First impressions

Coffee & Carrot sits in Cornfield Road, one of the main routes through Eastbourne town centre. The café’s Alice in Wonderland theme gives it a playful identity and makes it immediately different from a more conventional high-street coffee shop.

This wasn’t my first visit, but it was my first time assessing the café specifically as somewhere to work.

On this occasion, I sat outside in the sunshine. The café has a generous outdoor area with flexible seating, plenty of natural light and well-spaced tables. Despite the bustle of Cornfield Road, it had an almost continental feel: the kind of place where you can sit in the sun, watch the world go by and allow the surrounding town-centre activity to become part of the atmosphere.

I ordered an Un’Beetable juice—one of Coffee & Carrot’s particular strengths—and found the owner warm, personable and proactive. Combined with the Alice in Wonderland theme, the friendly welcome gave the venue a distinctive character without making the experience feel forced or overdone.

Working from Coffee & Carrot

I stayed for one hour and 45 minutes, meeting a client and doing some brainstorming. I felt completely comfortable bringing out my laptop and settling in, and I noticed one or two other people using laptops, tablets or notebooks.

The outdoor table provided enough room for a laptop and drink, while the seating was perfectly suitable for a meeting or shorter working session. The generous spacing between tables made it easy to move the furniture and choose a comfortable position.

Although the venue was busy, holding a conversation was easy. There was moderate noise from traffic, customers, children and music, but it added to the lively atmosphere rather than making communication difficult. The coffee machine wasn’t noticeable from outside.

The outside area does not have power sockets, so a charged laptop is essential. The seating also felt better suited to a focused meeting or a shorter period of work than to spending the entire day there.

Connectivity 

Connectivity was the main practical limitation.

Free Wi-Fi is available, but I was advised that it would not connect from the outdoor seating, so I used my phone as a hotspot.

That worked for my purposes, but I wouldn’t arrive assuming I could rely on the café Wi-Fi. If your work requires continuous internet access, video calls or large file transfers, you would need a properly tested backup plan.

Client meetings and atmosphere

This is where Coffee & Carrot worked especially well.

The tables were very well spaced, conversation felt private enough for an ordinary business discussion and the sunny outdoor setting created a relaxed environment in which to meet. I would definitely return for an informal client meeting, networking one-to-one, interview or brainstorming session.

The café offers a good range of hot drinks, decaf and alternative milks, alongside lighter meals and choices for different dietary requirements. Its juices are particularly good and offer something a little different from the usual coffee-and-cake arrangement.

The outdoor area is both dog- and child-friendly. 

Best for

Coffee & Carrot would work particularly well for:

• Informal client meetings

• Business catch-ups and networking one-to-ones

• Brainstorming and creative conversations

• Interviews

• Phone calls

• Small outdoor meetings

• Light solo laptop work

• Working between appointments

• A quick working stop on a bright, dry day