Coworking is becoming more and more popular in Mexico City, both for digital nomads and location-independent workers as well as local start-ups and freelancers. I thought I would take a look at the coworks that are closest to the Roma and Condesa and give you some tips for the best coworking spaces in Mexico City. No one posts prices online, I assume that’s so they can raise them whenever they want with no backlash, so I have tried to include prices for different services here. That said, don’t take them as the final word. Definitely get in touch with the space and set up an appointment to come by and see it.
WeWork Varsovia – Varsovia 36, Colonia Juarez
Wework is all over the world and all over Mexico City. I checked out the Colonia Juarez location (there are a half a dozen across the city), just a hop, skip and jump from both Condesa and Roma. The location is great in the heart of Juarez, with lots of eateries around and a walkable distance to both Roma/Condesa and Centro Historico. One plus here is unlimited guest access, so if you have a membership and need to work with a team or a partner for even a couple weeks they will accommodate you without charging you extra. The main common area is huge with lots of people and can be really loud but the attached patio is great — big, with umbrellaed tables, foosball and pingpong. On this same level is their cafe with sweets and sandwiches, and each floor has its own fully-equipped kitchen.
They’re pet-friendly, common spaces and offices on each floor are good-sized, and the best offices are along the building’s outside edges with large windows. The other offices are glassed-in cubicles connected in the center that feel a little claustrophobic. The meeting rooms have projectors, flat-paneled TVs and can be outfitted for your needs in terms of multimedia gadgets. The common areas on each floor are comfortable with couches, tables, a kitchen, and the individual floors are quieter than the main hot desk area (and are open to any member). Of all the places I looked at, these facilities were the most modern and sleek.
They host lots of events, talks and conferences by other members, and there’s free coffee, agua frescas, and beer. The entrance (on the ground level) is a little chaotic with employees checking IDs and ushering people around. The sheer size of this place is impressive and the convenience of being able to have a worldwide WeWork membership is awesome (you choose your main location and anywhere else is a small daily fee). They are the most expensive option in the area with hot desks that start at around 4,000p a month and private offices start at around 6,000p, but there’s 24/7 access.
Colony Spaces – Colima 161 & Puebla 237, Colonia Roma
Colony is the stiffest of this bunch, with a very office-like vibe to each floor, one ample common area on one floor, and the others are more like small living rooms with a few tables and chairs for freelancers without an office. That’s not to say there are no benefits to Colony — 24-hour access is available here, as well as lots of meeting rooms, it’s pet friendly and they will provide you with an office address that you can use on official paperwork in Mexico. Membership to one Colony location gives you access to all of them, so you can pick the layout and space that you like the most (there are five locations throughout the city and the one in Cibeles has an outdoor terrace). The Colima location is right in the heart of all the goings-on of Roma Norte and would be a great place for someone new to the city that wanted to explore to and from work. They also have scooters you can borrow to scoot around the neighborhood.
Cubic Idea – Colima 158 & Jalapa 100, Colonia Roma
Cubic Idea has two locations in Roma, and with a membership with one you get access to both. The newer location on Jalapa is much roomier than the first on Colima. A long open terrace dominates the ground floor, which sits next to a kitchen/dining area and is bookended with two meeting rooms, then each consecutive floor has small common tables that sit in the center of a cluster of glassed-in private offices. They have a great rooftop terrace with a grill that is split into a covered area and one that is out in the open but has a shade cloth that keeps off the harshest rays of the sun.
Each floor has a lot of light and doesn’t have those low ceilings that seem to be common in office buildings. There’s a full service gym next door which you can access with the price of your membership. The decor is a little start-up/tech cheesy, but it’s bearable. This building is not for the mobility challenged — it’s all stairs all the way up.
The space on Colima is tall and narrow, with the offices on the top floor getting much more light than those at the bottom. Most of their building is made up of glassed-in offices for 4, 6, 8, and 12 people (unfurnished) and there are just a handful of hot desks or assigned desks for individual freelancers. They offer small kitchen areas on each floor with coffeemakers, fridges (one full of beer) and they have an outdoor terrace on the top floor that’s small but with great ambiance.
Access to all their locations is from 8-9pm Monday to Friday and 8-6pm on Saturdays, unless you rent a private office and then you can get 24/7 access. For a hot desk with unlimited tea and coffee (plus a beer on Friday and Saturday) it will run you 2,500p. For a dedicated desk in a furnished, shared office space the cost is 3,500. For private offices the fees vary and you have to make an appointment to set the rental up.
Privat.mx – Cordoba 95, Colonia Roma
The Pool – Goldsmith #40, Colonia Polanco
A little further afield, but possibly my favorite cowork in the city is The Pool in Polanco. They have a cool central freelancing area with colorful and comfortable furniture and lots of space to spread out, surrounded by glass-enclosed offices on the outer edges of the main room. There’s a pinball machine room to one side of that space and a small but cute kitchen/dining area in the corner with a full fridge and a family-style picnic table. Upstairs there’s more coworking open space and a meeting with character — with couches and fun wallpaper, not just four blank walls and no windows. Bike parking is up front in the reception area and it’s located in the heart of the best section of Polanco — the cluster of streets that surround Parque Lincoln are just steps away. It isn’t even outrageously expensive — from 1,300p to 3,900p a month depending on the services you want. This is where I would work if I could stand to be around other people talking while I am writing.
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