Finding the perfect study environment can be difficult, especially cafes or restaurants. It’s one of the things I tend to be extremely picky about. Sometimes it’s too loud, it’s too crowded, or maybe the workers talk too much and make it hard to focus. After spending a year searching for the perfect study cafes, I finally have two that meet my standards.

There are three main things that I look for when scouting: ambience, interior design, and the crowd. I consider overall look of the cafe over food because my environment heavily affects my mood and ability to focus. Being in a cafe that has string lights and wooden walls makes me want to study, because it deserves it. It makes me feel like I’m the anime girl studying in the constantly playing lo-fi radio on Youtube.

There are two cafes in DTSJ that fit my needs. The first is Cafe Frascati, located on the corner of 1st Street and W San Carlos. The storefront has ceiling high glass windows, so it brings in a decent amount of light during the day. Moreover, in the back is a lofted floor with a sunroof that allows you to see the entire first floor. It’s never busy whenever I visit and being on the lofted floor removes you from all the chatter downstairs, making it perfect for studying. One downside is that their snacks can be on the pricey side, but the workers don’t complain if you bring in food from outside. On Tuesday’s they have Open Mic events and occasional comedy nights.

Breaktime Tea is my second go-to study spot. There’s always a good playlist on; every time I visit I always stay longer than I intend to just because my favorite songs keep playing one after the other. Their drinks are decently sized for their price and have more unique options on the menu. There’s only one to two workers at a time in front, so they don’t cause much distraction. My only issue is that Breaktime tends to get busy during the week from 12-5, when most students have class, so I usually come here on the weekends. Most times if I have to study or cram some homework in between classes, I’ll be at Cafe Frascati or Breaktime Tea.

Visit Cafe Frascati’s website and Breaktime’s instagram.