I like to rotate through different coffee shops when I need to get out of my office for a few hours. Chico has a lot of great ones. Daycamp Coffee on Market Place is one of the standout spots I love. It sits in the walkable stretch of Meriam Park that feels like a real neighborhood — and the setup inside is unlike most places in town.
The ground floor is always full of locals visiting and meeting up for coffee with friends. People are spread across the long tables, settled into the leather couch, and taking in the local art on the walls. The staff keeps everything moving — friendly, and they really know what they are doing behind the bar.
The coffee is seasonal and small-batch roasted. You can taste the care that goes into it. They also sell whole bean bags if you want to take some home.
Then there is the upstairs. The mezzanine has a bar counter along the railing, a big sectional couch, and more tables. It is quieter up there, with good light and a nice view down to the main floor. I have gotten a lot of solid work done up there.
The kitchen has pastries, breakfast sandwiches on English muffins, and garden bowls. Just know that the kitchen closes at 2pm, so do not wait too long. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 3pm, and stays open until 4pm on weekends. It is the kind of small business that makes Chico feel like Chico.
As a local, this is one of those places I keep coming back to. If you have not made it to Daycamp yet, put it on your list for this week. Head to 1925 Market Place, Suite 150 in Meriam Park. Grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, take the stairs up, and find a spot at the bar or the sectional. Open your laptop, settle in, and see how the morning goes. Real talk — once you find your groove up there, it will not be your last visit. This is the kind of place that makes working outside the office feel less like a workaround and more like the better choice.