiscent of grandma’s living room. With a sprawling sitting area, shared office space, and a collection of characterful meeting rooms, the convivial venue is the biggest and buzziest branch of the Moscow-based anti-café chain created by author-turned-entrepreneur Ivan Mitin in 2011.

Guests are charged 8p a minute for the time spent inside, but everything else – from the coffee, tea, and cakes to the games and coworking facilities – is free.

Seneca Anticafe, Bucharest

Anti-cafe in Romania

Seneca Anticafe

A creative space for creative people, Seneca Anticafe in Bucharest is Romania’s first pay-per-hour sitting room. Featuring quirky, industrial-chic interiors and modern business facilities, the establishment serves as meeting place and shared workspace for students, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and everyone in between.

For less than 2 euros per hour, you have unlimited coffee, snacks, and Wi-Fi, as well as free access to university libraries and office equipment such as printer, scanner, and HD projector.

Anticafé Lyon

Anticafé Lyon

Co-working space in Lyon

Smack dab in the heart of the city, steps away from Place des Terreaux, Anticafé Lyon is much more than just a coworking space – it’s a chic chillout lounge, where everyone can spend the day reading, nibbling, or chatting over frothy cappuccinos.

The price is 5€ an hour (or 24€ a day), and customers have access to the premises, excellent coffees, a gourmet counter filled with delicious homemade goods, as well as services like Wi-Fi, printer, projector, or telephone booths.

Be’kech, Berlin

Be’kech, Berlin

Anti-cafe in Berlin

Designed to look and feel like an extension of your home, Berlin’s uber-cool Be’kech serves up laidback, inspiring atmosphere for just 5 cents per minute in the hip & happening Wedding neighborhood.

Part bar, part public workplace, the artsy anti-café is the first of its kind in the German capital and greets visitors with high-speed Wi-Fi, fresh coffee & tea, seasonal food, and lots of ingenious coworking amenities – all free of charge. During the evening, the place comes alive with live music, art, and cultural events.

Motley Crow, Donegal

Motley Crow, Donegal

Anti-cafe in Ireland

Everyone is welcome to Motley Crow – Ireland’s first anti-café, located in Donegal. Whether you’re looking to relax, get your work done, or just chill out with friends, this quirky, multipurpose facility has you covered.

To meet a variety of needs, each room has its own different feel and function: the Chirp-In is where the fully stocked self-service kitchen is located, The Aviary is a formal working space, while The Roost resembles a comfy living room, complete with snug couches, smart TV, and record player.

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