Need a relatively tranquil place where you can log on to your emails for free? We’ve picked our favourite eateries, pubs and museums with free wi-fi, but note you’ll have to buy something if you’re in a pub or a café, as staff are likely to frown upon continued requests for water and lemon.
Cafes and restaurants
Steakhouse supremos Hawksmoor have free wi-fi at all of their branches, Spitalfields, Guildhall and Seven Dials. The quality of Hawksmoor’s meat and their delicious cocktails means that they’re likely to get crowded, therefore your best bet is to head to the Guildhall branch for breakfast and take full advantage of the Bloody Mary Buffet.
Scandinavian Kitchen is adorable, with the friendly staff at this part supermarket, part café serving delicious open sandwiches, cakes and Swedish ciders (to take away only, as they don’t have a licence for serving alcohol). It also seems to be a popular spot for Scandinavian women to congregate with their infants for a good old gossip.
Hummus Bros do cheap, healthy, hummus-based meals which are more filling than you’d think - the slow-cooked chunks of beef in hummus with a choice of pitta or rice cakes for those avoiding wheat is a winner. Both of their branches, Soho and Holborn are a hit with students and anyone after a thrifty meal.
By night Cargo is a live music venue/nightclub, by day it’s a chilled restaurant and bar. There is a choice of comfy couches in the bar or benches in the restaurant where you can sit in comfort and surf the net. The menu has a mixture of Mediterranean, Latin and comfort food, and lunchtime deals are especially good value, priced at a fiver.
Leon offers healthy fast food (produced with sustainable ingredients) and free internet access, there are currently 12 branches in London. Ideal for a quick bite to eat on your own.
Benugo at BFI Southbank is suited to students or those on a cultural outing; catch a movie and then grab some food while doing a spot of “research” at this Italian café. Strong coffee and alcoholic beverages are on offer too.
Burgers, hotdogs, pancakes and all things American and fast-foodish are offered at The Diner. There are branches in Shoreditch, Camden, Islington and Soho all of which have free wi-fi.
Lastly, any outlet of Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee and dare we say it, McDonald’s will have free wireless.
\n\nPubs
Wetherspoon’s pubs will let you use their wi-fi for free, and they also benefit from extremely cheap drinks and food. The most centrally located ones are The Montagu Pyke on Charing Cross Road and The Moon Under Water on Leicester Square, but there are less crowded branches dotted around the city.
Geronimo Inns’ pubs are rather more upmarket, with a quality British menu that won’t break the bank. The latest addition to the chain is The Oyster Shed, with a fantastically close-up view of the river and an imposing mezzanine.
The Bedford & Strand is a gastropub popular with the after-work crowd, therefore you can expect a surge of activity between 6 pm and 9 pm, before and after which time it’s considerably calmer. There is a hearty menu and an ample choice of wine, craftily divided into reliable, honest, decent and good categories.
The Pembroke Castle in Primrose Hill does great food and is relatively calm of an evening; of a similar ilk is the Hat & Tun in Farringdon, with a traditional British menu.
\n\nMuseums and Galleries
One of London’s lesser known museums, the London Canal Museum is for anyone with an interest in boats, canals and the ice trade. It was also one of the first museums in the capital to become a wi-fi hotspot. There is no café for you to kick back and relax, but internet is available in and around the building.
The Wellcome Collection, with its somewhat morbid displays (shrunken heads, surgical instruments and torture chairs) may not be to everyone’s liking, but the exhibitions are free and so is accessing the internet. You can log on in the café, which just so happens to be run by the acclaimed Peyton & Byrne.
There is wi-fi throughout the public areas of the Barbican, but for a minimum of noise head to the library. The music library is particularly fascinating, as well as peaceful.
If you’re in the vicinity of the Southbank Centre, the second floor of the Royal Festival Hall is a wi-fi hotspot. If you’re a member you can also access it in the Members Bar on the sixth floor (membership is £45 a year and gives you discounts and priority booking).
The reading rooms at the British Library all have wi-fi access, however you need to register to be able to use them. For this you need to be over 18 and a student – the specific areas you will need for your research must be mentioned on your application. Most local libraries will let you access wi-fi for free with less hassle, however some will require you to be a member (and therefore have proof of address) to be able to log on.
The Compass Lounge at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is open to all visitors, and as well as offering wireless internet has comfy seating and access to the museum’s archive.
