Remote workers have been flocking to Argentina from all over the world for the last few years. European roots mixed with Latin vibes, give Argentina a great blend of cultures so travelers have an excellent destination for a few weeks, months or longer. While the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires may be too much for some, more digital nomads are heading to Mendoza for a good sized city of ~1 million people with good infrastructure, an abundance of food, wine, coffee and options for outdoor activities.
Argentina may have one of the strongest café cultures in all of South America, probably due to the massive Italian influence across the country. (We even spoke to an Italian in Buenos Aires who said the coffee culture is stronger in Argentina now, than in Italy.)
While we were in Mendoza we tried ~10-20 different coffee shops, to sit, enjoy a few bites to eat and get some work done. A few coffee shops stood out to us as great places to go and work, paired with great food and great coffee (or other drinks, since Jordan doesn't drink coffee).
Remote work tip: The Argentines have a strong culture of "merienda", to have a light afternoon snack. While they don't do a lot of breakfast, it's more likely you'll see them eating eggs, croissants (medialunas), waffles or desserts around 4-7PM during time for meriendas. This is part of what helps tide them over until 9 or 10PM dinners. Which in many cases mean the coffee shops will get packed. If you're planning to do a phone call/zoom/etc. I would not plan on taking it at any coffee shop between 4-7PM. They all get busy and loud.
Here are a few of the best coffee shops for digital nomads in Mendoza:
Rama Negra Hogar de Cafe
Rama has a few locations, the one we went to the most is near Aristides (on the map link above) and had a great vibe. Of course, good wifi, but a lot of different seating options. (I'm currently sitting on a hard bench at a coffee shop for the last few hours and craving one of the soft chairs they had in the window at Rama) They have a few couches/soft chairs, a large communal table, outdoor seating and traditional tables. There's something for everyone here.
They also have some awesome pastry/sweet options as well as savory items. While I am not a huge chocolate person...I do have a sweet tooth and the chocolate cake at Rama was one of the best I've had. Layered with moist cake, chocolate ganache and a load of frosting on top, I would go back just for that. They also offer some really great milkshakes and pastries.
If you're not looking to go on a sugar rush while working, they also offer some wonderful tea options where you receive a cup with a beautiful tea pot and loose leaf herbs inside. The best part is there is enough for ~3 cups in each tea pot so you can take your time nursing it along and don't need to feel in a rush or awkward when you sit with an empty coffee cup for a few hours. Jordan orders tea a lot at different coffee shops and is always excited when they give over a nice pot of tea vs. 1 small cup.
Siete Treinta 7.30
Located in the heart of Aristides Street, 7.30 offers an abundance of seating indoors and out. We loved having access to their high top table in the back corner that had outlets and USB chargers everywhere. It made it easy to charge all of our devices while working, which we all know is huge for remote workers.
You can order all of the standard café treats you'll find around Argentina. All the food we tried was good and it was nice looking out their windows of the hustle and bustle on Aristides daily....or noticing when their was an upcoming futbol match with crowds heading towards the nearby stadium in their jerseys.
Unión 777
Part of the same ownership group (Azuca Gastronomia) as one of our Favorite Restaurants in Mendoza and one of the 4 with a Michelin Star, Azafran, Unión 777 is a delightful place to do remote work. The food is excellent, with a multitude of options, there is ample seating with capacity for ~60 with tables and bar seating this is a great place to hang out all times of the day.
Their food menu offers everything from pastries, and eggs to salads, sandwiches and dinner options, there is something here for everyone. As well as many different types of coffee, juices and teas you can hang here all day. They operate 6 days a week Monday to Saturday from 8AM to 9PM so you can hang here and work all day if you need to.
Breve
We enjoyed working at Breve because they had a lot of bar seating and sometimes that feels like the best way to get work done...occasionally I'll move the chair out of the way and convert to a "standing desk" if I've been on a hard chair for too long.
They have a ton of coffee options, but also had a lot of juices to choose from which were nice and refreshing to help recover from the amount of wine we were drinking. Most were only $2-3.
Bröd Ciudad
You will find multiple locations around the city for this coffee shop & bakery but the Ciudad location is the one that has some nice outdoor, courtyard seating for folks wanting to get some work done.
The nice part about being in the courtyard is you are outside, but you aren't on the street. Note: Many of the outdoor spots on the street we felt safe, but it is a common occurrence to have someone come up to you asking for money or trying to sell you socks or tissues. For anywhere you are working outdoors, be cognizant of your surroundings and keep your tech in your pockets/bag while not using it.
Argentina isn't known for their bagels....but I couldn't resist, and it definitely wasn't like home. But, many of their other items looked great and they had a lot of options. If you've got a nice weather day and want some sun, this is a great place to go work outside.
Burdeos
This quaint corner spot down a small residential street in Mendoza is what neighborhood cafes are made to be. You might walk by kids on their way to/from school with parents, people out walking dogs or an old couple out for a stroll.
This café was on our way to Spanish classes so we stopped here a lot. Not only do they have some nice egg options, as well as Sarah's favorite (chipas - gluten free cheese bread) they have about 20 seats for folks inside and a few more outside. The wifi worked great for us to stream some online courses and we really liked the neighborhood feel.
White Shark Coffee
We finally decided to stop here at the end of our trip so only went once, but it is a really nice spot to get work done for the serious coffee drinker. Their non-coffee options are limited but they have solid wifi and coffee beans from across South America. It's a small shop with ~20 seats, so it may be hard to find seating, but well worth it if you want to sit and get in the zone.
There are many more options you can explore for great coffee shops and great remote work locations in Mendoza, but these were some of our favorites. What are yours? Shoot us a message on Instagram @VitaminSeeMore and we can always add updates to our blog!