3 Work-Friendly Cafes in George Town to Complement Your Excessive Eating
Look, I’m no arbiter of truth on George Town’s cafe, coffee, or gastronomic scene at all. And, there’s a good chance I never will be. I’m just a guy who is in Penang for the next several weeks on a self-imposed moratorium from Hong Kong, recouping from self-inflicted emotional turmoil, a never-ending stream of work, and too many late-night kebabs at Ebeneezer’s (all three might actually be more highly correlated than I initially thought).
So, what makes me qualified to write this article? First, there was a glaring lack of literature breaking down any sort of work-friendly cafe in George Town. Second, I made it a little goal of mine to trace several key haunts in the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ to post up and bang out some work (or pretend to). Third, I’ve been known to push the physical limits of coffee consumption unjustly imposed on men at ‘many a cafe’ across Asia and Southeast Asia while firing up a gaggle of bullet chess matches against adolescent Vietnamese prodigies.
TNT knows drama. Big Body knows cafes.
Point two was primarily driven by the recognition of my impending obsolescence in the exploding world of artificial intelligence and the need to learn how to deploy 50+ individual AI agents working 24/7 to do everything from cleaning those unwieldy stains out of my underwear to solving the Riemann Hypothesis. And everything in between (of course).
The long-winded point here is that I touched down in George Town and didn’t really have any clue where I could feasibly (and respectfully) hunker down with a laptop or book to make them recompense beans, universal solvent, dead presidents…you know, those Mexican pesos. Money, ya bozo.
So, without further ado, here are 3 work-friendly cafes in George Town, Penang that come equipped with pretty much everything you need to put in an honest day’s work, should you need a breather from stuffing yourself silly in Asia’s kitchen.
ORCABREW
Website, Address, & Details: https://www.instagram.com/orcabrew_coffee
Ever since I saw that nature video of a grandma orca swimming full speed and ramming a shark, just to eat its liver, I’ve been hooked on ‘everything killer whales’. I’d also be remiss not to mention that 2013’s Blackfish had me very jazzed up on orcas and their intelligence and the most misanthropic I’ve ever been.
So, when I saw a nearby cafe called ORCABREW, I knew I had to stop by this hidden coffee haunt tucked away in Nagore Square and see what it was all about.
Little did I know at the time, but I had just stepped into the world of the ‘Aerocano’, a new word for my dwindling vocabulary Rolodex and signature airy, foamy, nitro cold brew-esque concoction that’s quite representative of more than just the coffee here.
It’s a cafe that’s approximately 33% greenhouse (airy, with high ceilings), 33% cozy coworking space (powering unadulterated efficiency), and 33% wall art haven (unique in its own right). I think there’s a remaining percentage somewhere that I’m not math-savvy enough to account for. Done are the days of Keyboard Cat-typing away in the dark, looking like one of those internet vigilantes in the Netflix documentary Don’t F** With Cats.
A communal working table with more plugs than a Chicago trap house, high-top seating for those who keep swearing they work best standing, and potent, creative signature coffees all under one roof? Errr…skylight roof? You’ll really have to be the worst version of yourself that day not to get work done in this environment.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: Sure, I could probably take WiFI speed test readings and count the exact number of plugs at every place I go, but I’m a man of spectacle and being present. If you want a Pentagon-style work bunker with all the high-tech fixin’s, you probably aren’t reading this article to begin with.
The Maker
Website, Address, & Details: https://themaker243.com/
The Maker is actually the George Town cafe that rounded out the trio for me and gave me the idea to knock out a quick, digestible article on the matter. And without playing favorites, it’s hands down my favorite of the three.
An average-looking shopfront on the street, once you step in, its depth far surpasses that of my personality, emotional quotient, and intellectual bandwidth. I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the most work-friendly cafes I’ve ever been to in my nomading tenure.
That’s not just because of its two strategically placed harvest tables (just a cooler way of saying ‘communal tables’) set in the backdrop of a sleek (and green) industrial meets exposed brick interior, or more natural tone seating options than you can shake a stick at. Well, it partly is.
It’s just that The Maker has the whole package. It’s ensuring that all the small details are taken care of and prioritized, which they did, all of which come together to create both an aesthetically calming and functional workspace.
It also helps that they know their way around a croissant (of which they gained some viral fame for), should you need to get something in your stomach other than fried Bee Hoon, laksa, or loh bak.
Like most of George Town, there’s no rush here, and turnover is relatively quick for those not chained to the 9-5 and its relentless grind, so you shouldn’t run into any issues with seating.
Keep in mind that if you’re in need of charging, you’ll need to sit at the communal table in the back. But that ain’t no thang to get worked up about.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: Just a hop, skip, and a jump from The Maker is another work-friendly cafe in George Town called ‘PACE Coffee’ (also on Beach Street). Why didn’t I include it as a standalone on this list? Well, I’ve been out of the writing game for a while and needed to start small. However, I’m currently at PACE putting the final touches on this piece, so that should tell you everything you need to know whether it’s work-friendly or not.
Altertaste
Website, Address, & Details: https://www.instagram.com/altertastecoffee/
Altertaste is one of those nomad-friendly cafes that only those who have been through this thankless ringer can spot. It’s the reliable refuge for when your go-to coworking-styled haunts have become too saturated and/or there’s a major holiday, meaning more people in town and fewer seats to park your caboose at for extended hours.
It’s minimalist, spacious, almost space-capsule-icious-feeling with its jagged-edged white and black interior accented by a soothing purple counter. It’s what I call an ‘admin day cafe’, perfect for knocking off some work that doesn’t require too much brainpower.
Opt for window bar hustlin’, cushioned bench email-sendin’, or standard table seating for when you really need to buckle down and crack the whip on Greg in QA.
It’s one of those cafes where all staff take their coffee seriously, alchemizing mixes of beans from regions I’ve never heard of into supercharged, flavorful cups of happiness (and necessity), and serving it with a matcha cookie, to boot. But not in a supercilious type of way, like some of the cretins I have the pleasure of encountering in Hong Kong.
And, in one of the world’s gastronomic capitals (because that’s why you’re really in Penang), you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from one of the best meals of your life. In this case, it’s Cecil Street Food Court.
Honestly, whatever you get here is going to be good, so make sure to swing over in between coffees and/or after you wrap up, and just go with whatever looks good (I did queue for about 25 minutes for Barefoot Char Koay Teow, which was actually worth it).
Pale Ale Travel Note: Thanks for being patient with me on this post. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve published, and I’m still shaking off the cobwebs. There were several points while reading my first draft of this that I was unsure if I had actually written anything cohesive or an incomprehensible block of Klingon.
There Ain’t No Shortage of Work-Friendly Cafes in George Town
I don’t want to jump to any improper or disrespectful conclusions; however, if you’re unsure if a cafe and/or coffee shop in George Town is work-friendly, the answer is likely ‘probably, maybe, potentially’.
The city is, overall, incredibly laid back, and if there’s space/seating, you can probably whip out your laptop there. For goodness’ sake, I saw a group of old timers at Cecil Street Food Market on their laptops, while judicially chipping away at something. It’s very much an anything-goes type of city, as long as you’re respectful and not bothering anyone else.
Pale Ale Travel Note: Keep in mind that George Town isn’t the most ‘late-night oriented city’ I’ve ever been to, so most cafes close around 5:30 pm/6:00 pm. But by then, you should be out on the town tossing back more noodles than your little heart can handle.
If you have any questions about traveling to George Town, Penang, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, and I’ll do my best to help. While it’s not quite my bread and butter in terms of how much I can offer up about the city (unlike Hong Kong, where I live), the three weeks I’ve been here have given me a semi-formidable handle on the city, where to eat, where to drink, and how to get around.
Work and write well, everyone,
Big Body
Big Body is a voracious lov…eater, a cowardly fighter, and a self-proclaimed curry goat BBQ-eating champion (don’t forget the donkey milk) who likes Stoicism, baseball, and writing in the third person. Having worked for himself for the last 7 years, he isn’t particularly successful but he does still drink ice-cold Sapporo draft beers with the best of them and knows his way around a Dai Pai Dong or two. He is based in Hong Kong but you can still find him in Saigon, Osaka, and Vienna for extended periods.