Our first review!

In the winter of 2021, in the midst of roommate drama and quarantine induced insanity, I decided I needed to get away from my desk in the basement and find someplace else to work. Quixotic was the first place I went. I was truly a modern woman as I traveled all the way from Minneapolis to St Paul, finally exercising the vast freedom of movement I had as a remote worker. I finally understood "van life" and the "digital nomad" mentality. I mean, I was working from a completely different city!

Okay, that might be a stretch. It was Saint Paul, not Costa Rica. But still, there was a sense of excitement and freedom working from neither an office, nor my desk at home. Quixotic was the start to my "work from anywhere" journey and what a great place it was to start with. All that said, you're not here for my trip down memory lane. You're here for the data, right?

So onto the (bean) juicy stuff

I'll start with our basic quantitative metrics:

I chose Quixotic to launch my coffee-shop-remote-woman-in-STEM (god that's obnoxious) adventure because it felt comfortable and familiar. I had done homework there as a college student and what I loved - and still love - most about it is that there are several booths with tall wooden walls between them. You can be in your own personal work area while still participating in the vibrant energy of a neighborhood coffee shop. Not only that, but each table has an outlet and the wifi is reliable, so you can take Zoom calls without worrying about a dying battery or losing connection.

In addition to the booths, there is a larger closed off conference room that can be reserved if you want to work with friends or co-workers. They also have bar seating and regular tables if all of the booths are taken.

But enough about tables. I know you want to hear about the coffee…

If you just finished a stressful meeting with the boss man or you just got a raise and you deserve a little reward, Quixotic has fun and tasty seasonal drinks that you'll end up spending all of your money on every day for several weeks until you feel bad about it but still can't stop...

Lucky for you, they also have really good drip coffee at a very reasonable price! If coffee's not your thing, there is a variety of teas, kombuchas, tea lattes, smoothies, and juices to choose from. Personally, I am a fan of their matcha as well as the Jinx teas they offer.

Onto the food…

If you're anything like me, having coffee on an empty stomach will send you racing to the bathroom. And one bathroom in a coffee shop with 48 seats (yes, we counted) can be a big risk. But at Quixotic, you can find a variety of fresh pastries from Patisserie 46 and Sift (gluten free!), and more recently they've added smoothie and yogurt bowls from Bom Dia Treats.

Finally onto the “work metrics” that are mostly biased and completely subjective…

The work environment at Quixotic is fantastic. Most of the people there are working on something, whether it's school work or "work work" - whatever that means. For someone trying to dip their toes into the coffee shop work life, Quixotic is a great place to test out, especially if you can sit in a booth. Can you tell I love the booths?

The music is usually at a comfortable volume, people are generally respectful of their noise levels, and the food and coffee are reliably good. You don't have to worry about your wifi cutting out or the background noise being so loud your co-workers can't hear you in a meeting, and they don't unexpectedly start playing niche hard-core bands (more on that in another review).

All in all, Quixotic is a great place for a remote worker. Osmar gives it a 4.5/5, but I give it a 5/5 and this is my review so what I say goes.

Pro tip: If you can’t find street parking, pull into the alley just north of the shop. There’s 2 hour parking along one side. But leave a spot for us!