How we rank venues

Every ranking on this site is produced by a rule set you can read below, applied to open map data. No editorial thumb on the scale, no paid placements, no undisclosed ordering.

Where the data comes from

Venues, facilities and opening hours — OpenStreetMap, refreshed per city. Every venue page links back to the OpenStreetMap object it describes, so you can check or correct it at source.
City names, population and coordinates — Wikidata.

How a venue gets onto a page

Type filter. A venue must be the right kind of place for the scenario — a coworking guide only considers venues tagged as coworking spaces.
Hard requirements. Where a page title asserts a fact, the venue must evidence that fact. A venue appears on a "board game cafes" page only if OpenStreetMap records board games there; on a "late night" page only if its published hours run past 11pm. This is why some of these pages are short, and why some cities do not have them at all.
Evidence gate. At least one scoring rule must fire. A venue OpenStreetMap knows nothing relevant about is left off rather than padded in to make a list look longer.
Score and order. Points are added for each recorded fact that matters to the scenario. The reasons are printed under every listing.
Chain spread. At most two branches of the same chain appear near the top, so a list of forty venues is not fifteen branches of one coffee company.

When we do not publish a page

A city/scenario page is only published when enough venues in that city carry at least two relevant recorded facts. Below that threshold the page would be a bare list with an empty comparison table, which is worth less than nothing to a reader, so it is not generated at all.

The scenarios and their rules

Cafes to work from

Someone wants a cafe where they can sit with a laptop for a few hours. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: internet access, opening hours, outdoor seating

Recorded fact	Points
Wi-Fi recorded in OpenStreetMap	+30
Wi-Fi is free	+8
Power sockets recorded	+20
Opening hours published	+8
Outdoor seating	+5
Indoor seating recorded	+4
Step-free access	+4
Air conditioning	+3
Has a website	+3
Takeaway only - no seating	-25

Quiet bars for conversation

Someone wants a bar where they can actually hear each other talk. OSM records no noise level, so ranking uses proxies: outdoor seating, absence of live music, smoking policy. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Recorded fact	Points
Bar rather than a pub floor	+6
Outdoor seating - a quieter option	+10
No live music	+12
Non-smoking indoors	+6
Opening hours published	+8
Takes reservations	+6
Step-free access	+4
Has a website	+3
Nightclub - too loud	-40

Step-free venues

Someone needs to know a venue is step-free before they travel to it. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: wheelchair

Recorded fact	Points
Step-free access recorded	+30
Limited step-free access recorded	+12
Accessible toilet recorded	+22
Opening hours published	+10
Outdoor seating	+6
Phone number listed - you can call ahead	+6
Has a website	+4

First date spots

Someone needs a low-pressure venue for a first meeting. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: outdoor seating, reservation, opening hours

Recorded fact	Points
Outdoor seating	+12
Takes reservations	+10
Opening hours published	+8
Non-smoking indoors	+6
No live music - easier to talk	+6
Step-free access	+5
Vegetarian options	+4
Has a website	+3
Fast food	-30

Cafes open early

Someone needs coffee before 8am - before a shift, a flight or a commute. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: opening hours

Recorded fact	Points
Open by 6am	+35
Open by 7am	+20
Open by 8am	+10
Wi-Fi recorded	+10
Takeaway available	+8
Outdoor seating	+5
Step-free access	+4
Has a website	+3

Coworking spaces

Someone is looking for a desk to rent by the day or month. Published in 13 cities, minimum 5 well-documented venues required.

Recorded fact	Points
Wi-Fi recorded in OpenStreetMap	+20
Opening hours published	+12
Has a website	+10
Phone number listed	+5
Step-free access	+6
Outdoor working area	+4

Outdoor seating

Someone wants to sit outside - with a laptop, a dog, or a group. Published in 20 cities, minimum 10 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: outdoor seating

Recorded fact	Points
Outdoor seating recorded	+25
Opening hours published	+12
Wi-Fi recorded	+10
Non-smoking indoors	+6
Step-free access	+6
Takes reservations	+5
Has a website	+4

Late night spots

Someone needs somewhere still open after midnight that is not a club. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: opening hours

Recorded fact	Points
Open past 1am	+35
Open past 11pm	+15
Outdoor seating	+8
Non-smoking indoors	+5
No live music	+8
Step-free access	+4
Has a website	+3

Board game cafes

Someone wants a venue that actually keeps board games on the shelf. Published in 1 city, minimum 5 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: board games, leisure

Recorded fact	Points
Dedicated board game venue	+20
Opening hours published	+15
Wi-Fi recorded	+8
Outdoor seating	+6
Step-free access	+6
Has a website	+5

Group meetup spots

Someone is booking somewhere for six or more people. Published in 20 cities, minimum 8 well-documented venues required.

Must have at least one of: reservation, capacity, outdoor seating

Recorded fact	Points
Takes reservations	+25
Capacity recorded	+15
Outdoor seating	+12
Opening hours published	+10
Phone number listed - you can call ahead	+8
Step-free access	+6
Has a website	+4
Fast food	-30

What the data cannot tell you

OpenStreetMap coverage of facilities is uneven and, for some tags, very thin. In a typical well-mapped city, roughly a quarter of cafes have Wi-Fi recorded and almost none have power sockets recorded at all. That has three consequences worth stating plainly:

Absence is not denial. "Not recorded" on these pages means OpenStreetMap has no value for that tag. It does not mean the venue lacks the facility.
Well-documented venues rank higher. A venue whose mapper filled in the details will outrank an equally good one whose mapper did not. This is a real limitation, not a claim about quality.
Noise is not measured. OpenStreetMap has no noise level, so "quiet bars" pages rank on proxies — outdoor seating, no live music tag, smoking policy — and say so.

If a listing is wrong, the best fix is to correct it in OpenStreetMap: it will flow through here on the next refresh, and improve every other service using the same data. You can also tell us and we will look at it.