Workbar

If you’re looking for a space as a solo entrepreneur or a small business team, this may be the right environment for you. Definitely visit both the Boston location and the Cambridge location to see which space works better for you, because the Cambridge space is particularly larger. I love the environment at Workbar, it’s modern, cozy, and it definitely promotes space for collaboration and productivity w/​all its amenities like conference rooms, private phone booths, and plenty of wall space to brainstorm your ideas. I think most importantly, Workbar isn’t just a space, it’s a community. The staff works very hard to promote events that support the local entrepreneurial community through intimate Lunch & Learn events, evening networking events, and much more.
With the rise of co-​working spaces in the Boston, I’m still drawn to workbar’s boutique and community driven environment. For the most part, it’s a pretty transparent environment, and everybody talks to each other. Thanks team Workbar!

This is not just a place to work, its also a place to meet people and collaborate. I find the community to be very supportive. I am a member of the Cambridge location, but when I need to get a bunch of work done, I like coming to the Boston location because its quiet and I can focus. The staff is very helpful and friendly.

nerds hidden below
exposed tech work or pleasure
creativity
I’m not exactly sure what to think of these «work bars». Is it for work? Or is it a bar? Perhaps it is both. I was privileged enough to attend a sort of mini-​nerdfest for Unilocal seeking engineers. I am not an engineer, but I am capable of socializing engineers, and socialize I did in the off hours of this work. bar.
The space seemed ample. The kitchen: welcoming. Open and ready for work… or Karaōke. There was also karaōke.
So, whether you are actually working all day, or you having a little work-​bar-​food-​networking party. I’d book space here. Way better than a library. ESPRESSO MACHINE.

I started working remotely from WorkBar in September, and couldn’t be happier in this space! From a kick-​butt location (right across the street from South Station) to the A-​Team (Alison, Alexa, Abby, and Anne are all awesome support staff!), I have everything I need for an office away from our headquarters. Then throw in some Lunch and Learns, Poker Night, and a number of evening events– I’ve also been able to grow professionally and socially as I get more integrated into the Boston scene.

I kind of don’t want to tell anyone about this place, but I always end up spilling the beans when the subject of office space comes up. Great energy, smart people, «networking» opportunities in the best sense of the word.

Workbar is a wonderful place for the single entrepreneur or small team.
For less than $ 300 a month, I get a great office, great large meeting rooms, small meeting rooms, a receptionist, and, perhaps most importantly, incredible talent all around me from whom I am continually learning.
Oh, I didn’t mention the free coffee, water, and craft beer!
The atmosphere is low key and very friendly. You can socialize or just bear down and get work done. And they are constantly bringing in people to give Lunch and Learn sessions for just $ 10 that includes lunch!
If you’re a solo operation or a small team (2 – 3 people) looking for a place other than your garage or small den at home, come check out Workbar. They’ll let you work there for a day for free to check it out.
John

Love this place — came here a couple months ago, and I’ve been growing my business ever since.
Fizzy Water, Coffee, sometimes free food from Trader Joe’s upstairs, clean fridge policy, friendly faces, beer on tap!, an AeroPress, and personalities that sizzle.
I’ve worked in several places in the common space and people give great advice, you can get quick feedback using Google Groups.
I can sit alone or at a place near other people. Some people come with teams. There is dedicated space and community space.
Have some quiet spots for phone calls. A couple of places behind doors for conferences. We generally sign up in the morning. There’s café area that gets the east sunshine in the morning.
Plus — I love the people. Huge.

Pretty good facilities, but it’s in the city so it’s more expensive. Also the feeling of the place is kind of… beleagured. I felt like I was in some sort of IT refugee camp.
Ended up going with the cheaper and nicer Brickyard space out in North Cambridge.

It’s quite unfortunate that I have to write a negative review for the kind of innovative small business that I usually support.
I’m a worker in Boston who relies on co-​working space since my parent company does not have an office here. This could have been a business to frequent and recommend to my fellow co-​working folks.
However, there are a number of reasons that result in my review of this space:
1) I visited the WorkBar once in August 2011. I signed up for what I believed was a one month trial pass. I came in for one day and decided that this wasn’t the space for me. The reasons for this were:
— Noise level. I’m used to working in fairly quiet environments and even with headphones on, I couldn’t get used to the group style environment where people were talking loudly without being asked to lower their voices. Laughing, horseplay, generally friendly behavior, but not the sort of thing I expect from a professional working environment. This was a deal breaker for me because I couldn’t get much work done.
The space is also located in the basement of a building right by South Station and every time a large vehicle drove by, shaking and rumbling ensued. Again, not work conducive.
2) After that first visit, I decided that I didn’t want to return and didn’t think twice about it. 14 months down the line, I notice a recurring charge on company cc. $ 75/​month for a service used once. ($ 1,040)
3) I contacted WorkBar and spoke with their space manager, Allison, in the first week of October and she explained their policies. Fair enough, apparently I signed a recurring contract. She promised to send me the contract and I asked for some sort of concession since I wasn’t aware that this was an auto-​billing service. She promises to get back as soon as possible.
I wait for one week for a response. No contract sent via e-​mail.
Therefore, I send an e-​mail inquiring and I wait for a response.
One more week goes by and nothing.
Finally, I call again, and I speak with Allison. She suddenly remembers that they’ve come to resolution and says that I’ll receive an e-​mail shortly.
The e-​mail gets sent out with my promised contract and a note that my card won’t be charged post November 1^st. No concessions since I signed the contract.
I’m not sure why this takes 2 weeks to communicate to me or why a business is unaware that members aren’t returning, yet continue to charge them. My lesson learned is that I should read the fine print before signing (duh).
—
My review of the work space was separate from being billed unknowingly.
However, I cannot recommend this business due to my preferences for a professional working environment.
A word of advice: If you’ve ever visited the space, and did not cancel with written notice, please note that a 30 day written notice is required.

I came here for the first time for their Free Fridays, a service they offer every few weeks. I’ve been working on my portfolio at home on a daily basis and I needed a change of scenery. Since this office offered amenities that Starbucks did not — fast wifi, free snacks, printer/​copier/​fax/​scanner, I took the T over from Somerville.
The location is excellent, right down the block from South Station and within walking distance of food trucks for lunch. The space is in the basement of a building, with low ceilings and only some outside light. It has various specialty rooms — conference rooms, phone call rooms, et cetera — and different seating arrangements that would meet almost anyone’s requirements.
The cost for the tiered memberships seems completely reasonable for the amount of space and amenities available. The space is open ²⁴⁄₇. I didn’t speak to anyone since I was hard a work, but the place was busy with all sorts and it seemed like a nice way to network.
My only concern with the space is noise. The first day I went it was particularly rowdy, and the second time I went it was mostly quiet with the occasional laughter burst and whatnot. That first day I expected a slightly more professional atmosphere — the crowd may have been particularly rambunctious that day — however, if I were bringing a client in for a meeting (one of the services they offer), I would have been embarrassed. Then again, my second Free Fridays visit was totally fine. So, the atmosphere might be hit or miss depending on the day.
Overall, I’m happy that a place like this exists in Boston. Their mission, to provide a community workplace, is more than met with this space. I will probably visit again (on a non-​free day) to see how the atmosphere is then, which will determine whether or not I purchase a membership.

great space not a library or coffee shop and I love their free days!
WorkBar is great — wish we had more locations!

WorkBar has been a great office space while spending the past month in Boston. I almost wish I was staying longer just so I could continue to come here! The mix of companies, partnerships and freelancers that call WorkBar home make it a great community to come to every day.
There are plenty of tables, high tables, couches and chairs to work at. I find myself wanting to move throughout the day just to change it up. WorkBar also includes plenty of phone rooms so you can get on your conference calls in private.
The location is convenient, the space is comfortable and the people are really nice. Oh … and they have beer.

I only joined WorkBar out of necessity. My two-​person Boston team needed meeting space, an office address, and an escape from the four walls of our apartments. The WorkBar part-​time price was right, so we joined.
The café setup and carefree atmosphere was hardly the office experience I had grown used to in my previous corporate life. I didn’t immediately see how this place could be much more than a building to house our business.
But, I quickly realized that WorkBar is much more than just an office space. And we immediately upgraded our part-​time membership to full-​time. From biweekly happy hours to group volunteer outings – to even after hours events and conferences – WorkBar fosters a strong sense of community among its members.
I’ve met some of the most fascinating people doing incredibly innovative work here. And WorkBar strongly facilitates collaboration between its members through its social and business networks – even helping me personally connect with new clients.
For anyone who is looking for office camaraderie, a plentiful network of business connections, a fully functional office infrastructure, and just plain fun, I recommend WorkBar without reservation.
I hope to see you around the office soon…

This is an excellent workspace that has all the advantages of a private office, like printers, desks, conference rooms, phone rooms, and free coffee. It also has much more than any private office could offer – a community of people from diverse businesses and backgrounds. This place has a great combination of productivity and fun that make it nearly ideal as an upgrade for the work-​from-​home independent or small business.
The price is very reasonable for what you get, and the amenities are well stocked all the time. Transportation is ideal being across the street from South Station – especially for those on the red line. The only problem recently is that it’s been crowded on some days! There’s still plenty of space though, and I’m happy more people are taking advantage of the space, so I can’t complain.
All in all, this is a great place to call ‘work’! I don’t know what I’ll do if my company ever expands to its own office, but I know I’ll miss WorkBar when that day comes.

Great space to get things done.

Just got back from an event with the Boston Young Entrepreneurs that was hosted here, and since I just launched my own mini-​venture, I was super-​excited to discover this place in downtown Boston. It’s a workspace modeled like a gym membership where you can work — use wireless, print/​copy/​etc., hold client meetings, and avail yourself of profuse amounts of Evona’s coffee. There are conference rooms, individual cubicles, and open floor space that can double as workspace and event/​presentation area with two separate projectors.
The space is absolutely gorgeous — exposed brick, high ceilings, new furnishings, and a warm, welcoming, professional color scheme with art on the wall by local artists. Why can’t my current office look like this? I drearily trudge through a world of gray walls, floors, and cubicle farms each and every day!
The staff is awesome and fun — quick mention for Evona (office manager and coffee-​guru) and Bill (friendly and energetic director) who happily explained the WorkBar business model, and I couldn’t believe the deal on the prices for the location. It’s right next to South Station, and much better than trying to deal with student-​packed coffee shops to handle your small business/​freelance workspace needs (or try to survive the suspicious BO that can haunt you at the BPL).